Making Collection Management Manageable: A Three-Phase Approach to an Annual Subscription Review (Hannah Pearson)---
Annual subscription reviews are a normal part of many libraries’ operations, but this process is time consuming and can be particularly challenging for institutions with small e-resources staffs. The approach pursued by the Michael Schwartz Library at Cleveland State University includes strategies other libraries may find helpful in moving beyond cost per use in their reviews.
In early fiscal year 2019, the Michael Schwartz Library identified a need to systematically review all subscriptions on an annual basis. The library operates with a flat budget and cancellations are often required to manage cost increases related to inflation.
Previously, subscription reviews were in response to immediate needs (e.g. budget cuts, changes in consortium offerings, etc.). Largely due to staffing and time constraints, examining the entire corpus of subscriptions was outside of the scope of past reviews. A new subscription review process was developed to prepare the library to make data-driven decisions regarding cancellations for the next fiscal year.
The methodology developed for the new subscription review consisted of three phases with each phase narrowing the number of resources considered for cancellation. The first phase was an evaluation of the resource’s performance from an acquisitions perspective and incorporated cost per use and annual price increases. In the next phase, subject librarians evaluated resources in their respective disciplines based on several criteria and were required to rank resources in order of retention priority. In the final phase, faculty were surveyed on content quality, frequency of use in instruction, and other criteria for those resources deemed “cancellation eligible.”
The session will include an overview of the review process, challenges and limitations, successes, learning opportunities, and the future of the subscription review at our institution.
Of Database Assessment & Budget Increases: A New Data Management Strategy (Anna Milholland)---
In the wake of decreasing budgets, database cuts, balancing requests for new databases and “right-sizing” subscriptions, and ensuring transparency with faculty, what’s a librarian to do? Develop a new strategy for adding, evaluating, and cancelling library data subscriptions, of course! This session will discuss the process for developing the McLeod Business Library’s Data Management Strategy, which was formalized in Spring 2019 and looks beyond usage statistics to make holistic, data-driven subscription decisions at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at William & Mary. By applying the Marketing concepts of Points of Parity (POP) and Points of Difference (POD), benchmarking database subscriptions, mapping them to the curriculum, aligning data sets with faculty research expertise and institutional strategic strengths, and socializing decisions with key faculty and administrative stakeholders, librarians at institutions of varying sizes can confidently add new resources, feel empowered to replace underutilized and undervalued subscriptions, and effectively advocate for budget increases. Likewise, vendors and publishers can partner with libraries to identify and supply high-impact metrics to ensure that those institutions - their students, faculty, and staff - maintain a competitive advantage.
Building a National Last Copy Shared Print Program (Andy Breeding)---
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is in the first phase of a national project to ensure the preservation of Canadian library holdings and to protect the nation’s published record. LAC’s focus for this pilot project is on the preservation of Canadian Federal Government documents, both monographs and serials.
Working with OCLC and 25 library partners, LAC is using a unique and scalable approach that combines bib-level WorldCat data with OCLC’s GreenGlass software to identify holdings and make shared print and preservation decisions with participating libraries across the country. The resulting retention framework will be reflected in, and managed within, the Canadian National Union Catalogue, Voilà. The approach developed forgoes extraction of local item-level data which reduces the burden of participation for libraries participating in a large-scale shared print program.
Andy Breeding, Senior Product Manager at OCLC, will provide a project overview and discuss the strengths and limitations of using bib-level WorldCat data in GreenGlass as well as the technical challenges associated with identifying federal documents in WorldCat. In addition, potential retention scenarios using the GreenGlass software will be explored.
Approvals, Slips, and DDA! Oh My! The Yellow Brick Road to Collaborative Approval and DDA Profiling (Keri Prelitz)---
In the last several years, approval profiling has changed significantly and grown increasingly complex particularly due to the prevalent shift toward e-driven collection development strategies. While approval profiles have been predominantly e-preferred for some time, the growth of DDA has led to new license models, modes of acquisition, and a tighter integration of DDA with approvals. With the advent of the DDA-preferred approval plan came options for the inclusion of multiple aggregator and publisher e-book platforms in customized hierarchies as well as complexities involving publisher embargoes. Additionally, the numerous approval and DDA profile parameters, workflow options and admin settings vary by vendor and result in a seemingly endless array of possibilities that can affect how a title ultimately ends up being profiled for a library. It is no wonder that taking on the task of creating a new profile or facing profile reviews can be overwhelming, especially for those who have never before been part of the profiling process or are trying a new vendor. Nevertheless it need not be. Rather it can be a collaborative process that leads to more than just great profiles. While library staff should strive to learn how to make the most of what a vendor offers, vendors should inquire about the library’s collection development strategies, pain points and needs. Vendors can also share current trends and offer advice modeled on how other libraries handle similar issues, as well as gather feedback for potential development. With my background in collection development beginning on the vendor side, I intend for this paper to supply tips and outline steps that will help library staff who are new to approval or DDA profiling, profiling with new vendors, or wanting to revise profiles, to be better prepared in order to maximize profiling sessions.
User-centered Collection Assessment in an Age of Decreasing Budgets (Alicia Willson-Metzger)---
While assessment of library collections can be anathema to practicing professionals because of time constraints and perceived lack of existing data, a closer look at the components of a library's collection can provide ample opportunity for either collection- or user-centered assessment. One uncomplicated method of conducting a user-centered collection assessment is the citation analysis of student papers, whose main goal is to discover whether the library's holdings include the journals, books, and other resources students need to complete class assignments.
This presentation will a) describe the process of completing a citation analysis student of graduate environmental science theses in a small university library, with a discussion of useful data points to include in the analysis: most-cited journals, age of citations, and comparison of library holdings to works cited; b) discuss the importance of user-centered assessment activities in the age of decreasing budgets, and c) provide a bibliography of useful readings for those who are contemplating a citation analysis project.
