Evaluation of Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics Collections Using White's Power Method of Collection Analysis

Abstract

The motor vehicles, aeronautics, and astronautics collection at Iowa State University (ISU) was compared with the collections at 14 other research libraries using the coverage power test method developed by Howard D. White. The coverage power test method by White is an extension of his brief test method utilized to determine a subject collection's Research Libraries Group or Western Library Network Conspectus rating by comparing the library's holdings for the selected subject area to the holdings in the WorldCat database for this subject area. This collection evaluation was originally designed to benchmark ISU's aeronautics and astronautics collection with those of peer institutions and the top-ranked aeronautical and aerospace engineering programs. The study was designed to gauge whether the ISU Library's holdings and acquisitions were keeping pace with peer institutions or whether additional resources should be allocated to support this program. Due to the inability of the WorldCat database to exclude the motor vehicle call number ranges, the entire Conspectus category “motor vehicles, aeronautics, and astronautics” was examined.