Applying Quantitative Methods to E-book Collections

Sexton, Rachael

Goertzen, M. J. (2017). Applying Quantitative Methods to E-book Collections. Library Technology Reports, 53(4), 3. https://doi.org/10.5860/ltr.53n4

Evaluation:  Since my summary of the article is so long, I included most of my evaluation within the summary so that you could more easily see where my opinions coincided with what was being said in the article.  My asides are in bold.  I was skeptical about and disagreed with a few things that were said, but overall the evidence of the savings that she was able to obtain make this 33-page article well worth the read.    

Summary: 

This article says that the e-book market is still in the developing stages and is known as “the new wild west.”  It is harder to obtain funding for digital resources, since there can be confusion about the cost, with some thinking that digital information is free.  Evaluating electronic resources using quantitative methods require skills and training that are hard to obtain in this new area.  The article references another article, “The Evolving DDA Project at the Orbis Cascade Alliance,” by Kathleen Carlisle Fountain.  There is then a long quote from that article, about the author not being trained to make book purchasing decisions based on a data driven approach.   This article and the quote greatly affected the author of this report, Melissa Goertzen. 

Goertzen relies on Microsoft Excel to do her work.  She spent two years conducting a study in preparation to write this article.  Where she works, Columbia University Library (CUL), was able to use the results of her study in a productive way to save money. The value of e-book collections is tied to patron needs.  Goertzen lays out what she will discuss in chapter 3 of the report.  Her analysis methods work just as well for e-journal packages as they do for e-book collections.  She gives a summary of what chapter 5 will contain.  She says that her report should not be viewed as an end point, but rather as just the beginning. 

Before anything can be accomplished, one should understand the trends of e-book publishing.  At the end of the chapter, Goertzen will provide a list of suggested reading.  Business models are often changing in regards to e-book distribution.  While e-books cost 12% less in one area to produce than print books, they have three other areas of expense that print books don’t have, so they aren’t less expensive to produce.  According to Goertzen, the business model for e-books is similar to the print module in regards to library’s acquiring them, though I personally disagree, since I think there are too many differences for them to be regarded as similar.  Goertzen even expounds on a difference that I had not considered in her next paragraph, saying that e-books are hosted on a third-party website, and that libraries pay for access to it.  There are many fears in regards to the very existence of e-book collections, piracy being one of them. 

There are multiple business models in regards to e-books, just two examples are that in some cases only one patron can have the book at a time, or multiple patrons can have the same copy at a time (which is another thing that could never happen with the acquisition of a print book).  Another technique for collection development in regards to e-books that is now being utilized is giving patrons the power to request books that are not in the collection.  With so many options to choose from, this provides libraries with the opportunity to choose the business model that best suits their needs.  The wonderful thing about e-books is the patron’s ability to access them any time.  Remote access is another benefit.  In regards to the academic world, e-books are most often utilized to complete a task.  Goertzen claims that e-books are most often skimmed and if they seem useful, a print version is requested and actually read.  I wonder if a study has been conducted to see if this is true across all age groups, it seems doubtful that it is.  The PDF format is especially popular in academic circles.

Goertzen reports having a paradigm shift several months into her study.  This led her to think of several new questions, which fed into one overarching question.  She identifies two collection strategies, “just in case” and “just in time” which informs purchasing decisions.  Discovering the intentions of the patrons can help when answering questions from stakeholders.  She states that chapter 3 will contain more information about indicators which influence collection development decisions.  Learn information needs by asking patrons directly.  Develop strong ties with liaison librarians. (Obviously this step doesn’t apply if you are the only liaison librarian or if your institution doesn’t have any.  It would have been nice if she had given an alternative to this step.)  Next, consider whether e-books are most likely to be skimmed or read. (How on earth would you know that for certain?  One man’s trash is another man’s treasure after all.  Worse, what if you thought you knew, and were wrong?)  Evaluate subscription usage over a period of three years.  Goertzen wrote a base evaluative framework.  She gives the titles of five articles that she recommends reading. 

Cost analysis is a quantitative method that can be useful for library administrators.  It is important to know what is meant by the term quantitative research.  It is data which can be represented by numbers and can then be used in statistics.  It answers the “what” and “how” most effectively.  Demographics are just one part of quantitative research.   However it cannot answer the “why,” which requires qualitative research.  Keeping one’s goal in mind is important when embarking on this sort of endeavor.  Quantitative research has six key characteristics.

