Digital Commons Network^™

Starting A Streaming Video Program On A Limited Budget, Cara M. Barker, Whitney P. Jordan, Jessica H. Zellers

Charleston Library Conference

Streaming videos are a desirable supplement to physical DVDs, but academic libraries may feel intimidated by the cost of adding another format to their collections. However, streaming videos can be surprisingly affordable. In the midst of a budget crunch, the librarians at Western Carolina University were able to start a streaming video program, first by selecting titles à la carte, and later by launching two streaming services, Kanopy (using a demand-driven acquisitions model) and Swank (using a mediated acquisitions model). These streaming videos allow for unlimited simultaneous access by local users as well as distance-education students, and they come with …

Disability Inclusion And Library Collections: Initiatives For Greater Access For All, Elizabeth German, Eric Hartnett

Charleston Library Conference

One of the core values of librarianship as expressed through ALA’s Code of Ethics is providing equitable service and access to all library users. This is further enforced by federal laws such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which includes Section 508 requiring federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. While there has been much said about accessibility within library scholarship, this paper takes a unique holistic approach at applying the accessibility maturity model to library collections and services through covering a number of initiatives that Texas A&M University Libraries have taken …

Managing Etds: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, Dan Tam Do, Laura Gewissler

Charleston Library Conference

Mandating contribution of theses and dissertations (TDs) to university archives and their electronic equivalents (ETDs) to an institutional repository (IR) is common practice. Optimizing workflows for archival print copies while managing electronic copies in an IR can be challenging given such factors as embargoes and the skill sets required to ensure theses and dissertations are accessible, discoverable, and ultimately safely stashed where they belong. As rational processes were gradually developed at the University of Vermont, pitfalls and breakthroughs presented themselves. This article relates our experience launching an ETD mandate, including campus outreach initiatives and improvements to the various related processes …

Table Of Contents, Katina Strauch, Bruce Strauch

Charleston Library Conference

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Beth R. Bernhardt, Leah Hinds, Lars Meyer

Charleston Library Conference

No abstract provided.

Preface And Acknowledgments, Katina Strauch, Bruce Strauch

Charleston Library Conference

No abstract provided.

Counter Code Of Practice Release 5: Consistency, Clarity, Simplification, And Continuous Maintenance, Oliver Pesch, Lorraine Estelle

Charleston Library Conference

All academic libraries across the world use and trust COUNTER usage reports to inform renewal and new purchasing decisions, to inform faculty about the value of the library and its resources, and to understand user behavior and improve the user experience. The COUNTER Code of Practice enables content providers to produce consistent, comparable, and credible usage data for their online content. This allows librarians and other interested parties to compare the usage data they receive, and to understand and demonstrate the value of the electronic resources to which they subscribe. In July 2017, COUNTER published Release 5 of the Code …

The Digital Monograph And Primary Source Databases: Agenda Toward A Unified Conversation, James Kessenides

Charleston Library Conference

In the realm of scholarly research and publishing in the humanities, much interest and activity has focused on the impact of digital technology on the academic monograph, and on the application of this technology to archival collections. In terms of the former, this paper addresses the discourse of the “future of the monograph,” focusing on statements made about the digital monograph assuming new online forms. In terms of the latter, this paper comments on primary source databases. Whereas the “future of the monograph” has been approached mainly as a question of form, the matter of primary source databases has been …

Comparing Dda E-Book Program Variances Of Eight Large Academic Libraries, Kay Downey, Yin Zhang

Charleston Library Conference

Researchers at Kent State University Libraries have collected DDA (demand-driven acquisition) e-book program data from eight large academic libraries in order to further research on DDA use and efficacy. As libraries transition more and more to the just-in-time acquisition model, it is even more imperative to understand the factors that contribute to successful collection management practices and sustainability. With multiple years of data from eight institutions, this will be the first large-scale study of this kind. In this study DDA e-book data was examined from each institution that detailed order and license information, bibliographic data, and usage data for each …

What’S Past Is Possible: Opportunities And Perspectives For Library Alumni Resources, Jo-Anne Hogan, Corey Seeman

Charleston Library Conference

When considering the theme “What’s Past Is Prologue,” there might not be a better application than to think of former students at our colleges and universities. As they venture into the role of campus alumni, their information needs become complicated when they lose access to the wealth of electronic resources that are available at most campuses. Having resources at hand while a student is wonderful, but the grim reality of having little available upon graduation can be a bit of a letdown. A growing number of colleges and universities are offering alumni a suite of electronic resources that are either …

