Development Librarians Research Articles

Think Global, Act Global: Collection Development in STEM Across an International Academic Institution

In an age where more and more universities are expanding their campuses to other countries, libraries must attempt to deliver a consistent experience in their services, policies, and access to information resources. Within New York University’s Division of Libraries, collection development and electronic resources librarians along with subject specialists across the STEM disciplines regularly meet to procure information resources for the benefit of all of their respective scholarly communities. The librarians and specialists liaise with the schools of engineering, mathematics, medicine, nursing, and the arts & sciences across campuses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai. Although this approach is similar to how state university systems act in consortia to share licenses, the librarians in NYU’s virtual science consortium accomplish this on a global scale—supporting the institution’s growing scholarly communities and spirit of interdisciplinary collaboration. This commentary reflects on the challenges and successes that have accompanied building a global library collection spanning over a dozen global sites and two portal campuses. It will address familiar issues around rising publishing costs, resource sharing/licensing, and the weeding/vetting of electronic resources from a global perspective. Finally, the members of the consortium will share their forecasts for the future of collection development and libraries in globalized higher education.

Using Syllabi to Determine the Core Journal and Monographic Literature in Doctoral Finance Programs

Using course syllabi from 66 active Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business–accredited doctoral programs, the investigators determined a core journal and monographic collection in doctoral finance programs. The results are compared to previous studies, such as that of Corrado and Ferris (1997), and implications for collection development and liaison librarians are considered.

Leo Lo: Research and Development Librarian at Kansas State University

Leo Lo: Research and Development Librarian at Kansas State University

When patrons call the shots: patron‐driven acquisition at Brigham Young University

PurposeThis paper seeks to provide evidence that patron‐driven acquisition is a successful collection development tool.Design/methodology/approachThe study used cost, usage, and cost per use as measurements to compare patron‐driven acquired print and electronic books with traditionally acquired print and electronic books to determine the success of five different patron‐driven methods.FindingsThe study found that usage is much higher and the cost and cost per use is lower for patron‐driven acquisition methods than for traditional collection development methods.Originality/valueCollection development and acquisitions librarians can benefit from this research comparing traditional collection development methods with multiple patron‐driven acquisitions methods to better manage their resources.

Collaboration and Organization for Successful Serials Cancellation

ABSTRACT Serials cancellations are dreaded equally by librarians and faculty. Previously, faculty reviewed title lists, and librarians canceled what they recommended. Today's cancellation process is more complex; there has to be a context and a timetable. Reports must include at least data about historical pricing and titles associated with e-packages that are not cancellable. Although libraries' workflows differ, there are basic steps necessary to carry out a successful cancellation process. This joint presentation demonstrated how integrated planning and the use of serials management tools are used to organize complex information into useable data. It takes early and collaborative planning between Collection Development, teaching faculty, and Serials Technical Services to make a dreaded process less painful and more effective. This tactics session was delivered in parts by Susanne Clement and Gaele Gillespie, Head of Collection Development and Serials Librarian, respectively, at Watson Library, University of Kansas, and by Sarah Tusa, Coordinator of Collection Development and Acquisitions at the Mary and John Gray Library, Lamar University.

Skills for Effective Participation in Consortia

SUMMARY Consortial participation provides opportunities and challenges for libraries. The intellectual and financial benefits are readily apparent-if libraries work together, they gain access to more content at a lower price. However, consortial participation also provides challenges with regard to coordination and communication. Though library directors/deans often provide initial leadership, especially in the selection of the type and range of consortial participation, collection development and electronic resources (ER) librarians tend to lead the way in work on the more detailed tasks that are involved. It is, primarily, more experienced librarians who are assigned to work with consortial representatives; there is a lot of on-the-job learning.

Can This Orthodoxy Be Saved? Enhancing the Usefulness of Collection Plans in the Digital Environment

SUMMARY This chapter discusses collection plans in the context of the current information environment with its mix of formats and its accelerated migration towards digital resources; and identifies problems with regard to the development of useful plans. The authors present the results of an informal mailing list survey of collection development and electronic resources (ER) librarians; questions pertain to collection plans and, also, to professional preparation and continuing education, patterns of collaboration, and additional topics related to the work of the plan and management of collections that include digital resources. The authors provide suggestions for the improvement of the long-term value and immediate usefulness of collection plans in the digital environment and speculate about the qualities of the individuals who might bring about these changes.

Where Is Agricultural Economics and AgriBusiness Research Information Published and Indexed? A Comparison of Coverage in Web of Knowledge, CAB Abstracts, EconLit, and Google Scholar

ABSTRACT Identifying the best source of information to satisfy the needs of local clientele has always been the challenge facing collection development and instruction librarians. In order to provide users with the best possible access tool and source for comprehensive information, it is important that librarians be aware of the most productive sources of information in a field. This paper identifies where the bulk of agricultural economics research is published and indexed. It also ascertains whether Google Scholar is as productive in covering this information as CAB s and EconLit. The cited reference counts for the top 50 cited sources in Web of Knowledge and Google Scholar are also compared. The scatter of the journal literature in this field, based on the Library of Congress Subject Headings, is also provided. The study identified a broad range of article scattering in areas where agricultural economics and agribusiness materials are published. On the cited reference count, Google Scholar was as productive as the Web of Knowledge. Google Scholar is a free source of very useful information for cited references and other subject searches in the area of agricultural economics and could be used to complement traditional databases.