Next she outlines the types of findings that quantitative research can bring about, as well as the advantages and limitations of it.  There are multiple sources of quantitative research.  Using subjects areas to study the e-book collections adds depth to the study.  Library administrators were the primary motivators to Goertzen’s work.  She organizes information into seven different categories.  She takes two days to update the information in these categories every year.  Information sources can come from within and without the library.  Goertzen next gives a list of definitions of words she will use.  Then she gives an overview of what data she uses in her e-book collection analysis.  First is input cost measures, second collection output measures, third effectiveness measures and indicators, fourth domain measures, and fifth cost-effectiveness indicators. 

There is a lack of standardization when it comes to data sets from certain vendors, which makes quantitative research challenging.  A strong understanding of the audience of your report is key.  Creating an outline of your intended project is never a waste of time.  Each project that you take on allows you to grow and be better equipped for the next project.  Goertzen started working at CUL in 2013, so she now has many years of experience.  She was able to save the library $50,000 in 2015.  CUL’s collection has more than 12 million volumes and 160,000 journals and serials.  They also have over 2 million e-book titles.  With such a large collection, a small subset was chosen to use in the study.  Next she analyzed the subscription cost of the e-books versus the usage of the e-books.  This resulted in a valuable find that one of their subscriptions contained outdated material and missing volumes in multivolume sets.  When going to cancel their subscriptions, a conversation was started with the vendor which ultimately led to an 80% discount and saved them $51,000 annually starting in 2014.  Another library division at CUL used this same technique and as a result were able to start saving $10,000 annually. 

The decision was made to study the titles that were included in course reserves at a later date.  She looked at a total of 96 subscriptions and 35 packages.  She was also able to go to the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library in 2016 and conduct the study there.  She analyzed 14,802 titles for them.  She discovered that only 36% of the titles had been used at least once.  Another decision was made to analyze print subscriptions that are over five years old at a later date. 

Then she was asked to evaluate e-journal costs at two different libraries on campus.  An added element to this study was she also analyzed where users were when they accessed the e-journals.  Based on citation use, only 10% of the titles met the criteria to be retained.  Based on publication analysis, 25% of the titles met the criteria. 

By conducting this sort of study, collection development policies can be formulated.  This is especially important because budget will not likely grow alongside demand.  This study should be conducted once every five years.  For basic and extensive collections, the author recommends e-book purchases, but for research collections she recommends print resources.  There will be challenges going forward, such as complications arising from open-access initiatives and the fact that e-books are now beginning to be offered in pdf format instead of through a host platform.                           

  

Social Tolerance and Racist Materials in Public Libraries

Tammy Ross

Burke, S. K. (2010). Social tolerance and racist materials in public libraries. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 49(4), 369–379. https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.49n4.369

In this study, Susan Burke examines the concept of intellectual freedom in libraries and reviews the literature for studies about racism in library books. To learn which variables are linked to social intolerance and the censorship of racist library materials, Burke used data from the General Social Survey (GSS). The GSS is conducted by the National Opinion Research Center and began in 1972. From 1976 to 2006, the survey asked randomly selected adults in the U.S. whether they would support removing a book “spouting racist beliefs” that Black people are “genetically inferior” (p. 372) from the public library. Burke examined how certain demographics -- such as age, race, education level, occupation, geographic location, and political and religious affiliations -- impacted responses. She also looked at another study that examined attitudes toward removing books written by homosexuals or communists from a public library collection, and how these differed from “opposition to negative portrayals of African Americans” (p. 378). More people supported banning a book written by a racist because “racism limits the civil liberties of groups of people, which is not in line with the social trend of increasing tolerance” (p. 378).

