Library and Information Science Commons^™

Recipe For A Healthy Collection Assessment, Paula Barnett-Ellis, Charlcie Pettway Vann

Presentations, Proceedings & Performances

Collection assessments are conducted at the Houston Cole Library to ensure that current programs are supported adequately and to find out if materials are needed for newly added programs. They are conducted approximately every 5 years or sooner if needed for program reaccreditations.

Subject librarians prepare collection assessment reports using either a detailed long method with conspectus worksheets, or a short method with more numbers and less narrative. Ingredients are mixed together with the help of the technical services and acquisition departments to prepare needed data.

Assessment reports on various Library of Congress subjects have the same basic recipe. Some …

User-Centered Collection Development: A Citation Analysis Of Graduate Biology Theses, Paula Barnett-Ellis, Yingqi Tang

Research, Publications & Creative Work

The authors sought to identify biology collection usage among graduate students at Jacksonville State University. Forty Master’s student theses from 2008-2014 were examined. A total of 2,351 citations were analyzed, of which journals accounted for 75%, books for 10%, and the remaining 15% included government documents, web sites, dissertations, and theses. Findings are consistent with previous similar studies that students referenced journals more often than books and other sources. Journal and book citations present discrepancies between number of citations and number of authors citing. Wide ranges of journal subjects were cited due to the interdisciplinary nature of graduate programs. Recommendations …