Public universities that continue to say “no” are building a foundation for a more effective and inclusive way to broadly and publicly share important research.

Private industry has come to dominate the institutions of science, but librarians are taking a firm stance in negotiating lower subscription fees; academics are creating open source workarounds; and even pirates are creating alternatives that free up journal articles and pressure publishers to expand access.

"With Big Ten libraries’ expenditures on journals exceeding $190 million, we recognize that our institutions are privileged in the level of access we provide our campuses, yet the status quo is not sustainable."

In his article "The Big Deal: Not Price But Cost," Richard Poynder surveys the history of the Big Deal debate, beginning with the first e-journal bundle deal in 1996 and ending with a showdown brewing between Elsevier and RLUK, a consortium of major UK research libraries.

In The Librarians’ Dilemma: Contemplating the Costs of the “Big Deal”, Ken Frazier made a compelling case against package deals of electronic journals. Eighteen years and countless budget crises later, Frazier is looking downright prophetic.

The university administration, LSU Libraries, and the Faculty Senate have been grappling with the high cost of Elsevier’s journals, as have many other universities nationwide...Going forward, the Libraries will subscribe to Elsevier journals on a title-by-title basis, retaining the most highly used journals by the LSU community. The [Faculty Senate] resolution further called for the creation of expedited document delivery to provide fast, unmediated access to articles in journals not on subscription.