Compendex is a longstanding resource that has previously been widely used by the College of Engineering. In the spring of 2023 UNL Libraries conducted our regular semi-annual review of library resources during which we compare the usage of resources with the annual subscription costs.
In examining the last 3 years of data, the Libraries have seen a decline in the usage of Compendex as costs to subscribe have increased. The usage of Compendex has declined approximately 50% per year for the last 3 academic years. The Libraries contacted the College of Engineering for input on the declining usage and a mutual decision was made not to renew Compendex as part of responsibly managing our declining collections budget.
In examining the scholarly literature about Compendex coverage we have determined that a combination of Google Scholar and IEEE Xplore, along with interdisciplinary databases such as Web of Science, would ensure discovery of relevant publications. Compendex will no longer be available for usage after November 30, 2023.
The Libraries’ subscriptions are currently under review, and librarians may be reaching out to departmental contacts to gather information about how specific resources are being used in teaching and research.