Digital Commons Network^™

“They Didn’T Teach This In Library School”: Identifying Core Knowledges For Beginning Acquisitions Librarians, Lindsay Cronk, Rachel M. Fleming

Charleston Library Conference

Library workers new to acquisitions or taking on new acquisitions duties can find themselves lost without appropriate resources. We often hear the refrain “they didn’t teach this in library school.” Basic introductions to issues confronting acquisitions librarians can be hard to find and out-of-date. Meanwhile, emerging issues are addressed in journal literature, but few reviews of the issues are available to provide background to newcomers. While professional development opportunities strive to provide sure footing to acquisitions newcomers, we can often fall short, leaving our new colleagues feeling adrift.

Through a positive and structured discussion we will explore the existing and …

Decoding The Scholarly Resources Marketplace, Lindsay Cronk, Rachel M. Fleming

Charleston Library Conference

Developed with input from a variety of library workers and industry representatives, this session will provide a current and concise introduction to the scholarly resource marketplace for academic libraries, highlighting the financial and functional connections between major market actors providing services and content to libraries.

Discussions of vendor relations in libraries have often focused on the interpersonal collaboration of library workers and vendor representatives. In the process, they have overlooked or neglected the connections between publishers and vendors, their parent corporations and subsidiary companies.

Decoding requires a focus on vocabulary and building shared understanding of the marketplace for scholarly resources. …

Good Partners? Can Open Access Publishers And Librarians Find Meaningful Ways To Collaborate?, Sarah L. Wipperman

Charleston Library Conference

What should the relationship be between the purely Open Access publishers and librarians? Yes, in theory, among publishers these are publishers who are fully aligned with libraries to end the stranglehold which the traditional subscription publishers have on libraries. Yes, they are 100% attribution-only (CC-BY) publishers living up to the goals of Open Access (as described in the Budapest Open Access Initiative [BOAI]). But, are they just replacing over-priced subscriptions with over-priced APCs (Article Processing Charges)?

Since they don't have renewal revenue at risk they may not pay sufficient attention to usage and integration with library systems [KBART?, COUNTER?, etc.]. …

Preparing Researchers For Publishing Success: The Case Of Auburn University, George Stachokas

Charleston Library Conference

As part of a panel discussion organized by Dr. Gwen Taylor of Wiley, this paper reviews current efforts undertaken by Auburn University Libraries to support the research enterprise at Auburn University, including preparing researchers for publishing access. Despite financial constraints, Auburn University endeavors to transition from a Carnegie Classification of R2 to R1, add 500 new faculty members by 2022, and increase research output in STEM disciplines, agriculture, allied health sciences, and cybersecurity. The Libraries are working to support all of these efforts through cost effective collection development, systematic improvements in assessment, catching up with aspirational peers by implementing best …

Transfer Turns Ten: The Future Of The Code, Jennifer W. Bazeley, Gaëlle Béquet

Charleston Library Conference

Libraries, publishers, and intermediary vendors strive to disseminate the most current information to their patrons and clients through the metadata in their catalogs, services, and software. One significant pinch point in this landscape is the transfer of journals from one publisher to another. The Transfer Code of Practice was created to provide these stakeholders with guidelines to ensure that the transfer process occurs with minimal disruption and that journal content remains accessible to subscribers. The importance of these guidelines has grown since the creation of the Transfer Code in 2008, as the number of online titles, publishers, and intermediaries has …

Thirty Days And Counting: Conducting Effective Product Trials For Library Resources, Edward F. Lener, Tracy J. Gilmore

Charleston Library Conference

Product trials for evaluating potential new resources can be a challenge for any library. To be most effective, several key elements must be addressed including determining suitable trial dates, establishing and confirming access, creating appropriate links, publicizing product availability, collecting usage data, and gathering feedback from participants. If one or more of these steps is missed, it is all too easy for trial access to run out before much useful data is gathered. The University Libraries at Virginia Tech have developed a method for managing this process through a Trials Workflow team and the use of free, Web-based project management …

Buy, Subscribe, Or Borrow? Consumers’ Use Preferences For Information Products, Xiaohua Zhu, Moonhee Cho

Charleston Library Conference

The information industry has been exploring business models for digital information products, but it was not until recent years that the new access model, especially subscription-based services, became popular. Thanks to the advancement of streaming technology, online advertisement, and DRM technology, information providers were able to design various pricing schemes and provide various services for users with different needs. Consumers seem to favor these services increasingly, but some questions remain: Is there a significant shift in users’ general preferences for all media content? Do they prefer any particular models under specific circumstances? What factors are related to users’ preferences? This …

