The March 2009 edition of Searcher, the “Magazine for Database Professionals”, has a great cover article called “Living Large in Lean Times” (V.17, No. 3: pp. 22-27). They’re currently offering the html version of the article for free on their website: http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/mar09/Bates.shtml.

After providing an overview of what’s going on in the current economy, particularly for us as information professionals (and information institutions), Mary Ellen Bates goes on to talk about some solutions to consider. She weighs short-term fixes versus long-term payoffs, provides tips on how to cut costs in both the short- and long-runs, and offers some ideas on how to make your services “recession-proof.”

Cost-saving tips include ideas about outsourcing, using VOIP software, cutting back on professional memberships, and using open or low-cost software. One snippet of advice that she offers provides a good example:

Cut back some of your online search service subscriptions, but only as long as you know you can subcontract the work. You may decide that you don’t need subscriptions to Dialog, Dow Jones/Factiva, and LexisNexis, for example, but each of those services offers exclusive content. Before you cancel your subscription, explore the alternatives. Can you change your subscription from a flat-fee to transactional pricing? Do you use the service infrequently, and, if so, is there an independent info pro who can search that service when you need it? For info-entrepreneurs, membership in AIIP offers transactional pricing to the Big Three online services, so AIIP members can offer access to high-end content without having to pay a flat fee.

Check out the article (linked above), or find more information on the Searcher main web site.