Assessing Large E-Book Collections: Is The Past A Roadmap For Developing Collections Of The Future?, Stacy B. Baggett, Andrew Kulp

Charleston Library Conference

Many academic libraries rely heavily on massive prepackaged e-book collections from vendors such as EBSCO and ProQuest to support their research communities. This shift away from traditional collection development is seen as a budget-friendly strategy to provide current monographs across many disciplines. Librarians at Shenandoah University questioned whether their largest e-book subscriptions, ProQuest’s Ebook Central and EBSCO’s eBook Academic Collection, measured up to standard collection development tools. This study uses the Outstanding Academic Titles lists published by Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries as a benchmark to measure the quality of large e-book collections. By analyzing five years’ worth of …

Technology Lending: Just Like Any Other Collection, Sort Of, Bobby L. Hollandsworth

Charleston Library Conference

Technology lending or equipment lending has long been a staple of academic libraries. Think back a few years ago and you’ll probably remember calculators, tape recorders, point and shoot cameras, and projectors being loaned out at your library. Past was certainly prologue in this collection as Clemson University Libraries made a deliberate decision to upgrade the technology being loaned out in the spring of 2012 to keep up with the changing needs of students, faculty, and staff. Some of the initial upgraded items included DSLR cameras, camera lenses, iPads, tripods, microphones, and digital voice recorders. Over the past five and …

Eba In Practice: Facilitating Evidence-Driven E-Book Programs In Both Consortium And Individual Library Settings, John Abresch, Laura Pascual, Andrea Langhurst Eickholt

Charleston Library Conference

The University of South Florida (USF) Library maintains multiple DDA and EBA e-book programs as the basis for its collection management strategy in an effort to provide the scope of monographic material required by a large metropolitan research university in the most cost-effective manner. A patron-driven acquisitions program replaced the traditional print approval plan. Leveraging this usage data, several evidence-based acquisition programs were established with providers such as Wiley, Project Muse, and Elsevier. The process began with profiling the DDA and was developed combining factors that satisfied our programmatic requirements. Successful implementation at this scale requires collaborative effort from a …

O Brave New Print Collection, That Has Such Data Science Books In It!, Heidi Tebbe, Mira Waller

Charleston Library Conference

The field of data science exists at the intersection of several disciplines, including statistics, social science, information science, computer science, and visualization. This can make collection development for data science challenging, but it’s a field that has become increasingly important in industry and academia. Data scientists, and increasingly researchers, academics, and others, work with large amounts of data, complex computation, and data visualization to solve real-world problems. Those working in or studying data science may need to learn new skills and tools to be successful.

North Carolina State University (NCSU) recognizes the importance of this growing field, as shown in …

Beyond Cost Per Use: Exploring Multivariable E-Resource Assessment, Courtney R. Mcallister

Charleston Library Conference

The converging pressures of dwindling budgets, increasing subscription costs, and shifting user expectations has intensified the impact of collection management decision making. Assessing e-resource subscriptions is an integral part of any library’s collection management process, though it is especially important in academic environments. While cost per use (CPU) can be a straightforward and informative measure to consider, that lone data point might not reveal the true value of an e-resource. This paper outlines a multifaceted assessment strategy that considers the various merits of an e-resource, such as supporting accreditation, providing access to material not easily obtained through resource-sharing channels, discoverability, …

Critical Business Collections: Examining Key Issues Using A Social Justice Lens, Heather A. Howard, Katharine V. Macy, Corey Seeman, Alyson S. Vaaler

Charleston Library Conference

Academic librarians perform a balancing act between the needs of patrons, licensing restrictions, and the missions of our libraries. As part of the work to develop our campus collections, academic business librarians work with both schools and commercial vendors to provide resources that our business students and faculty require. Business publishers charge academic customers pennies on the dollar for access, but are likely to seek protections for their intellectual content by placing usage restrictions that run counter to what librarians would prefer. This can cause difficulties for librarians in serving their unique populations. This also can run counter to the …

Is It Really “Not Applicable?” Zoom In To Understand E-Book Accessibility, Xiaoyan Song, Danica Lewis

Charleston Library Conference

The decisions that we make when reviewing our collections and negotiating licenses have enormous effects on our users. They also have the potential to, in turn, shape the priorities and decisions of publishers and platform creators. The questions we ask and standards we set now set the stage for the chapters our users inherit. And while users with special access needs might not form a large percentage of our current user population, they will always be part of that population. For e-book accessibility, it can be difficult to draw the line between what is essential, what is aspirational, and what …