Sudden Collections Coordinators: When You Don’T Know What You Don’T Know, Ariel F. Pomputius, Megan M. Daly, Trey Shelton, Patrick J. Reakes, Tara T. Cataldo

Charleston Library Conference

As new librarians enter the profession with varying levels of education and experience concerning library collection management, they may find themselves suddenly assigned the responsibility of coordinating collection activities within a subject area or for their entire library. From understanding terminology to working with acquisitions departments and from communicating with vendors to assessing resources, there is much to be learned in a short period of time. This paper will provide perspectives from five librarians at the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida (UF): the senior associate dean responsible for collections, the chair of the Acquisitions & Collections …

Textbooks Are Expensive, But Oer Can Be Challenging: Providing E-Textbook Access Through The Library, Brian W. Boling, Karen Kohn

Charleston Library Conference

Research has shown that textbook costs are rising. Open educational resources (OER), though increasingly popular, are not available for all courses and can be difficult to adopt, particularly for contingent faculty. In response to the textbook crisis and the limitations of OER, Temple University has sought alternative ways to provide textbook access to students. We have promoted OER through a grant program since 2011 and offer a website to expose assigned readings that the Libraries own in e-book format. In 2018, the Libraries also began purchasing e-textbooks. The campus bookstore sends a list of assigned books each semester. We review …

Libraries, Authors, And Literary Estates: The Complex Case Of Rosenbach V. Sendak (2016), Patrick Roughen

Charleston Library Conference

This research examines a lawsuit filed by the Rosenbach Museum and Library of Philadelphia in 2016 against the Estate of Maurice Sendak (1928–2012) to determine the distribution of some of Sendak’s collection of rare books. In the lawsuit, the Rosenbach claimed the executors of the Sendak estate had withheld a portion of the rare books to which it was entitled under Sendak’s will. This paper suggests possible ways in which institutions such as libraries, archives, and museums might anticipate and address some of the ownership-related problems that arise during the acquisition and/or loss of collections of an artist or author …

Shared Print Initiatives, Chris Palazzolo, Lars Meyer

Charleston Library Conference

This paper provides an overview of the history, issues, challenges, opportunities, and obligations associated with shared print programs. Many of the library operational activities associated with participating in a shared print program have precedents or shared concerns with other operational work around collection development, preservation, and staffing in general. Activities at Emory University serve as examples for participating in shared print programs.

From Acquisitions To Collection Development, Dave Gall

Charleston Library Conference

Over the last few years, the Collection Development Department at the University of Waterloo Library has been heavily engaged in revamping a number of long-established workflows in an effort to streamline processes to create greater efficiency, collaboration, and access to documents. Hoping to take greater advantage of the accessibility and versatility offered by working with documents in digital format, and reducing the number of avenues for requests to arrive in the department, members of the department looked for ways to employ technologies and software to make the work flow more smoothly. Where these options did not exist, they improvised and …

Doing The Math: Discovering Infinity Transitioning Monograph Standing Orders From Print To Online And Deriving A Variable Formula For Success, Kat Mcgrath, Mayu Ishida

Charleston Library Conference

In 2016, University of British Columbia Science Library liaisons met with the Math faculty to consider the value of switching their beloved print monograph series to online format. Arguments of greater discoverability, findability, and access won the faculty members, and they voted in acceptance of the change. In retrospect, persuading the Math faculty of the value in switching from print to online format was an easy win. The tough part came in transforming this pledge to reality. We describe the factors making this transformation difficult, the options of purchasing the monographic series as e-books (available to us as of 2018), …

Using A Community Of Practice Approach To Transform: How An Academic Library Collections Unit Reorganized To Meet Growing Demands For E-Resources And Services During A Time Of Institutional Change, John Abresch

Charleston Library Conference

In recent years, technical services operations and collection management at the University of South Florida (USF) Library was operating with flat budgets, a staff organization in a state of transition, ineffective workplace communication, and a progressive loss of institutional knowledge and skill sets. During the same time, the university was characterized by a fast‐developing dynamic research and learning environment. New research endeavors and academic programs were incorporating a variety of electronic resources in their activities. In response, library administrators implemented a strategy of organizing technical services operations into a community of practice with three key elements. The three elements included …

Getting E-Books Into Courses: How Libraries Can Partner With Faculty To Ease The Textbook Affordability Crisis, Dave Comeaux, Kara Kroes Li, Jeanne A. Pavy

Charleston Library Conference

Academic libraries have implemented various initiatives to help reduce the cost students pay for learning materials. Popular initiatives including promoting open educational resources (OER), inclusive access programs, and curriculum-based collection development. A recent survey conducted by Library Journal/EBSCO identified several barriers to faculty engagement with e-books in courses. This paper will discuss those barriers, as well as the efforts at two Louisiana universities, under the leadership of the statewide academic library consortium (LOUIS), to promote both OER and library-purchased e-books, and address challenges to faculty and student engagement with these materials. In addition to these, some libraries have implemented programs …

