Saskatoon Public Library and the University of Saskatchewan Library LEISURE COLLECTION PARTNERSHIP Rachel Sarjeant-Jenkins, University of Saskatchewan Library and Lorraine Salt, Saskatoon Public Library May 2013 With thanks to Regan Gunningham, SIAST – Kelsey Campus

What does the literature tell us? Leisure reading collections were a part of academic libraries until the 1920s and 1930s (Hallyburton et al., 2011; Diers and Simpson, 2012) “While public libraries strive to help their patrons discover reading material of choice, academic libraries are more focused on locating materials that will support a task.” (Gilbert and Fister, 2007, 477)

Barriers to leisure collections in academic libraries: Collection development policies Lack of time, budget, staffing, physical space Perception that students don’t have time to “read” (Diers and Simpson, 2012; Elliott, 2009)

Benefits of leisure reading: Increased literacy Creativity Improved academic achievement Relieves stress Increased civic engagement (NEA, 2007; Gilbert and Fister, 2011; Elliott 2009)

About our libraries: University Library o 21,700 students, 7500 faculty and staff, and 17 colleges and schools (2011/12) o Library traffic of ~2 million annually (7 locations) SPL o 8 locations o Materials: 800,000+ / 4.3 million+ thru SILS o Serving population: 239,000 (Dec. 2012)

Why did we do it? SPL o Community partnerships o Promote SPL collections o Extend life of materials U of S Library o Community partnerships o No mandate for leisure reading collection o Work-life balance for students

Why we could do it: “Hot titles” Popular print fiction and non-fiction Feature film DVDs and documentaries Music CDs Audiobook fiction and non-fiction

Anticipated Challenges: Separate governance models Separate policy frameworks Different work cultures Impact on staff Transportation

What we did about them: Project Charter/Partnership Agreement Planning meetings Procedures evolved

Murray Library U of S campus Technical Services / Alice Turner Library

Workflow SPL selects materials removes some stickers creates a spreadsheet exports MARC record file U of S Library picks up items loads MARC records adds U of S barcode places on the shelves U of S Library promotes the collection circulates the materials collects statistics U of S Library packs up items removes MARC records transports items back to SPL SPL forwards to sale tables

Circulation data: DVDs circulate the most, ~5 circs each. Print ~2 circs each. CDs ~1.5 circs each. Audiobooks did less well. Of 14 audiobooks provided, there were only 4 circs.

Number of items circulated

Growing pains: Collection growth Type of materials Workload on SPL technical services Promotion on campus

Why the partnership works: The people work well together Both institutions value the partnership Both institutions value partnering

Next steps: Expand types of materials Explore other joint projects

References Bosman, R., Glover, J. & Prince, M. (2008). Growing adult readers: Promoting leisure reading in academic libraries. Urban Library Journal, 15(1), Retrieved at Dewan, P. (2010). Why your academic library needs a popular reading collection now more than ever. College & Undergraduate Libraries, 17(1), Diers, B. & Simpson, S. (2012). At your leisure: Establishing a popular reading collection at UBC Library. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 7(2), Retrieved at Elliott, J. (2009). Barriers to extracurricular reading promotion in academic libraries. Reference and User Services Quarterly 48(4), Gilbert, J. & Fister, B. (2011). Reading, risk, and reality: College students and reading for pleasure. College & Research Libraries, 72(5), Retrieved at Hallyburton, A.W., Buchanan, H.E. & Carstens, T.V. (2011). Serving the whole person: Popular materials in academic libraries. Collection Building, 30(2),

Kelly, K.E. & Kneipp, L.B. (2009). Reading for pleasure and creativity among college students. College Student Journal, 43(4), Retrieved from National Endowment for the Arts. (2004). Reading at risk: A survey of literary reading in America. Research Division Report #46. Retrieved form National Endowment for the Arts. (2007). To read or not to read: A question of national consequence. Research Report #47. Retrieved from Nicholson, H. (2012). How to be engaging: Recreational reading and readers’ advisory in the academic library. Public Services Quarterly, 8(2), U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). A First Look at the Literacy of America’s Adults in the 21st Century. NCES Retrieved from

Rachel Sarjeant-JenkinsLorraine Salt