Are E-Book Packages Overwhelming And Redefining Your Collection?, Rhonda R. Glazier, Matthew J. Jabaily, Lynn E. Gates

Charleston Library Conference

Most academic libraries offer numerous e-books alongside their print titles. Traditionally, print materials have been chosen by subject liaisons with input from departmental faculty, whereas e-books have been acquired en masse through large collection purchases, subscriptions, or PDA/DDA programs that include large numbers of discovery records. At Kraemer Family Library, the print budget is divided into subject areas using a formula that includes the number of students in a discipline, level of program (bachelor, master, or doctorate), number of faculty by discipline, and average cost of materials in a subject area. This budget breakdown is an attempt to balance the …

Books On Demand: A New(Er) Look For Print Monographs Acquisitions, Paolo P. Gujilde, Cara Huwieler, Debra Skinner

Charleston Library Conference

How do you respond to increasing library materials cost? Do you still provide enough, fewer, or more print books? How do you sustain access to library resources? In the past few years, Zach S. Henderson Library at Georgia Southern University faced these questions and more. As many libraries have done, Henderson Library responded by decreasing monograph acquisitions to allocate additional funds for serial acquisition. However, these challenges provided opportunities for the library to be creative in purchasing monographs. One of the approaches the library chose to explore was establishing a print demand-driven acquisition (pDDA) or Books on Demand program with …

One Root, Many Trees: Reviving Collections Practices, Kevin Farley, Emily Davis Winthrop, Ibironke Lawal, Patricia Sobczak

Charleston Library Conference

Collections are undergoing intense change and pressure from technology, budgetary uncertainties, and emerging perspectives on future approaches. Our case study—drawn from our experiences as collections librarians—examines these complex issues facing academic collections, large or small, across the profession. Through the development of “collections of distinction” within the local collection, collaborations and scholarly partnerships with colleagues and faculty, and advocacy for the importance of dedicated oversight to ensure that collections investments fulfill the academic mission, we explore possible solutions to the complicated issues defining contemporary collections practices.

Is The Past Really Prologue? The Effect Of A University’S Consolidation On Its Jstor Subscription, Melissa E. Johnson, Kate Kosturski

Charleston Library Conference

University consolidations do more than just affect students and faculty. Changes to the makeup of a campus and the programs available can have a great influence on needed journal and database subscriptions. The electronic resources and serials librarian from Augusta University and the outreach coordinator from JSTOR investigated how the consolidation of two universities with different academic missions changed the usage of their six JSTOR collections. Using data produced by JSTOR in 2012, prior to consolidation, and compiled again for 2016, the authors describe changes in usage, factors that could affect usage, and the implications for future resources.

The Print Book Purging Predicament: Qualitative Techniques For A Balanced Collection, Allan Scherlen, Alex D. Mcallister

Charleston Library Conference

At previous Charleston Conference meetings, there was much discussion about how to massively and efficiently weed collections across disciplines using quantitative criteria. The presenters recently published an article in Collection Management entitled “Weeding with Wisdom: Tuning Deselection of Print Monographs in Book-Reliant Disciplines” in which they argue for the importance of retaining some print materials in areas such as history and literature where scholars are dependent on older, lesser-used materials for their research and teaching. Presenters offered suggestions and invited discussion on ways to improve the deselection process through the use of qualitative techniques for weeding book-reliant disciplines in an …

Showcasing E-Book Platform Features, Shaun R. Bennett, Xiaoyan Song, Danica M. Lewis

Charleston Library Conference

Faculty, students, and library staff are making increasingly nuanced use of e‐book collections, but the variance in e‐book attributes between publishers and platforms necessitates much more specific information about the various features of e‐books in order for patrons to make informed decisions. Librarians have been increasingly tasked with fielding questions ranging from the stability of links in syllabi, to the number of simultaneous users, download formats, soft ware requirements, and support for assistive technology. These new information needs have led the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries to develop a public‐facing Web tool designed to help make the features, permissions, …

You May Own It . . . But Can They Find It? A Panel Discussion: Part 3 Of Panel Presentation: Collection-Level Cooperative Cataloging, Jeff O. Siemon

Charleston Library Conference

Have you purchased e-book or e-journal collections where the metadata was not provided or was incomplete? Can users find all of your collections? If metadata is unavailable, researchers can’t find your materials, resulting in lower usage.