Budgets On My Mind: Changing Budget Allocations To Meet Teaching And Research Needs: University Of Washington Case Study, Corey Murata, Denise Pan

Charleston Library Conference

In fall 2017, the University of Washington (UW) Libraries began a multiyear process to examine and update the resources budget structure and allocation model. The budget structure and allocation model at UW Libraries remained fundamentally the same for over 20 years. In that time there has been a shift toward more interdisciplinary research as well as significant changes in scholarly publishing and the acquisition environment for academic libraries. Recognizing that our budget structure and allocation model are no longer aligned with the changes in our environment, UW initiated a process with the goal of developing a model that is better …

Springing For Student Textbooks? Exploring New Directions For Library Collections, Alexandria C. Quesenberry, Paul C. Gahn, G. Randall Watts

Charleston Library Conference

Given the increasing costs of student textbooks, it is only natural that students would engage in cost-avoidance behaviors. Likewise, some professors have modified their curricular choices to avoid passing along the cost of required texts for their students. At the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, the library has licensed several databases that include access to a number of assigned student textbooks. While the provision of these textbooks was not the intent in the licensing of these resources, it is an added benefit of the subscription and their availability is appreciated by the students who may avoid individual purchases. Because …

Like A Hurricane: A Brief Narrative On The Recent Developments Of The Print Reference Collection At The University Of Winnipeg, Michael Hohner

Charleston Library Conference

A paper presented by Michael Hohner as part of the panel session Print Reference Collections: The Future is Ours.

On The Winds Of Change: Repositories, Researchers And Technologies: The 18th Health Sciences Lively Lunch Discussion, Jean Gudenas, Ramune K. Kubilius, Anthony Watkinson, John Felts

Charleston Library Conference

This year’s sponsored but no holds barred health sciences lively lunchtime gathering again was open to all. Moderator Jean Gudenas introduced this year’s three presentations: a report on a survey, a report on a research study, and a technology update. Ramune Kubilius provided a brief annual traditional update on developments in the health sciences publishing world. She then segued to highlighting some findings from a survey she and two co-authors conducted in December 2017-January 2018 of AAHSL (Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries) members on medical school institutional repositories (IRs). She focused on responses to questions about IR collections and …

Simplifying The Collections Budget To Maximize Flexibility And Increase Responsiveness To User Needs, Denise Koufogiannakis, Denise Pan

Charleston Library Conference

This paper considers management of the collections budget via fund structures. A common approach in collections budget management is to distribute allocations via format (e.g., monograph and serials), and subject areas. While tracking spending at a granular level provides more information, it also generally results in a large number of funds. As more and more materials are purchased in consortial packages or other types of "big deals,” or are simply interdisciplinary in nature, the allocation and expenditure on specific and narrowly defined funds begins to become inaccurate and less useful. Library administrators from two large Association of Research Libraries (ARL) …

Managing The Changing Climate Of Business Collections, Katharine V. Macy, Heather A. Howard, Alyson S. Vaaler

Charleston Library Conference

Librarians that support business programs are weathering competing priorities in business collection management. When making decisions to cut and add new databases, we must assess the value of a given resource by considering a variety of quantitative metrics such as usage, cost per use, cost per citation, and pricing history. In addition, qualitative criteria are increasingly important when making decisions. These criteria include, but are not limited to, content coverage, accessibility, and whether a resource can be provided in a way that supports the principles of critical librarianship. This Lively Lunch discussion provided three brief presentations, which discussed (1) how …

Streaming Video Pda: Brace Yourself, Usage Is Coming, Marianne Foley

Charleston Library Conference

Low usage statistics for library resources are a big concern for the librarians at the State University of New York (SUNY) Buffalo State, so we were unprepared for the popularity of a new streaming video patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) program. Though it was slow to take off, when it did, usage increased suddenly and dramatically. After depleting the initial budget for the resource, we allocated more funds and then quickly depleted those additional funds. At that point, we changed to a mediated model to help control the costs, but that greatly increased work for our Acquisitions Department and raised collection development …

Destroyer And Preserver, Hear, Oh Hear! Not All Uncirculated Books Must Chariotest To A Dark Wintry Bed: How We Used The Oclc Worldcat Search Api To Inform Our Weeding Decisions With Holdings Data, Geoffrey P. Timms

