Beyond the fringe: Administratively decentralized collections at the University of Michigan

Abstract

Little is known about the materials that university departments purchase for their own use. This study examines materials purchased for other departments at the University of Michigan, whether these materials were also held in the University of Michigan Libraries' collections, and the subjects of the materials purchased. Titles purchased for departmental collections were searched in the libraries' online public catalog to determine whether they were held by the University Libraries, and if so, their subject. The majority of titles purchased for departmental libraries were held in the University Libraries collection. As a whole, the purchases were concentrated in science, technical, and medical fields; moreover, titles in these fields were more likely than others to be duplicated in the University Libraries. This study provides initial insight into the relation of independent departmental collections and raises many questions about the relation of such collections to central university libraries.