An Alternative Mechanism for the Delivery of Scholarly Journal Articles: ReadCube Access at the University of Utah

Traditional collection management of serials through site licenses and subscriptions is increasingly unsustainable due to rising costs and steady or falling library budgets. The ensuing gaps in access have led to widespread illicit file sharing, resulting in the disintermediation of libraries and the devaluing of publishers. It has therefore become essential to explore alternatives for the delivery of journal literature. We report on the exploration of a new mechanism for the provision of scholarly articles using patron-driven acquisition (PDA). During the 2012–2013 academic year, the University of Utah Marriott Library, ReadCube, and Nature Publishing Group collaborated on the development and testing of ReadCube Access, an article delivery service designed to allow researchers to immediately access individual articles at a cost lower than traditional interlibrary loan, pay per view, or document delivery.