Academic Library Collections Research Articles

Lagniappe

Leisure collections in academic libraries may be difficult to justify as budgets stay flat or shrink and resource costs increase. While materials supporting curricular or research needs are of paramount importance in academic libraries, leisure collections have a place, too, particularly as universities look for opportunities to increase community and connectedness among students. This article will discuss the leisure collection at Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library and will focus on the author's efforts to build and assess a leisure horror subcollection.

Diverse Book Finders: Diversifying a Children’s Picture Book Collection by Integrating Acquisitions Into a Classroom Experience

Two recent trends in collection development include finding new ways to bring patron voices into collection development and developing strategies for increasing the diversity and representation within collections. Indiana University Southeast (IU-Southeast) Library recently developed a project that combined these two strategic directions by embedding an acquisition experience that used students enrolled in a sophomore block elementary education course to use the Diverse Book Finder (DBF) to select diverse picture books for the IU-Southeast collection. While diversification strategies and projects around children’s picture book collections in academic libraries are nothing new, IU-Southeast’sproject is unique in its incorporating of students to participate in the selection and diversification of a collection, rather than relying on more traditional strategies driven by librarian or faculty selection. This case study focuses on the design of the project, the integration and embedding of the acquisition project into the education course, how the DBF and its collection were leveraged to enhance the learning experience, and the effect this experience had on the diversity of the IU-Southeast Library collection and on the faculty, librarians, and students that were involved.

Sustainable Futures for Comics Collecting

ABSTRACT Using survey data collected in 2023, this study explores issues around comics collections in academic libraries. In addition to gaining an understanding of the origins of several major academic library collections and current resource support for these collections and associated services, the study looks at the extent to which institutions are implementing measures for the long-term sustainability and preservation of these collections. The researchers found that the historic indifference to comics in an academic setting has resulted in the creation of hodgepodge collections with inconsistent approaches to collection development, staffing, outreach, and long-term growth. Considering the increased acceptance of comics in such settings, Flota, Thacker, and Larsen suggest that it is past time for institutions to be more intentional in planning and sustaining comics collections and services in academic libraries.

Unlocking the potential: A systematic analysis of big data applications in Ghanaian academic libraries

Big data can be described as a collection of varying information sets that are expanding at exponential rates and which may be gathered by companies and analysed to extract valuable insights. The purpose of this systematic review was to explain the possible benefits and difficulties that big data may present for Ghanaian academic libraries. A federated search was conducted in several academic databases subscribed to by the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Ghana (CARLIGH) on the terms big data and academic libraries. Relevant articles searched and retrieved were based on abstract and title and spanned the years 2001 to 2023. Of the total documents retrieved, 65 met the inclusion criteria set by the researchers. Key findings were that big data is useful for enhancing collections of academic libraries, developing personalized services, analysing user behaviour, and assisting in decision-making. To maximise gains, addressing issues including protecting user privacy, managing data, and shortage of skilled personnel is necessary. Academic libraries in Ghana are advised to collaborate with several important stakeholders on using big data while ensuring the proper setting is available and accessible. The study contributes to the literature on big data in academic libraries by integrating researchers’ scientific insights and recommendations. It also outlines the main implementation issues based on a thorough examination of recent relevant literature in the field. It is recommended that an effective data management plan and other strategies be implemented by academic libraries that seek to incorporate big data in their operations.

Uncovering Whiteness in Academic Library Collections: a Study of Author Identities in Journalism Monographs

Academic library collections have traditionally prioritized and valued white voices, resulting in a lack of representation of authors who have marginalized racial, ethnic, and gender identities. Diversity audits can make the whiteness of collections visible and inform collection development practices that prioritize the work of marginalized scholars to make libraries more inclusive spaces for patrons, workers, students, and scholars. In a diversity audit of author racial, ethnic, and gender identities in an academic library’s journalism monograph collection, the results show that the collection overwhelmingly reflects authors who are white men. Collection development librarians can increase the diversity of authors in their collections by creating a protocol for identifying, purchasing, and marketing works by marginalized authors.

New horizons for academic library collection development: Creating a community curated collection through student empowerment

As the role of the academic library in university life changes, libraries are seeking ways to better engage their communities – university students, faculty, and staff. Student success and engagement have come to the forefront of these efforts. In 2019, Kent Library at Southeast Missouri State University implemented two programs to engage students in collection development. The first program enriched subject areas within Kent Library’s collection that were selected by the student body. The second program awarded grants to student groups for the purchase of library materials that supported their focus. This case study shares details of the two programs, their implementation, and the results, including the impact of student engagement in collections on student success and the creation of a community-curated library collection.

