WSU Libraries
Journal Review
4 things you need to know about journal price inflation
- Journal Review
- About
- Letter from the Dean
- Goals and objectives
- Team members
- Journal Price Inflation
- Why bundles
- Industry Reports
- FAQ
- Journal prices increased an average of 8%, mode of 9%, range of 5% and 30% last year*
- Journal prices increased an average of 37%, mode of 33%, range of 19% and 70% in the past five years*
- Journal price inflation is across the board. Relatively inexpensive journals show similar or greater price inflation than many of the more expensive journals.
- The Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows a much smaller rate of inflation than the rates shown in journal pricing, either in individual years or in a five-year cumulation.
| Subject | Avg No. of Titles 2005– 2009 | Avg Cost Per Title 2005 | Avg Cost Per Title 2006 | % of Cha- nge ’05– ’06 |
Avg Cost Per Title 2007 | % of Cha- nge ’06– ’07 |
Avg Cost Per Title 2008 | % of Cha- nge ’07– ’08 |
Avge Cost Per Title 2009 | % of Cha- nge ’08– ’09 |
% of Cha- nge ’05– ’09 |
| Agriculture | 189 | $823 | $880 | 7 | $948 | 8 | $1,019 | 7 | $1,089 | 7 | 32 |
| Anthropology | 64 | 389 | 408 | 5 | 443 | 8 | 497 | 12 | 543 | 9 | 40 |
| Art & Architecture | 76 | 193 | 208 | 8 | 223 | 7 | 244 | 10 | 259 | 6 | 35 |
| Astronomy | 27 | 1,315 | 1,453 | 10 | 1,516 | 4 | 1,637 | 8 | 1,781 | 9 | 35 |
| Biology | 269 | 1,444 | 1,583 | 10 | 1,720 | 9 | 1,846 | 7 | 1,980 | 7 | 37 |
| Botany | 67 | 1,159 | 1,250 | 8 | 1,356 | 8 | 1,465 | 8 | 1,581 | 8 | 36 |
| Business & Economics | 453 | 664 | 702 | 6 | 750 | 7 | 808 | 8 | 862 | 7 | 30 |
| Chemistry | 240 | 2,799 | 3,017 | 8 | 3,241 | 7 | 3,458 | 7 | 3,690 | 7 | 32 |
| Education | 131 | 407 | 443 | 9 | 492 | 11 | 542 | 10 | 587 | 8 | 44 |
| Engineering | 354 | 1,530 | 1,637 | 7 | 1,753 | 7 | 1,877 | 7 | 2,047 | 9 | 34 |
| Food Science | 20 | 1,042 | 1,127 | 8 | 1,180 | 5 | 1,278 | 8 | 1,390 | 9 | 33 |
| General Science | 70 | 870 | 922 | 6 | 1,006 | 9 | 1,078 | 7 | 1,174 | 9 | 35 |
| General Works | 78 | 136 | 142 | 5 | 154 | 9 | 167 | 8 | 176 | 5 | 29 |
| Geography | 82 | 864 | 920 | 6 | 1,001 | 9 | 1,091 | 9 | 1,145 | 5 | 32 |
| Geology | 97 | 1,231 | 1,298 | 5 | 1,397 | 8 | 1,516 | 9 | 1,632 | 8 | 33 |
| Health Sciences | 1666 | 995 | 1,089 | 9 | 1,193 | 9 | 1,296 | 9 | 1,401 | 8 | 41 |
| History | 275 | 183 | 198 | 8 | 217 | 9 | 242 | 12 | 263 | 9 | 44 |
| Language & Literature | 346 | 173 | 184 | 6 | 199 | 8 | 221 | 11 | 231 | 5 | 33 |
| Law | 90 | 223 | 246 | 10 | 273 | 11 | 292 | 7 | 322 | 10 | 44 |
| Library & Information Science | 56 | 404 | 424 | 5 | 454 | 7 | 490 | 8 | 519 | 6 | 28 |
| Math & Computer Science | 225 | 1,165 | 1,223 | 5 | 1,305 | 7 | 1,394 | 7 | 1,472 | 6 | 26 |
| Military & Naval Science | 9 | 571 | 678 | 19 | 696 | 3 | 637 | -9 | 679 | 7 | 19 |
| Music | 53 | 131 | 136 | 4 | 149 | 9 | 172 | 16 | 182 | 6 | 39 |
| Philosophy & Religion | 165 | 205 | 220 | 7 | 241 | 10 | 265 | 10 | 281 | 6 | 37 |
| Physics | 249 | 2,534 | 2,697 | 6 | 2,928 | 9 | 3,096 | 6 | 3,252 | 5 | 28 |
| Political Science | 88 | 365 | 402 | 10 | 445 | 11 | 496 | 11 | 539 | 9 | 48 |
| Psychology | 184 | 449 | 486 | 8 | 525 | 8 | 572 | 9 | 628 | 10 | 40 |
| Recreation | 25 | 226 | 241 | 7 | 257 | 6 | 295 | 15 | 383 | 30 | 70 |
| Sociology | 362 | 437 | 472 | 8 | 517 | 10 | 566 | 9 | 615 | 9 | 41 |
| Technology | 185 | 1,468 | 1,572 | 7 | 1,682 | 7 | 1,817 | 8 | 1,950 | 7 | 33 |
| Zoology | 134 | 1,039 | 1,124 | 8 | 1,236 | 10 | 1,390 | 12 | 1,510 | 9 | 45 |
| SOURCE: LJ PERIODICALS PRICE SURVEY 2009 | |||||||||||
Additional materials
PDF 6.29MB)* Van Orsdel, L. C., et. al., Reality Bites [Periodicals price survey 2009]. Library Journal (1976) v. 134 no. 7 (April 15 2009) p. 36-40.
** Consumer Price Index—All Urban Consumers 12-Month Percent Change at the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site
