In my last post, I discussed budget constraints and how special librarians can ask questions to determine how best to use the resources they have available.
Sometimes, though, a resource is incredibly important, and the cost of it just keeps rising, which puts pressure on other resources and services. Special librarians know this tension well: unlike public or academic libraries, we’re often supporting a small, specific user base with resources that don’t have easy substitutes. Some resources just aren’t optional.
So, when costs for databases and specialized research tools rise faster than budgets can accommodate, what can special librarians do?
Below are seven practical strategies special librarians can use to manage rising resource costs while protecting access to the tools their organizations rely on.
1. Use Usage Data as Leverage, Not Just for Monitoring
Track more than whether a resource is being used. Build a cost-per-use or cost-per-department picture you can bring into budget conversations.
A database costing $40K with 200 uses a year tells a different story than one costing $10K with the same usage. This data helps you decide what’s actually needed, and it strengthens your position in negotiations with both vendors and leadership.
For example, ask:
- Which departments use the resource most?
- How often is the resource used?
- What is the cost per use?
- Could the data support a renegotiation, tier change, or shared funding request?
2. Consider Consortial and Cooperative Purchasing
Public and academic libraries take advantage of this regularly. If your special library doesn’t, look into shared licensing, regional consortia, or informal resource-sharing agreements with peer institutions.
These can offset rising costs without cutting access, and they often open the door to relationships that help in future negotiations, too.
3. Explore Tiered Access Instead of All-or-Nothing
A smaller seat count, a walk-up or mediated-search model, or a lower-tier package can preserve access to critical content while reducing cost. This works especially well when usage is concentrated among a small group of power users.
4. Make Renegotiation a Default Practice, Not a Last Resort
Vendors expect pushback now, especially with so many libraries facing the same pressure. Build an annual “renegotiate or reconsider” step into your process instead of letting contracts auto-renew.
5. Look at Unbundling and Substitution
Ask yourself: are there open-access, government, or lower-cost alternatives that cover 70–80% of the need? If so, that frees up budget for the resource that’s truly irreplaceable.
6. Shift the Cost Conversation Upstream
Sometimes the fix isn’t in the library budget at all. Make the case to leadership that a mission-critical resource should be funded centrally, especially if multiple departments rely on it. This reframes the resource as an organizational investment rather than a line item that the library alone has to justify.
7. Build a Sunset or Exit Plan Before You Need One
Have a pre-vetted list of what would be cut first. This removes panic decision-making when a renewal quote comes in high, and it gives you a plan to point to when leadership asks what happens if the budget doesn’t stretch.
Prioritize Budgetary Needs Before Cuts Take Effect
None of these seven strategies is a silver bullet, and you likely won’t need all of them at once. Together, though, they can help you move from asking “can we afford this?” to asking “how do we make sure we’re spending on what matters most?”
As with budget constraints more broadly, the goal is to build a consistent framework you can return to, so that when the next price increase comes, you’re prepared to respond rather than react.
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