TO:        UCR Academic Community

FROM:  Steven Mandeville-Gamble University Librarian

RE:       Imminent change to Elsevier access

DATE:    July 1, 2019

The University of California has been out of contract with Elsevier since January but, so far, the publisher has continued to provide access to new articles via ScienceDirect. Although Elsevier has not yet provided us with official notification, we now have reason to believe that the publisher will shut off that direct access in the first half of July, after the July 4 holiday.

When that happens, we will no longer have direct access to 2019 articles (in all Elsevier journals) and the backfiles of certain journals (download the list). Everything else will still be accessible on ScienceDirect. Once the shut off is confirmed, we will publish a notice on the Office of Scholarly Communication website as well as the UCR Library website.

Background

Last year, the University of California entered negotiations for a new agreement with Elsevier that would not only continue UC’s access to its online journals, but also achieve the faculty-supported goals of containing journal subscription costs and providing for open access publication of UC research. Unfortunately, in late February the negotiations stalled. In the months since, Elsevier has continued to provide access to new articles via ScienceDirect without a contract in place.

Other ways to access Elsevier articles

The library is prepared to help you access articles that are no longer available via ScienceDirect once our access is discontinued. Information about other ways to access Elsevier articles, which provides guidance on how to:

• Use tools like Google Scholar, Unpaywall and Open Access Button to quickly find open access copies, when available.
• Email the corresponding author listed in the abstract to request a copy.
• Use the interlibrary loan request form (any request for content no longer licensed through Elsevier will automatically be placed into a special queue).
• Contact our Interlibrary Loan staff so we can best meet your needs. We are always here to help.

We will be carefully evaluating the impact of losing access to new articles on ScienceDirect over the coming months, and will do our best to ensure that you have access to the articles you need. Meanwhile, UC is hoping to reenter formal negotiations with Elsevier if the publisher indicates that they are willing to discuss a contract that addresses our goals of cost containment and open access.

If you have any questions or need help accessing an article, please don’t hesitate to contact a UCR Collection Strategist at any time.

Steven Mandeville-Gamble, University Librarian