Charleston Library Conference

Weeding a specialized collection, such as the geography/oceanography subset of the marine science collection at the Marine Resources Library, requires thinking beyond our own walls and users. To ensure potential access to weeded items through other libraries, as well as the preservation of items unique to our own collection, we sought an efficient and free means to incorporate national holdings data into our decision-making process. The OCLC WorldCat Search API enables bibliographic data, as well as holdings from other libraries, to be obtained easily. With a Python script we obtained holdings data for most of our several thousand oceanography items, …

From The Winter Of Messy Data Into The Spring Of Standardization: E-Book Vendor Data Reenvisioned, Bonita Pollock, Brian Falato, Xiying Mi

Charleston Library Conference

The University of South Florida (USF) Libraries run several projects which involve the collection and display of ebook vendor metadata including seven evidence-based acquisitions (EBA) programs, one patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) program and the eBooks for Classroom Plus (EB+) database. These projects are the main focus of the Libraries’ Textbook Affordability Project (TAP). The TAP initiative’s goal is help reduce textbook cost to students by providing faculty with ebook alternatives. The metadata used in these projects is collected from a variety of vendor sources including titles lists, K-Bart files entitlement lists and Marc records. Compiling data from various sources into a …

African American Studies Collections And The American Season Of Redemption, Courtney Becks

Charleston Library Conference

In a Journal of Academic Librarianship article that appeared in 2000, Susan A. Vega García writes about the “dearth of empirical research that has examined multicultural diversity in terms of actual collecting patterns of academic and research libraries [...].” (Vega García, 2000) This article, nearly 20 years old, is one of the few that actually address the topic of African American Studies collections specifically in the LIS literature. Though there is, in fact, a literature of “diversity” in library collections, it lumps together an array of groups whose only commonality is having been labelled Other in the U.S. This lumping …

Cost Per Use As An Electronic Resources Evaluation Parameter: Can You Use It Under Extraordinary Circumstances?, Luis Joel Crespo

Charleston Library Conference

In 2017, the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) suffered two extraordinary events that substantially affected library services. From March through June 2017 the university was closed due to a student strike that affected daily activities and academic services. In September of the same year, our country was hit by the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in its history, which left the whole island without power and communications infrastructure for many months. In both scenarios, access to electronic resources was seriously affected.

Usage reports are important for, among other things, evidencing the use of electronic resources in a certain collection, justifying …

Library Space Transformed, Jared L. Howland, Rebecca Schroeder

Charleston Library Conference

Beginning in the fall of 2017, the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University undertook a project to assess our science collections due to a planned expansion of our library information technology department. Our teams evaluated 18,578 shelves of content and decided to either (1) keep an item on the shelf, (2) or move it to on-site auxiliary storage, or (3) withdraw it. They worked with fellow subject librarians and faculty around campus to communicate about the work being done and offer opportunities to review the potential withdraw material before it left the building. Despite the need to make …

Dda: Are We Meeting Collection Goals Or Vendor Sales Targets?, Debbi A. Smith

Charleston Library Conference

Adelphi University Libraries started an e-book demand-driven acquisitions (DDA) program with Ebrary in January 2014. After one short-term loan a second use triggered a purchase. This trigger was determined by an analysis of how e-books were used in the subscription component of Ebrary, Academic Complete. Titles were added to the pool according to our slip plan profile with YBP. Librarians could also manually add e-book titles to the DDA pool.

To see if our trigger point should be adjusted for our current DDA with ProQuest Ebook Central, statistics were harvested from the Ebrary administrative portal for January 2014 through January …

Understanding And Measuring E-Book Packages: Print Purchasing Patterns And Book Usage, Weijing Yuan, Eva Jurczyk

Charleston Library Conference

When libraries make the decision to transition from print to electronic books, it is often a zero-sum game; if the library is to license the electronic version of a title, it tends not to buy it in print. This study examines print purchase and usage patterns after a large e-book acquisition by the University of Toronto Libraries, when subject selectors had the option to continue to purchase the titles in print. Data on print purchasing patterns, print title circulation, and electronic book use was examined both at the aggregate and the subject level. The study adds evidence to the growing …

Transforming Acquisitions And Collection Services, Michelle Flinchbaugh, Chuck Thomas, Rob Tench, Vicki Sipe, Robin Barnard Moskal, Lynda L. Aldana, Erica A. Owusu

Purdue University Press Books

This book explores ways in which libraries can reach new levels of service, quality, and efficiency while minimizing cost by collaborating in acquisitions. In consortial acquisitions, a number of libraries work together, usually in an existing library consortia, to leverage size to support acquisitions in each individual library. In cross-functional acquisitions, acquisitions collaborates to support other library functions. For the library acquisitions manager, technical services manager, or the library director, awareness of different options for effective consortial and cross-functional acquisitions allows for the optimization of staff and resources to reach goals. This work presents those options in the form of …