NOTSL—Putting your Vendors to Work for You

1. NOTSL—Putting your Vendors to Work for You June 3, 2005 Cuyahoga County Public Library Parma, Ohio

2. Acquiring Books: Approval Plans and Cooperative Collection Management Julia Gammon Head, Acquisitions University of Akron & Chair, OhioLINK Collection Building Task Force jgammon@uakron.edu

3. Points to Cover • “Invention” of Approval Plan • Approval Plans today • Using Approval Plans for Cooperative Collection Development in OhioLINK

4. After Lunch Speaker...

5. Pre-1950s Book Ordering • Hit-or-miss proposition • Librarians ordered from: LC proof slips, books reviews, faculty requests • Orders sent direct to publishers • Long delays • Few vendors called • No discounts

6. Book Buying in the ’50s • Farmington Plan • Greenway Plan • Public Law 480 • Special Foreign Currency Program • None allowed returns

7. The ’60s Revisited… • Arrival of approval plan • Libraries had $$$$$ • Instructional programs expanding rapidly • Shortage of trained professional staff

8. Who Invented the Approval Plan? • Richard Abel • Reed College Bookstore, Portland Oregon • Don Smith librarian at Washington State University • News spread in the region • Offered books and slip plans

9. Richard Abel Company • First mention in library press 1966 • Librarians flocked to join • Advantages: • Fast • Reduced cost for libraries • Systematized collection of materials

10. Enter the 70s… • Abel’s fast growth caused problems • Financial problems • Less money for libraries to spend • 1975 bankruptcy • B.H. Blackwell bought the assets and created BNA.

11. What’s in a Name? • “Approval Plans” • “Gathering Plans” • “Slip Plans” • “Blanket Order Plans” • “Standing Order Plans • “Lease Plans”

12. Present Day: Approval Plans Still Flourish • Subject Based • Publisher Based • Foreign Imprints • Language Based • Children’s books

13. Critics say…. • Abdicating selection responsibility to vendors • Vendor’s staff don’t know our needs • Library staff review of books takes more time • Inertia will cause acceptance of all books!

14. Advantages: • Speed of delivery • Make sure you don’t miss it • Allows time for collection managers to focus on other things • Evaluations made with books in hand • Saves library staff time with vendor’s services • Allows library to take advantage of technology

15. Profile: Is it structured to work with your polices? Publishers: Is the publisher base adequate? Selections: Do the books sent match the profile? Cost: Is there a discount? Slips: Are slips and books provided? Reports: Does vendor have useable reports? Staff: How easy is vendor to work with ? Process: Is it accurate, error free and smooth? How to Select an Approval Plan Vendor

16. Thoughts on Implementation… • Do you have buy-in from selectors? • Do you have the budget to afford the plan you want? • Do you have the procedures and staff in place to make it work? • Do you have a collection development policy to assist in profiling with vendor?

17. Using Approval Plans (and more) for Cooperative Collection Development in OhioLINK

18. OhioLINK’s Journey

19. Here I am at yet another OhioLINK committee meeting and another sandwich. The Committees

20. OhioLINK Collection Building Task Force

21. We meet often….. • +5,560 meetings • +31,100 cups of coffee • +18,200 muffins • +20,800 lunches • 4,000,000 frequent driver miles • 65,000 hours singing with the radio • 8,000 lunch upgrades

22. OhioLINK’s Collection Building Task Force (CBTF) Charge • To reduceunnecessary duplication • To increase local CD activities • To expand the amount spent on cooperative purchases • To move beyond books…

23. What did our OhioLINK collection look like in 1997?

24. Approval Plans: Duplication & Homogenization • In 1997 Tom Sanville, Director of OhioLINK found: • Number of titles with 5 or more copies was increasing • But number of unfilled borrowing requests was growing

25. Duplication and Homogenization? Why was this happening? • It was attributed to our approval plans. We were all buying, or not buying— the same books!

26. Collection Building Task Force: Abridged History • 1997 Discussions began • 1998 Wrote statewide RFP • 1998 Selected vendor—YBP • 1999 Libraries began receiving books • YBP—Began with 5 customers to 80+ now

27. What’s the value of working with a primary vendor? • Develop a relationship to force your agenda • Bigger stick to get what you want • Big & small will get favorable discount • Share ideas, processes & expertise • Remember: There are no economies of scale for the vendor

28. Early Myths & Misconceptions • We had a consortial approval plan “supra profile” • Participation was mandatory • There were set copy limits • There was no local autonomy • This was going to be a piece of cake!

29. What barriers did we face?

30. Folks, It Ain’t Easy! • Cooperation takes work • New relationships need to be developed • Not all wanted to switch vendors • Processes & procedures can become entrenched • Old habits die hard

31. How did we remove barriers? • Kept it voluntary • Invited folks to participate in the process • “What it is and what it isn’t” document • Designed training & education plan • Found librarians “sell” better than vendors • Promoted our successes no matter how small

32. Long history of cooperation Shared catalog Shared GOBI Local decision making Geographic proximity Compatible vendor Training, education & marketing Trust & shared vision What makes it work in Ohio?

33. YBP’s Tools: GOBI to the rescue • GobiTween • “Not Bought” Reports • Peer Reports

34. “GobiTween” Report • Can check prior to purchase • Find out what others are purchasing • Find out what books are expected on approval plans or standing orders • Make informed decision

35. “Not-Bought” Reports • Select a time frame • Select a searching method • Run list on GOBI • Evaluate choices • Select items to order • Any number can play

36. “Peer” Reports • Compare our collections to others • Local, state, national comparison • How do we rate?

37. OhioLINK Cooperative Collection Management is more than just reports……

38. Cooperative projects …. • Share approval plan profiles • Share “best practices” • Coordinate standing orders • Maintain a CCD website • “Last copy” lists • Depository duplication limits

39. What are some examples of cooperative projects? • Religion, Art, Math, Engineering, Computer Science, Music etc. • CONSORT—5 college consortium • RFP for Serials Subscriptions

40. Subject Group Listservs • Purpose: To facilitate CCD & resource sharing • 28+ groups on listservs • “Anthropology” to “Psychology” • Communicate with each other

41. Taking the show on the road… • Consortial wide meetings • Summit meeting: Director level • Road Shows: “Building Blocks and Tool Chests” & “Best Practices in CCD” • Summit meeting: collection managers “Walking the Walk” • Vendor driven training sessions

42. What does our OhioLINK collection look like today?

44. What are we gaining? • A more diverse collection • Ability to influence vendor products • Multiple cooperative collection building projects • New operational efficiencies

45. Cooperative Collection Development in Consortia • Word is getting out • Interest is high • Technology is there • Money & staff are tight • End Result: More cooperation!

46. Cooperative Collection Management is still a journey …not a destination.

47. Souvenir of Akron