1. Metadata Management Librarian
Textbooks: Required of our students, unwelcome in our academic library?
Leanne Olson
Metadata Management Librarian
Western University

2. Why collect textbooks? Why not?
Today’s agenda
Who I am, where I’m from
Why collect textbooks? Why not?
We’ll look at student feedback, collections policies, textbook use, cost, and lifespan
Please ask questions & join in the discussion

3. Where I’m from Western University Charleston
Landsat, Data SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, NGA, GEDBCO, IBCAO, U.S. Geological Survey. Map Google, INEGI

4. Western University 38,335 full-time equivalent students
7 major libraries on campus
3 affiliated university colleges:
King’s, Huron, Brescia
48 librarians & archivists
66 library assistants
$16.4 million acquisitions budget
5,431,600 book holdings
4,570 print serial subscriptions
140,840 online serial subscriptions
Statistics from
Photo by Brandon Belbeck

5. We examined results from recent student surveys…

6. I think the libraries should have more copies of textbooks available
I think the libraries should have more copies of textbooks available. It would be more of an incentive for students to study at the library if they have access to more copies.
- Undergraduate student, Science
Too often, I find that my textbooks are unavailable in digital format through the library website.
- Graduate student, Social Science
I would like better access to current and useful books including course textbooks.
– Undergraduate student, Science

7. I save money on textbooks with 2-hour loans, and it allows me to be productive between classes
– Undergraduate student, Social Sciences
Good study space…allow[s] me to study during the day without needing to bring my own textbooks.
– Undergraduate student, Law
Having access to [textbooks] is great because sometimes it's hard to buy a textbook or not worthwhile as it isn't used a lot in the course.
- Undergraduate student, health sciences

8. Textbook Myths?
Textbooks don’t belong in a university collection
Students think they want them, but won’t use them
Textbooks are too expensive
Textbooks have a short lifespan

9. Definition of a textbook
Any required course text, designated as required by the course instructor, and listed on the course outline.

10. 1. Textbooks don’t belong in a university collection

11. Collections Policies at Western
Policy #1:
The following types of material are not acquired: popular literature, conference proceedings, theses or dissertations from other institutions, and course textbooks.
Policy #2:
With the exception of individual requests and some selective acquisitions, the following types of material are not acquired: conference proceedings, theses or dissertations from other institutions, and course textbooks.
Policy #3:
Due to the nature of the work performed by medical practitioners, standard textbooks are frequently a core source of information and referral. Core textbooks are collected and updated and form an important part of the collection.

12. Practices across Western (paraphrased liberally)
Social Sciences
We rationalize getting around our policies. There’s a demand; policies should be inclusive.
Sciences/Medical
We don’t collect them proactively. Materials that students use the most should be actively collected.
Law
We get the required textbook list and buy everything. We know Canadian content will be used.
Business
We buy them specifically for courses on a case by case basis, knowing what circulates the most.
Education
We collect them in a comprehensive manner, building relationships with faculty.
Music
We purchase textbooks on request, and provide access to many professor’s copies.

13. 2. Students think they want textbooks, but won’t use them

14. Are they worth it? Circulation of Western’s textbooks
Average # of Circulations
(Total)
Average Cost per Circulation
(CDN)
Textbooks in the general collection
38.3
$9.38
Textbooks on reserve
47.9
$4.18
Compare to:
Cost of borrowing through interlibrary loan: $14
Average circulation of
a “regular” print book: ???

15. Comparing textbooks and regular books by call number range
Example: Books about medieval history

16. 3. Textbooks are too expensive

17. Are they worth it? Circulation of Western’s textbooks
Average # of Circulations
(Total)
Average Cost per Circulation
(CDN)
Textbooks in the general collection
38.3
$9.38
Textbooks on reserve
47.9
$4.18
Compare to:
Cost of borrowing through interlibrary loan: $14
Average circulation of
a “regular” print book: ???

18. Comparing textbooks and regular books by fund code
Non-textbook

19. Prices of Science Textbooks (Canadian Dollars)
Western Libraries’
Book Vendor
Campus Bookstore
Amazon.ca
Multivariable Calculus, Stewart, 8th ed.
$409.72
Open Channel Hydraulics, 2nd ed.
$392.03
Moons and Planets,5th ed.
$461.62
Organic Chemistry, Wade
$442.66
Advanced Engineering Mathematics, 5th ed.
$405.62

20. Prices of Science Textbooks (Canadian Dollars)
Western Libraries’
Book Vendor
Campus Bookstore
Amazon.ca
Multivariable Calculus, Stewart, 8th ed.
$409.72
$170.30
$165.30
Open Channel Hydraulics, 2nd ed.
$392.03
$101.95
$314.95
Moons and Planets,5th ed.
$461.62
$230.50
Used only
Organic Chemistry, Wade
$442.66
$188.70
$187.00
Advanced Engineering Mathematics, 5th ed.
$405.62
$203.95

21. 4. Textbooks have a short lifespan

22. A few quick counterexamples…
Multivariable Calculus, Stewart, 8th ed, 2015.
Used for 6 distinct courses, some over multiple years of a student’s career
Linear Algebra, 4th ed, Friedberg, 2002.
Same textbook in use for 15 years
Art of Making Dances, Humphry, 1962.
Used for multiple 3rd & 4th year dance classes
Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, Bausch
Copies from 1995 and 2006 have both been checked out this year

23. Textbook Myths?
Textbooks don’t belong in a university collection
Students think they want them, but won’t use them
Textbooks are too expensive
Textbooks have a short lifespan

24. Our next steps Environmental scan Surveys to understand user needs
Slicing potential collections of textbooks – 2,150 undergraduate courses
Proposal for a pilot project?
Photo by Brandon Belbeck

25. Metadata Management Librarian
Textbooks: Required of our students, unwelcome in our academic library?
Leanne Olson
Metadata Management Librarian
Western University

26. R Applets
Please feel free to check out and download the R applets I’ve used, which I have posted on GitHub:
These are still very much in development, but may give you a head start and some code to play with.
I’ve included a small subset of textbook data from Western Libraries to use as examples.

27. Learning about R R Studio – tutorials and articles
Flowingdata - free and paid courses
Shiny – an R package to build interactive web apps
Braun, J., & Murdoch, D. J. (2016). A first course in statistical programming with R, 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chang, W. (2013). R graphics cookbook: Practical recipes for visualizing data. Cambridge: O’Reilly.