Textbooks, leisure reading, and the academic library

Textbooks and leisure reading materials are two types of material that are not traditionally collected by academic libraries, yet many libraries hold a substantial number of one or both types of materials. The study reported here included a survey targeting academic collection development and acquisition librarians and an analysis of academic collection development policies. It investigated the treatment of these materials within academic libraries, including the reasoning behind library policies, the impact that faculty and students have on possible policy changes, and several contributing factors, such as the number of resident students, access to local public libraries, and institution type.

Open access: reflections from the United States

Based on a paper presented at the UKSG seminar 'Scientific Publications: Free for all?', The Geological Society, London, Tuesday 23 November 2004 This article offers a perspective about open access and the current 'churn' in scholarly journal publication from a collections development and scholarly communications specialist librarian in the United States. The differences between the US and UK higher education systems are not insignificant, the former being more extensive as well as more diverse in sources of funding support, with less direct involvement by national government. Thus, while librarians in both countries very much aim to improve various aspects of scholarly communications, their approaches and expectations may be somewhat different. The author suggests that much more experimentation with business models is needed before we can well understand the sustainability of open access, the models that can effectively support it, and to what extent. Early evidence suggests that there are no panaceas that will result in close to free journal publication; under an open access publishing system, the costs to research-intensive universities may well increase.

Impact of Bundled Databases on Serials Acquisitions in Academic Libraries

Summary The proliferation of electronic resources appears to have created a shift in some values traditionally held by collection development and serials librarians. This workshop presented results of an informal survey conducted by the presenters and discussed some changes and trends that affect serials librarians in particular.

Serials Management Information for the 21st Century

This article discusses the value of management reports produced by serials vendors using state-of-the-art business systems. It describes a dedicated project by the Faxon Company, a member of the Dawson Information Services Group, to design and produce two series of collection development and financial reports from its recently developed business system, using input provided by the client community. New reporting capabilities from a sophisticated electronic information delivery system, Information Quest, are also discussed. Examples of these reports are provided. Collection development, acquisitions and serials librarians are urged to examine the benefits of vendor reporting and to continually provide input into the enhancement of currently available data and the development of creative new management reports required for today's library environments.

Aggravating or Aggregating? Providing Effective Access to Contents of Aggregator Databases: A Reference/Collection Development Librarian's Perspective

ABSTRACT Based on his experience, the author summarizes what reference/collection development librarians and library users want and expect from aggregator databases, and what's needed from database vendors and from librarians to meet these expectations. Particularly important are content quality, reliability, modularity, and affordability, interface simplicity and flexibility, and reliable congruence between and integration of print and electronic editions. From vendors, librarians should demand more and better content guarantees, purchase options, communication of content details and changes, full-text searching, and persistent URLs for individual titles. Librarians should provide analyzed cataloging and holdings for all titles in aggregator databases, keep these records current, fully integrate them with records for print and other electronic editions, and incorporate them into web catalogs, in addition to providing other web access tools such as browsable title lists.

Heads Up

This article examines how collection development and acquisitions librarians can best adapt their policies and procedures to face the challenges of selecting and providing access to electronic journals. It emphasizes the necessary changes librarians should consider in their collection development policies, provides an overview of the benefits and disadvantages of electronic journals, and covers the extra dimensions that providing access add to selection decisions. It provides assistance to help librarians reap the most of the promise and potential of electronic journals.

Performance Evaluation of Collection Development and Acquisitions Librarians

Collection development and acquisitions activities are of great and critical importance to libraries. Likewise, performance evaluations in libraries are deemed to be critical; a great deal of time, energy, and emotion is spent on this library activity. Although such importance is attached to both collection development/acquisitions activities and personnel evaluations, little has been written on the link between the two; how to evaluate effectively those with collection development and acquisitions responsibilities. There is a continuing need for thoughtful and constructive evaluation of those who select, acquire, and manage library collections. These evaluations need lo be geared to the responsibilities and expectations of such individuals, rather than to the librarians' general performance.

The library of congress surplus book program-a single library's experience

The Library of Congress Surplus Book Program, whereby public and educational institution libraries may obtain free books and serials, is described. After analyzing the intensive use of this program by the University of Texas at Dallas Library during a three-year period from 1984 to 1987, the author concludes the program may not be useful to every library, but that all collection development and acquisitions librarians should be aware of this source.

Collection Growth and Evaluation at Texas A&M University, 1978 and 1988

Collection growth at the Sterling C. Evans Library at Texas A&M University was evaluated for the years of 1978 and 1988. Student enrollment, faculty size, library funds and expenditures, materials budget, acquisition of monographs and serials are discussed. Data are provided for eight academic colleges. The role of the resource development (collection development) librarians is described, as is the dilemma of these librarians in trying to deal with increasing materials prices at a time of decreasing state-supported appropriations.