NASIG 2026

We want our library resources to be accessible, but how can we tell that they are? How do I decide whether an e-resource platform is accessible enough? With the recent changes to Title II, there are many questions about implementing procedures that are aware and sensitive to accessibility needs. This presentation invites you to explore tools and processes that can be used during the acquisition workflow to create a sustainable structure for your institution.

This presentation will cover the fast-paced requirement to reduce the collections budget by approximately five percent within three months. This session will cover information about a Renewal Decision Matrix created in collaboration with the Associate Dean for Collections & Discovery and Acquisitions Department staff. This will also cover efforts to conduct quick assessments during the hectic Fall 2025 semester. This session will also include information about collaborating with subject matter experts (i.e., liaison librarians) to determine the best titles to cancel quickly. While this session will primarily focus on cancellations of both print and electronic standalone serials, assessment measures for database subscriptions will also be discussed. This session will also include information about future trends in academic libraries. This session will conclude with a respectful discussion of the academic library landscape, including an exploration of potential areas for research collaboration.

Over the past two years, rapid shifts in browser technology and changing regulatory requirements have created new obstacles for delivering seamless, secure access to online scholarly resources. This session explores these obstacles, highlights the latest developments in the resource access ecosystem, and introduces how the SeamlessAccess initiative helps libraries, publishers, and service providers navigate this evolving landscape through its core principles of usability, privacy, reliability, and security.

his presentation introduces an experimental project that explores the use of artificial intelligence to support the creation of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) for library materials. As the library cataloging work faces the challenge of limited staff and original cataloging remains a time-consuming and advanced cataloging skills required process, libraries are increasingly interested in understanding whether AI tools can meaningfully assist subject analysis while maintaining the professional standards required for high-quality metadata. Our project investigates this matter by designing and testing an AI model trained on real cataloging records from UW–Madison Libraries and Miami University Libraries, focusing on East Asian language materials. This presentation reports methodology, workflow design, pilot results, challenges in data permissions, and possible implications for scalable AI-suggested cataloging.

This presentation aims to provide an in-depth analysis of the effects of cancelling approval plans. It will investigate how many titles were purchased that would have come on approval, as well as the circulation or usage of monographs by various acquisition models across disciplines.

This presentation will explore how transitioning to OpenAthens transformed our access model. We’ll demonstrate how the switch improved the user experience by enabling seamless, point-of-need authentication, strengthened privacy and security ,and ultimately reduced staff time spent on access-related support by nearly 75%.

During the last year, Utah State University Libraries has undergone two migrations that have impacted how we handle serials management. First, we migrated to FOLIO in June and had to pivot last minute to change how we were handling our electronic resources. Second, we were also undergoing an RFP for a new serials management vendor that could integrate with FOLIO. This presentation will go over how we managed both simultaneous migrations and remade workflows from scratch to accommodate.

This presentation explores strategies for providing access to library resources while saving dollars within the constraints of a long-standing flat materials budget. We will discuss usage analytics, creative problem-solving, collaborative approaches, and practical insights into sustaining access to both physical and electronic collections.

Academic libraries across the country are navigating increasingly tough financial times. With materials budgets remaining flat or even declining, collection strategists face the challenge of sustaining access to essential resources and saving money while minimizing disruption to patrons. While it’s easy to appreciate acquisitions, the real assessment lies in the difficult decisions: planning for annual inflationary increases in subscriptions, cancelling subscriptions, delaying purchases, and rethinking long-standing practices. This presentation explores how libraries can maintain solid collections despite budgetary constraints and inflation.

Our library has operated under a flat budget for over twenty-five years. In 2022, we made the difficult decision to cut $300,000 in databases and journals. We are currently engaged in a major weeding project to improve usage and increase space. Faced with these realities, our collection strategist librarians have embraced creative, data-informed approaches to preserve access and save money where possible. We developed analytic reports to guide decision-making and explored many methods to meet campus needs: cost-per-use models, overlap analyses, aggregator coverage, one-time database purchases, third-party document delivery services, and collaborative print consortiums. Each method offered new insights and, sometimes, unexpected challenges. This session shares lessons learned, strategies tested, and solutions discovered. Curiosity, experimentation, and flexibility were key to our progress—and not every idea worked the first time.