E-Resource Acquisitions in Academic Library Consortia

Turner, C. (2014). E-resource acquisitions in academic library consortia. Library Resources and

            Technical Services, 58(1), 33-48.

15pp

In his article, “E-Resources Acquisitions in Academic Library Consortia,” Turner discusses the shift that academic libraries have been experiencing over the past decade that is becoming more marked in recent years concerning acquisition and making access to e-resources. There is concern about duplication of items because of package deals that some libraries have not been able to avoid. There are also collaborative consortia aimed at reducing the cost of e-resources among libraries sharing resources. Though consortia demands are in sympathy with academic library needs, they do impose some of their own competing demands.

Policy Route Map for Academic Libraries’ Digital Content

Koulouris, A., & Kapidakis, A. (2012). Policy route map for academic libraries’ digital content.

            Journal of Librarianship and Information Science, 44(3), 163-173.

            doi: 10.1177/0961000612444299

As policies for academic library collection management are created currently, they have to be flexible enough to allow for copyright laws of e-resources. When e-resources are acquired they can be accessible in several different levels. These resources can have access restrictions anywhere from proprietary and only reproducible upon consent to open access. The library’s collection management policies have to be adapted to accommodate such widely varying accessibility.

Use of Collection Development Policies in Electronic Resource Management

Pozzebon, S. (2012). Use of collection development policies in electronic resource management.

            Collection Building, 31(3), 108-114. doi: 10.1108/01604951211243506

Pozzebon provides an analysis of collection development policies in academic libraries. Many policies are not equipped to address e-resources. Many policies, surprisingly, only address specific portions of the collections held. The reason for the tendency to create incomplete collection development policy is to avoid constantly changing policies to accommodate changing content. The author suggests that policy should be made complete and updated as much as possible because of the changing content.

What Cost and Usage Data Reveals About E-Book Acquisitions

Carrico, S. B., Cataldo, T. T., Botero, C., & Shelton, T. (2015). What Cost and Usage Data Reveals About E-Book Acquisitions. Library Resources & Technical Services, 59(3), 102-111.

Summary:

In this article, the University of Florida’s Smathers libraries conducted a project to assess the cost of EBooks in order to determine what the most effect form of acquisitions would be in regards to EBooks.  This project weighed the cost of EBooks and the usage of EBooks.  The goal of this project was to augment the number of EBooks while working within their budgetary constraints.  The project in the article evaluated three varying methods of EBook acquisition EBooks purchased through Publisher packages, EBooks purchased through firms, and EBooks acquired through patron driven acquisition (PDA). The library tracked EBook usage through EBooks owned by Smathers libraries. The cost of the EBooks were calculated by the average price of the EBook purchase divided by the usage for each title, available through reports, or download through publishers. This study found that Firm order EBooks are not cost effective, but are accessed often. That PDA and package purchases are most effective in specific subject areas such as the STEM and MED fields.  This lead to the libraries redirecting funds from firm orders to PDA or package purchases.

Analysis:

The high cost versus usage rate of EBooks is a continuous issue in libraries today.  The need to balance the budget while meeting the demands of students is a struggle for academic libraries. This current issue has lead libraries to question how they should acquire books and how to alter acquisition processes to overcome these challenges. This article shows the effectiveness of patron driven acquisition in fast-paced subjects and that cost effective options may not elicit as much usage as firm purchases.  Meeting students’ needs in a digital age requires a process of reevaluating and reexamining the acquisition process frequently to maintain budget efficiency and a high volume of usage. 

Special Libraries and Collection Development

Amy Kumar

Holder, S. (2013). Library collection development for professional programs: Trends and best practices. Hershey, Pa: Information Science Reference.

Summary
This ebook is a great resource available through SJSU's King Library. It is a compendium of essays by special library collection developers, and includes chapters on medical libraries, academic business department libraries, theological libraries, interdisciplinary collection assessment, architecture programs, and much more. The field reports each chapter are headed with an abstract and are readable as stand-alone articles well worth citing in scholarly communications. The various issues are presented from a professional librarian standpoint and are illustrated within the context of each special library environment.

Analysis
I find this ebook to be quite helpful in understanding how all of the issues we have learned about operate in those different environments. I would suggest reading whichever chapter interests the reader, however, as the issues of selection and collection are so similar between libraries that some of the views can seem redundant. Where they vary, however, is how the librarians learn to deal with those issues and the lessons learned. The book also presents reference information specific to each field, and makes for a great resource for those looking for those subject-specific resources. Overall, however, this is an excellent and thorough treatment of the issues in collection development through the eyes of a variety of library professionals.

Buy, Don't Borrow: Patron-Driven Collection Development

Amy Kumar


Anderson, K. J., Freeman, R. S., Hérubel, J.-P. V. M., Mykytiuk, L. J., Nixon, J. M., & Ward, S. M. (August 06, 2002). Buy, Don't Borrow. Collection Management, 27, 1-11.

Summary
This article presents the data collected by Purdue University Libraries in 2000, when the libraries implemented their Books on Demand program. The collection development staff purchased items that were requested via interlibrary loan rather than borrowing the items and added them to the permanent collection once the patron returned the item. Five subject bibliographers reviewed the 800 titles that were collected after a two year period, and compared them to titles acquired the traditional way via acquisition policies in place. The study found that the Books on Demand program was a valuable tool and resulted in relevant titles that fit into the larger collection development goals. The study also found that patron driven purchases filled in the interdisciplinary gaps that typically exist in academic collections.
Analysis
Patron-driven collection development policy techniques are gaining attention across library types, and this study provides a deep look at the various issues within academic library collection development policies. Various aspects are explored, including the long term development of a patron driven collection and interdisciplinary titles and where they belong. The circulation statistics provided in the article are enlightening, and the success of the Books on Demand program is encouraging. I think this would be an important study to cite to those collection managers who are reluctant to implement such a program.  

What to Withdraw?

Amy Kumar

Schonfeld, R. C., Housewright, R., & Ithaka S + R. (2009). What to withdraw?: Print collections management in the wake of digitization. United States: Ithaka S + R.

Summary
The large scale digitization initiatives across libraries have changed the way libraries weed their print collections. The current review methods for determining what gets weeded and what stays is based on local considerations, accessibility to digital copies, and funding. This article addressed these issues and asks two important questions: "Which types of print journals can libraries withdraw responsibly today, and how can that set of materials be expanded to allow libraries the maximum possible flexibility?" (Schonfeld & Housewright, 2). The analysis finds several reasons to retain print copies, including poor digital preservation quality, unreliable systems requirements, visual components that may not be digitally preservable, and campus politics. Results concluded that there is a need to keep "at least one print copy of well-digitized digitally preserved text-only materials to be available for at least 20 years" (Schonfeld & Housewright, 2).
Analysis
This is a very useful study for collection managers, as it not only picks apart the current issues surrounding print and digital preservation, but it included recommended "action steps" that librarians can take in order to address these issues. These best practices are recommended in the case of responsible withdrawals, and the various cases in which visual materials are not well digitized. The intersection between collection development and preservation is also addressed, and I find this an important point to make, as the future of our libraries depend on collection development that addresses both digital issues and print. The article ends on a solid point: "We are confident that by taking a pragmatic, well-reasoned approach to these issues, the community can achieve consensus around print preservation that allows for appropriate print collection management in the digital age" (Schonfeld & Housewright, 24). Every collection manager should at least be aware of this article (available as an ebook) in making weeding decisions.