Reviewing Processes in Collection Management

1. Reviewing Processes in Collection Management Sandra Bracegirdle Head of Collection Management University of Manchester

2. What this talk can’t do:

3. Not the silver bullet

4. Nor the Holy Grail….

5. Not even a magic wand:

6. What this talk can do: • Focus on three examples of what has worked for one academic library in the area of Collection Management: • Acquiring material • Cataloguing costs • Shelf-ready

7. Collection Management at Manchester • Acquisition • Cataloguing • Processing and Transportation • Stock and Logistics • Conservation and Bindery • Document Supply

8. Impetus for change • Merger of Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST – 2004 • Co-location of processes - 2007 • Restructure of Library – 2008/09 • New staff • Staff in different posts • Clearer structures • New Library strategy • Financial Pressures - ongoing

9. Barriers to change • Low turnover of staff, although conversely this means we have experienced and dedicated teams • Long established ways of doing things • Print dominating processes • Dewey schemes and individual shelfmarks • Transportation

10. The beginning of the process – acquiring material • Purchasing • Budgets • Financial control • ASPI

11. The beginning of the process – acquiring material • Purchasing • Budgets • Financial control • ASPI • Reflecting the switch from print to electronic in our workflows • Replicating print • LMS • ERM

12. The beginning of the process – acquiring material • Purchasing • Budgets • Financial control • ASPI • Reflecting the switch from print to electronic in our workflows • Replicating print • LMS • ERM • Still not right – so what’s next?

13. More work • LEAN • Budget analysis • Value for money • Changing mindsets • Continuous review

14. Acquiring by donation – the bane of a librarian’s life

15. Donations • The out of date textbooks

16. Donations • The out of date textbooks • The weird and wonderful gifts

17. Donations • The out of date textbooks • The weird and wonderful gifts • The “amazing collection” which turns out to be glass lantern slides, newspaper cuttings, Zoroastrian books in Pahlavi script…

18. Donations • The out of date textbooks • The weird and wonderful gifts • The “amazing collection” which turns out to be glass lantern slides, newspaper cuttings, Zoroastrian books in Pahlavi script… • Books stored in a damp basement / garage / shed

19. Donations – the impact • Assessment

20. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue

21. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue • Cleaning and conservation work

22. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue • Cleaning and conservation work • Storage

23. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue • Cleaning and conservation work • Storage • More stock is no longer a sign of status

24. Getting the message across that “free to give” isn’t “free to acquire”

25. Using lifecycle costs • Using the principles established by Helen Shenton of the British Library on lifecycle costs • Shenton, H. “Life cycle collection management”. Liber quarterly, 13 (2003) p.254-272

26. Using lifecycle costs • Lifecycle costs at Manchester: • £23.02 per book based on a 10 year provision.

27. Using lifecycle costs • Lifecycle costs at Manchester: • £23.02 per book based on a 10 year provision. • Cost breakdown: • Selection/Assessment: £3.20 • Acquisition processing: £2.57 • Cataloguing: £7.29 • Collection care: £1.57 (or £6.89 if repair required) • Storage: £7.90 (based on 10 years) • Average transport costs: £0.49

28. Using lifecycle costs The question is therefore reframed as “Is this collection of 500 books worth £11,535 to the Library?”

29. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no

30. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent

31. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent • Controllable workflows and ability to prioritise the important, rather than the recently arrived

32. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent • Controllable workflows and ability to prioritise the important, rather than the recently arrived • Drop in the number and increase in the quality of donations received

33. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent • Controllable workflows and ability to prioritise the important, rather than the recently arrived • Drop in the number and increase in the quality of donations received • Donations have fallen by 60% in 3 years

34. Example 2: Cataloguing costs

35. Moving from perfection to efficiency without losing quality

36. Cataloguing costs • Since 2006 cataloguing staffing costs have reduced by a third • Moving work down the grades • Doing more with less staff as record quality improves • Over 90% of our records for standard material are derived from other sources – Talisbase, RLUK database, OCLC • Early Retirement/Voluntary Severance scheme • Not replacing posts or replacing at a lower grade

37. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough

38. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough • Moved staff to work on the rare and unique • cataloguing of special collections has doubled over the last 3 years

39. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough • Moved staff to work on the rare and unique • cataloguing of special collections has doubled over the last 3 years • Graded uncatalogued collections • Clarity on what we have the capacity to catalogue

40. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough • Moved staff to work on the rare and unique • cataloguing of special collections has doubled over the last 3 years • Graded uncatalogued collections • Clarity on what we have the capacity to catalogue • RLUK shared cataloguing report due to report shortly

41. Issues still facing • Classification and shelf-listing • Poor quality of metadata for electronic material, particularly e-books • Uncatalogued collections

42. Example 3: Shelf-ready

43. Shelf-ready pilot • Pilot project carried out for Business and Management stock going to the Business Library

44. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

45. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

46. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

47. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

48. Setting up shelf-ready • We hugely underestimated the complications of setting up the shelf-ready pilot

49. Setting up shelf-ready • We hugely underestimated the complications of setting up the shelf-ready pilot • Data flows - Liaising between our book supplier (Dawsons), the LMS (Talis), and our own IT support team

50. Setting up shelf-ready • We hugely underestimated the complications of setting up the shelf-ready pilot • Data flows - Liaising between our book supplier (Dawsons), the LMS (Talis), and our own IT support team • New workflows