Burke does a thorough job of synthesizing the GSS data and points out limitations of the dataset, i.e., that the survey does not ask participants if they’ve ever participated in a book challenge or whether the hypothetical racist book was written for adults or children. Still, the information in her study is designed to help librarians understand “how the library stance on intellectual freedom fits within the larger picture of scholarly thought from other disciplines and the broader public opinion” (p. 378). In regard to collection development, the article may help librarians be more aware about “self-censorship" -- not including certain books in an effort to avoid controversy. Burke argues that librarians should “stand by their professional values and educate the public and library shareholders concerning the implications of removing or not removing [racist] items from the collection” (p. 378). There’s a lot to unpack in 10 pages, especially all the survey results, but the article is worth the read. Burke ultimately reminds librarians that “Adding excellent materials to the collection regardless of their potential to spark controversy -- and resisting challenges to such material -- is an important professional obligation ... and it supports the principles established by the American Library Association” (p. 378).

For discussion, I give you a conflict posed in the article: Is exposure to controversial ideas or social/ethnic intolerance harmful, or does it teach readers to be critical thinkers?

Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviors, Shifting Priorities

Megan Pinheiro da Silva

Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, and Ixchel M. Faniel. 2014. Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviors, Shifting Priorities. Dublin, OH: OCLC Research.  http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2014/oclcresearch-reordering-ranganathan-2014.pdf

Summary

Connaway and Faniel’s OCLC Research Report is written for academic librarians who face unique challenges and opportunities in working with university researchers—faculty and students—who need different kinds of library services, particularly in the area of data collection and management. The authors devote a chapter to each of S. R. Ranganathan’s 5 Laws of Library Science. The introduction, “Same Laws, New Lens.” gives the historical context of the laws and posit that the laws are still very much relevant today. Each proceeding chapter focuses on one law giving its background context, their interpretation of the law, and its application in today’s information services. Connaway and Faniel place the 4^th law—save the time of the reader—1^st as they argue that time is the most precious commodity for the user today. Connaway and Faniel interpret save time of the reader to mean, “embed library systems and services into users’ existing workflows” (p. 105). The reason given for this interpretation is that users have relocated their information activity to the Internet. Convenience is included in saving time. The 2^nd law--every person his or her book the authors reinterpret as to be “know your community and its needs”. The 2^nd law is about accessing the content; if you cannot find what you need, saving time is useless. The 3^rd and 4^th laws-–books are for use and every book its reader—are about developing the infrastructure to deliver the materials and increasing the discoverability/use of those resources within the users’ workflow. The 5^th law—a library is a growing organism—is the only law that is not reinterpreted, as it remains true in a literal and figurative sense. The ultimate goal of this resource is to help libraries and librarians “as they think about making changes in practice and developing an agenda for future research” (p. 105).

Evaluation

This report is well worth the time it takes to read it. It has helped me to understand collection/connection development in the context of the current shift in user behavior to Web-based information services. It also confirms my belief that librarians who acknowledge users’ information preferences, reach out to patrons to better understand their needs and frustrations, and who are willing to bring resources to where it is most convenient for the user, are needed more than ever. Librarianship is growing more and more complex and time continues to become scarcer and scarcer it seems. Connaway and Faniel address complexities in the field that I had never imagined—such as library systems that are complicated even for researchers to use—with an authority and compassion that comes from understanding library systems, research, and user needs. But the icing on the cake is their reinterpretation of Ranganathan’s 5 Laws of Library Science (1931) which bring all the complexity back to the basics: all our services, systems, collections, should facilitate the access and use of information for our patrons.

From Library to Learning Commons: A Metamorphosis.

Olsen, Kristina

Diggs, V., & Loertscher, D. V. (2009). From Library to Learning Commons: A Metamorphosis. Teacher Librarian, 36(4), 32–38. Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=502975209&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Summary: A teacher-librarian transforms her school library over the course of several years from an ordinary library into a vibrant learning commons. The article has commentary throughout her description of the process that point out the ways that the steps she took could be translated into any library. The secret appears to be to create client-side focused programming to bring patrons in.

Commentary: According to the article, "There is much more to this transformation than just a name change, new paint, carpeting, and furnishings." However, that always seemed to be what articles prior to this one indicated: a facelift will transform the culture of your library. Like other articles, it has an anecdotal story about how one library changed from a tired, worn-out, unused space into a learning commons where everyone in the school goes to learn. However, unlike those other articles, the commentary detailed why things worked and how the specific actions taken by that teacher librarian could be applied in other situations. The most important takeaway is probably that the program is much more important than the space. Once the programs are in place, people are more likely to want to transform the environment. The article helped me see that I don’t have to have "all the things" so much as having the desire to better serve the school and community and creating the programs to do that.