Print Book and e-Book Collections in Academic Libraries in Malawi

Arrival of e-books on the scene has had a significant effect on the collection development activities of many academic libraries. Whilst some libraries have made the radical decision to ditch print books in favor of e-books, others are cautiously navigating the new terrain by acquiring both. The current study used the survey research design to study the collection development trends of print books and e-books in academic libraries in Malawi. The study found that academic libraries in Malawi are acquiring both print books and e-books. The trend has resulted from collection development decisions, practices, and budgetary constraints.

The State of Streaming Video Content at Academic Libraries

This paper provides a literature review of academic library collection activities related to the provision of streaming video content in support of higher education curricula. It reviews the budgetary, collection management, licensing, technology, and acquisition processes and associated challenges that the provision of streaming video content poses for academic libraries in offering this much needed content to their patron base. The authors present a recent history of developing academic video collections, the transition to and increased demand for the streaming video format, and the evaluations required of funding models and vendor supply models to make the availability of streaming video content sustainable in the academic environment. The article also reviews current and future research and planned collaboration which hold great promise in addressing the current challenges academic libraries face in offering streaming video content to their patrons.

Stretch goals: Launching crowdfunded comics collections in academic libraries

This article presents a case study reflecting on the first two years of collecting crowdfunded comics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The case study demonstrates the significant resource investment required to start such a specialized collection, and that the project met its goal to diversify the comics collection by adding titles from BIPOC and LGTBQ+ creators.

Peer reference and the out-of-the-building experience

PurposeThis article conceptualizes essential keys to the future of peer reference in academic libraries as extrapolated through the dual lenses of academic library history in the United States of America and recent experiences of a peer program with prospective and actual out-of-the-building experiences.Design/methodology/approachA 30,000-foot historical view of the dispositions of space in academic library buildings, collections, spaces, technology and reference provision is integrated with a description of the responses and insights of a peer reference program during the program's prospective and actual out-of-the-building experiences. These components are then analyzed to extrapolate keys to peer reference provision in any learning environment.FindingsPeer reference is a natural extension of the Learning Commons model as developed in many academic libraries. To find optimal success in leveraging the benefits of peer-to-peer learning, program coordinators should keep in mind the social aspects of peer learning and intentionally articulate a framework for service delivery that best matches the modalities of providers, patrons and the information environment. In reviewing training and service practices, coordinators should be particularly on guard for any bias due to traditional reliance on the affordances of a library building and/or physical service point.Originality/valueThis article founds its conclusions in regard to the future of peer reference by contextualizing the evolution and future of such programs in the wider historical context of academic library dispositions of space in support of learning. It proposes a conceptual framework for intentionally matching the modalities of providers, patrons and the information environment.

Critical Collections: Bringing A Critical Eye to Law Library Collection Development

Law schools throughout the United States are considering strategies to embed the concepts of antiracism,diversity, equity, and inclusion into legal education. How does the work of their law libraries intersect with this effort? One potential point of intersection is through law library collection develpment. This article offers an overview of strategies to both curate and bolster representation of diverse voices in an academic law library collection using the theories of critical legal information literacy and epistemic injustice.

Using Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) Standards as a “Wake-Up Call” to Information Resource Assessment: An early view

The purpose of collection assessment is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of library collection. This article is to uncover the extent of academic library collection in supporting the needs of academic programmes. This study chose Malaysian Qualifications Agency’s Standards as an assessment guideline. The research approach is a mixed-method and exploratory approach. The main finding revealed that the information resources seemed to be imbalanced in its capacity and was less incorporating with the MQA guidelines for collection timeliness. The finding is valuable to the library administrators as a “wake-up call” to further improve their collection development process.

Understanding Access in Academic Library Special Collections

American academic libraries have collected rare and unique non-circulating materials now referred to as special collections. These materials are handled differently than in other parts of academic library collections with specialized access policies, procedures, and staff. This research project looks at how ideas of access to special collections have changed during the period 1936 to 2019. Interviews were conducted with 21 special collections professionals. Using a grounded theory approach, a conceptual model of the aspects of access was developed. Ten aspects of access were mapped onto three overarching categories. An exploration of access through the lens of special collections is especially meaningful because of the tension between the principles of preservation and access within the special collections community. This project is also significant as the library profession as a whole explores how representation of diversity within collections and access to them impacts library users.

Three Product Implementations for Improving “Just-In-Time” Delivery of Library Resources

ABSTRACT The academic library plays a pivotal role within the organizational framework of higher education, supporting teaching, learning, and research with robust collections of materials in an array of formats. The value and ease of access to academic library collections within the higher education organizational framework cannot be understated. Accordingly, neither can the importance of interlibrary loan services from which users may gain access to materials beyond the local collection. In an effort to enhance access and discovery of materials, promote interlibrary loan services, and meet the goals and objectives of a new strategic plan. The University of Alabama Libraries implemented three new tools over the course of a few short months: Lean Library, Article Galaxy Scholar, and EBSCO custom linking. This article presents a case study detailing the implementation of these tools at a major research library.

