1. Collection Management in Two Vermont Academics May 25, 2010 Vermont Library Conference Laura Crain lcrain@smcvt.edu Associate Director for Collection Services Saint Michael’s College Ben Johnson bjohnson@vtc.vsc.edu Faculty Librarian Vermont Technical College Reality is what you make it

2. Math may be the language of the Devil, but statistics prove that reality really is what you make it.

3. Southern VTChamplainNorwichGreen MountainSt. JosephNE CulinaryGoddardSaint Michael’sUniv of VermontLyndon StateCastleton Saint Michael’s JohnsonSterlingBenningtonMiddleburyVermont Law Circulation per Student at Vermont Colleges National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.edu.gov (retrieved 3/18/2010)http://nces.edu.gov

4. How Does Usage Drive Content Decisions? Book purchasing based on Circulation stats Collection analysis Retain subscriptions based on cost-per-article Anticipate “expected use”

5. The Pittsburgh Study of Library Use Acquisitions of books: 40% did not circulate in 7 years. When a book does not circulate within the first 6 years of ownership, it has less than 1 chance in 50 of ever being borrowed. --Kent, A. 1978

6. At Saint Michael’s the percentage of books that have never circulated: 41% Books acquired in 2004 includes gifts and purchases

7. Saint Michael’s purchased monographs Percentage of books that have never circulated: 29% acquired in 2004

8. The Subjects with the Most “0 Circs” Acquired in 2004 Pub date 2000-2005

9. The Subjects with the Least “0” Circs Acquired 2004 Pub date 2000-2005

10. So? Revise gift book criteria. Subject allocations: circulation! For low circ subjects: eliminate “just in case” implement “on-demand” purchasing Weed on!

11. Monograph allocations in subject areas: based on circulation & book price Book prices from ybp.com: univ. & trade press averages

12. Collection Analysis of Circulating Monographs Shows high and low use areas Targeted collection development Are subject holdings adequate to meet user needs? Project modeled after University of Colorado – Boulder: http://www.cal-webs.org/handouts04/CollectionAnalysis.ppt http://www.cal-webs.org/handouts04/CollectionAnalysis.ppt

13. Greatest Number of Circulation Transactions Per item by Subject Circulating books – 2 year period

14. Least number of transactions per item by subject Areas with holdings above 500 items Circulations for a two year period: FY08 & FY09

15. Scenario 1 –holdings are old / not relevant: weed / update –refer to interlibrary loan borrowing Scenario 2 –Subject is more “journals intensive” –not a research-intensive subject Interpretation of a low use area

16. Do current books circulate more? New books:.50 circulations per title Compared to.11 times a year for all books FY09 newly acquired current copyright (2008 &2009) Durick Library

17. A transformation… “from a one-time ad hoc project to a sustainable, on-going process of evidence-based review.”  Emily Stambaugh (2005)

18. Cost per use

19. Using Data to Fill the Gaps EBSCOhost title usage report abstract “requests”

20. EBSCOhost title usage report – Philosopher’s Index

21. Top EBSCO abstract requests

22. I'm no fan of reality...

23. References Canepi, K. (2007). Fund allocation formula analysis: determining elements for best practices in libraries. Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services 31, no. 1. Franklin, B. (2005). Managing the electronic collection with cost per use data. IFLA Journal 31, no.3. Kaay, A. & Zimmerman, P. (2008). The Development and application of a unique percentage-based allocations formula at the University of Windsor. Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services 32. Kent, A., et al. (1978). A Cost-Benefit Model of Some Critical Library Operations in Terms of Use of Materials, Final Report, Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh. Knieval, Jennifer, Heather Wicht and Lynn Silipigni Conway. (2004). Collection Analysis with Circulation Data: what Usage Can Tell Us about Weeding and Collection Development. Boulder, CO: University of Colorado..http://www.cal- webs.org/handouts04/CollectionAnalysis.ppt Ochola, J.N. (2002). Use of circulation statistics and interlibrary loan data in collection management. Collection Management 27, no. 1. Payne, John. Director of Library and Information Services. Colchester, VT: Saint Michael’s College. Provided advice and expertise on formulas and data samples. Stambaugh, E. (2005). Analytical skills for collection development and journal management. Against the Grain, Nov. 2005.

24. Collection Management in Two Vermont Academics May 25, 2010 Vermont Library Conference Laura Crain lcrain@smcvt.edu Associate Director for Collection Services Saint Michael’s College http://www.smcvt.edu/library/about/staff/profiles/crain.asp Ben Johnson bjohnson@vtc.vsc.edu Faculty Librarian Vermont Technical College Reality is what you make it