Library directors and electronic resources managers are encouraged to add metadata specialists to their e-resources teams by reassigning catalogers. Catalogers are encouraged to develop skills for cataloging collections, in addition to their skills cataloging individual items.

Developing A Weighted Collection Development Allocation Formula, Jeff Bailey, Linda Creibaum, Star Holloway

Charleston Library Conference

In this preconference workshop Bailey, Creibaum, and Holloway presented detailed instructions on how to create a spreadsheet-based library collection development allocation formula, one option to manage a library’s collection development budget. The presenters demonstrated and led participants through the process of creating customizable Excel-based formulas that can easily be modified to utilize the criteria relevant to a specific library and institution. The primary element in the success of such a formula is the use of weights applied to each factor contained in the spreadsheet. Potential factors include the number of students graduating from each degree program, total faculty per department, …

Reviewing A&Is And Aggregators In A Large Research Library Collection, Holly Inglis, Weijing Yuan, Cristina Sewerin

Charleston Library Conference

To facilitate discovery, libraries have traditionally subscribed to many specialized subject abstracting and indexing databases (A&Is), as well as aggregator packages with A&I function and full-text content. Library collection staff must continue to demonstrate effective and responsible stewardship of the library’s acquisitions budget by using evidence to inform collection development decisions. Using COUNTER statistics, title lists, the Gold Rush overlap review tool, and feedback from colleagues, review teams at University of Toronto Libraries analyzed a select list of A&Is and aggregators to confirm if subscription renewal is necessary. Involving staff from various departments resulted in a deeper understanding of database …

Prologue To Perfectly Parsing Proxy Patterns, Jeremy M. Brown, Gretchen M. Smith

Charleston Library Conference

As libraries spend an increasing percentage of precious collection funds on electronic resources, important questions arise to drive collection management decisions: What is being used? How much? and finally, Who is using our resources? Vendor-supplied statistics can help answer the first two questions, but we have encountered specific questions about our users at Mercer University.

To help answer this question, we turned to our proxy server logs and began a pilot study in the spring semester 2017. This presentation will explain the methodology we used in mining data from our proxy server logs in combination with our existing user database. …

Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization, And Business Intelligence Tools For Electronic Resources In Academic Libraries, Cheng Cheng, Tracy J. Gilmore, Colleen Lougen, Connie Stovall

Charleston Library Conference

Analytics, business intelligence, and data visualization have an increasingly important space in the changing assessment landscape of academic libraries. Today, most academic libraries are spending a significant amount of their total expenditure budget on electronic resources. While they are high-value assets for modern libraries, the expensive annual subscription cost and continuing price increases of e-resources also make them a substantial budgeting burden. It is therefore essential to have a clear statistical view of the trends and patterns in price changes for e-resources and vendors. This paper focuses on three major topics vital for developing such a view: first, the e-resources …

Where Are We? Providing Information For The Clinical Enterprise (17th Health Sciences Lively Lunch), Ramune K. Kubilius, Jean Gudenas, Laura Schimming, Jonathan Shank, Vida Vaughn, Neal Nixon

Charleston Library Conference

If the past is prologue to the future, where are we today? Though they are diverse, most academic health sciences libraries have historically described and continue to outline their missions as being directed to serving the education, research, and clinical information needs of their user populations. Over the years, Charleston Conference Health Sciences Lively Lunches have covered many themes, and in 2012, the focus was on the point of care information tools landscape. The 2017 17th Health Sciences Lively Lunch focused on issues and challenges of providing clinicians and clinical affiliates with access not only to point of care tools, …

“Money Doesn’T Grow On Trees”: Using A Data-Driven Review Process To Add New Resources With No Budget Increases, Priya Shenoy, Laura Krossner, Teri Koch

Charleston Library Conference

At Drake University’s Cowles Library, increasing budgetary pressures, combined with improvements in gathering and analyzing usage data, compelled the library in 2014 to reassess its collection development philosophy and approach. This new philosophy—that the value of a resource is directly related to its usage—necessitated a more systematic and analytical process. The library has developed an annual review process that uses data-driven decision making for canceling and acquiring electronic resource subscriptions.

The steps in this process are as follows:

• Reviewing cost-per-use data

• Generating candidate deselection lists (“watchlists”)

• Soliciting faculty feedback via a library liaison process

• Communicating and …