Testing Two Discovery Systems: A Usability Study Comparing Student Perceptions of EDS and Primo

Library discovery systems are a primary tool for research and discovery of local collections in many academic libraries. Usability studies on these systems is an important practice to identify technical issues, determine local customization, and inform continuity in library instruction. Most usability studies, however, are completed on a single discovery system. This study is unique in that it compares EBSCO’s EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) with Ex Libris’s Primo discovery systems. To date, this is the only published usability study conducted on the two systems. Nineteen undergraduate and graduate participants were led through a series of nine usability tasks in both systems. The quantitative and qualitative results of the study indicate that discovery systems are powerful tools when managed consistently and holistically by addressing the discovery search needs of students and faculty through information literacy instruction and oversight by a discovery working group.

Narrative Films in an Academic Library: How Faculty Requests Inform Collection Development

To determine the usefulness of narrative films for academic library collections we examined faculty use of narrative films through course reserve and purchase requests. We found that narrative films were used by faculty in teaching a wide variety of subjects and identified the curricular areas most used. Our findings are a case study directly related to our collection development but can be useful for other libraries building collections for similar curriculum support.

Book Review: Rightsizing the Academic Library Collection, Second Edition

Rightsizing the Academic Library Collection, Second Edition, is an update to the first edition published in 2015, which was awarded a starred review in Library Journal in 2015.1 In the first edition, Ward introduced readers to rightsizing, a tool which enables academic librarians to efficiently and effectively cull collections of little used, irrelevant materials, and reduce collection size, while retaining relevant materials to meet the “changing needs of users” (vii). Miller notes that the first edition resonated with her due to problems at her institution like Ward described. Since the first edition was published, there have been developments to support rightsizing, including forming shared print networks to maintain access to at-risk titles, thus prompting a second edition.

Out of reach: The effect of shelf height on book checkouts

As the role of print collections in academic libraries moves from monograph storage to a method for engaging users, the browsability and accessibility of print collections are becoming increasingly important. One factor that affects the ability to comfortably browse collections is the height at which the books are stored. This paper examines the relationship between the shelf level on which books are shelved and their circulation rates. Results indicate that books stored on the top level tended to circulate less than books stored on lower levels, but the effect may vary based on the subject area.

Post Covid-19: Expectations for Academic Library Collections, Remote Work, and Resource Description and Discovery Staffing

This paper discusses the results of a 2021 survey in which 402 academic library employees shared their expectations for post-pandemic collections, remote work arrangements, and staffing and hiring in cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata—areas involved in resource description and discovery work. Their responses indicate that, during the next several years, some pandemic trends are expected to continue in academic libraries including an acceleration of the trend to phase out physical resources for electronic ones as well as trends in remote work options. The majority of participants also expect staffing levels for cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata to remain the same with about one-fifth of participants expecting increases in electronic resources staffing and smaller numbers expecting permanent decreases in cataloging staffing due to lack of either funding or need. Moreover, participant responses shed light on expectations for the hiring of faculty and staff positions in cataloging, electronic resources, and metadata. In sum, the study provides insights into aspects of academic libraries which may be of interest to academic library administrators, graduate students and programs in library and information science, publishers and providers of educational content, and academic library employees working in related areas.

Sustainability of digital collections for Nigerian academic libraries: An exploration of conception, indicators for fulfillment and accrued benefits

Collection management in libraries has evolved alongside the developments of the new technologies effecting libraries. As digital collections are increasingly becoming the preferred resources by remote library users, librarians are faced with the challenge of proving a seamless continuation of efficient accessibility to these digital collections over time. This study aims to explore librarians’ understanding of the sustainability of digital collections, the criteria for its fulfilment, and their perspectives on the accrued benefits of the practice. The study employs a qualitative approach, with purposive sampling of 25 experienced librarians and library ICT personnel from three federal universities in Nigeria. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups discussions were used in the data collection. Result reveals that the academic librarians are insightful about what it means by sustaining digital collections in their respective universities. The themes generated are the provision of access, digitization, preservation, task functions, and services. The criteria to be achieved for the sustainability of digital collections, includes skilled manpower, professional development, defined roles, ICT infrastructure, funding, and maintenance. The movement for sustaining digital collections in academic libraries in Nigeria will benefit the library’s reputation, improve the services offered, aid in the preservation of the collections, promote resource sharing, and reduce time and cost. The study suggests that academic librarians need ongoing training to keep them abreast of the latest technology for crucial understanding in a bid to sustain their digital collections.