OERs as a Social Platform

Peretiako-Soto, Alexandria

Cohen, A., Reisman, S.l, & Sperling, B. B. (1 October 2015). Personal spaces 
in public repositories as a facilitator for open educational resource usage.  
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 16(4), 
156-176.

Summary: 

OERs are offering many benefits to educators and students as they allow for free
access to many resources. Learning object repositories are a popular means of 
sharing OERs as well as storing them and accessing them. A study was done on 
OER user behaviors such as use, commenting, learning exercises used for, and 
content building materials. Both OER collections and users are growing over time 
showing that they are becoming increasingly important and popular. There are 6 
types of contributors to the OERs studied: teachers, librarians, admins, faculty, 
students, and other. Faculty members were markedly high in uploading content as 
well as submitting learning exercises. OER repositories show high rates of reuse 
of materials, with almost 30% of content being reused. The ability for personal 
expression among repository users would be beneficial. Many repositories require
member status to upload, edit, or comment on resources, but allow anyone to view 
them.

Evaluation:

This article was very interesting as it discussed not only the relevance and benefits 
of OERs, but also the social aspect of OERs. For instance, who is uploading content? 
Who is viewing it? Are people starting educational discussions amongst each other in 
the comments? Who is allowed to comment? As someone who is fairly new to the 
world of OERs, I was not aware that there were platforms used where content users 
and generators could interact with one another.

Collection Mapping of Topical Collections at UC Riverside

Peretiako-Soto, Alexandria

Article Citation:
Haren, S. M. (18 June, 2015). Data visualization as a tool for collection assessment: 
Mapping the latin american studies collection at university of california, riverside.  
Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services. (38)3-4. pp. 70-81.     
 https://doi.org/10.1080/14649055.2015.1059219


Summary:

This article describes how a university employed the use of visual aids to better 
understand the content of a current topical collection, much like the collection 
mapping technique practiced in this course. Collection mapping and the use of 
visual aids is a key method large libraries can use to understand the contents of 
their collection, including size, strengths, formats, etc. Collection mapping helped 
UCR find that their Latin American Studies collection was heavily print based, 
multilingual, globally sourced, and primarily focused on history and literature. 
With this visual aid, the library has a good grounds to determine how effectively 
this topical collection is meeting this departments curricular needs.

Evaluation:

This article served as a nice supplement to the course text readings on creating 
a collection map. It explained the ways in which developing a visual aid helps 
understand the collections strengths, weaknesses, and content in general. It 
allows individual topics to be looked at and evaluated for relevance to the 
collection as a whole. A good article for anyone looking to read more on 
collection mapping, especially in academic libraries!

Solving the Self-Published Puzzle.

Macchio, Monica

Landgraf, G. (2015).  Solving the Self-Published Puzzle.  American Libraries, 46 (11/12), 44-47.  Retrieved from http://libaccess.sjlibrary.org/login?

 Summary

     This article from 2015 highlights the problems that public libraries are faced with when local authors want to have their items included in collections.  One of the public libraries mentioned is in Canada.  The staff at the Glen Ellyn Public Library has decided to include some self-published books only if they don’t have books on those topics.  The library launched a makerspace area to facilitate the creation of these materials. 

     Another library profiled is Mulnomah County Library in Oregon.  This library partnered with an e-book self-publishing platform called Smashwords.  Since Smashwords has a partnership with OverDrive, the library’s e-book vendor, it helps make purchasing these titles easier and less time-consuming.  In 2015, about 2,000 people were visiting the library’s Overdrive site per day.  Another stipulation that is placed on the self-published author is that these items must be donated to the library.  Librarians will then provide original cataloging to provide bibliographic records for these self-published works.  The library had 300 requests per year from self-published authors, but it accepts significantly less works. 

Evaluation

     The author, David Landgraf is a regular contributor to American Libraries magazine.  I liked his use of typewriter graphics because it was a reminder that not all self-published authors know the latest tools to use when creating their works.  I liked his touch of including the hot topic of Makerspaces to showcase the partnerships created between Public Libraries and the communities these writers live in.  He used quotes sparingly yet effectively to engage my attention.