The University of Windsor library is concerned the fluctuating loonie may force them to offer fewer digital books, journals and subscriptions that students and staff require.
About 80% of the university's digital material is purchased from a U.S. company in American dollars. With a low Canadian loonie, that's driving up costs quickly for a school with about 15,000 students.
"We're worried about being able to fulfill our mandate to offer the materials and the access to the research that our faculty members and our students need to fulfill their work," says acting university librarian Joan Dalton.
Dalton tells BlackburnNews.com they've only "minimally" reduced and discontinued some material so far. Moving forward, the department will begin to review its purchases with a more critical eye.
"There are a lot of variables that are taken into consideration. What the need is, if there is a demand for it," she says. "And if the material or the content in the resource can be found in an alternate resource that we also have."
The library is working with the finance department and they've offered some relief to help deal with the fluctuating currency.
"We are looking strategies going forward to mitigate the effect of the low value of the loonie," Dalton says.
Many other Canadian universities are grappling with the same problem. Out west, the University of British Columbia was forced to cancel $1.2-million worth of journal subscriptions in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
