An observational study on the key research databases to which academic health sciences libraries in North America subscribe and provide access to their served communities

Research databases index scholarly outputs (e.g., peer-reviewed articles, books) and provide search functions to users for information retrieval are essential resources for the services that academic health sciences libraries (AHSLs) provide to support education, practice, and research, including systematic reviews and bibliometric analysis. However, research databases have become increasingly expensive, challenging the shrinking budget of AHSLs. This study aimed to survey the key research databases that AHSLs currently subscribe to and provide insights to both librarians and library administrators in terms of database subscription patterns and strategies for informed decision-making in dealing with database cancellations.