Choice publishes white paper showing academic libraries how to optimize their purchasing decisions using prescriptive analytics

Middletown, CT – October 1, 2026: Choice announces the tenth publication in a series of white papers designed to provide actionable intelligence around topics of importance to the academic library community. The paper, “The Optimized Library: Prescriptive Foundations for Resource Stewardship in an Era of Fiscal Austerity,” will show academic libraries how to navigate fiscal threats by bridging library science and operations research.

Sam Suber, the Electronic Resources Coordinator at Moraine Valley Community College Library, researched and wrote this report. Through case studies and by translating operational research concepts into practical collection strategies, he shows how the wealth of data libraries collect, paired with the right mathematical framework, can help transform difficult decisions into strategic actions that maximize institutional value. His optimization-driven methodology demonstrates how libraries can navigate ever-tightening budgetary constraints without losing sight of their missions.

Commenting on the publication of the latest white paper, Daniel Pfeiffer, editor of Choice and LibTech Insights, noted, “Austerity is the difficult reality many libraries are facing. Sam’s work isn’t about 'making the best out of a bad situation,' but about creating a strong, defensible position for libraries that bolsters their needs, self-advocacy, and sustainability.” 

You can access the complimentary white paper at https://www.choice360.org/research/white-paper-the-optimized-library-prescriptive-foundations-for-resource-stewardship-in-an-era-of-fiscal-austerity/ .

“The Optimized Library: Prescriptive Foundations for Resource Stewardship in an Era of Fiscal Austerity” © Copyright 2026 Sam Suber. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license.

##

About Choice
As a publishing unit of the Association of College and Research Libraries, Choice supports the work and professional development of academic librarians by providing tools and services that help them become more effective advocates for their patrons. Through its over sixty-year history, it has established itself as an authoritative source for the evaluation of scholarly resources and as the publisher of trusted research in areas of interest to a changing academic library community.  Today, Choice works to bring librarians, scholars, publishers, and the reading public together, facilitating a shared concern for the discovery, management, and preservation of scholarly information. Please visit Choice at www.choice360.org for more information.