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How Leeds University Library is using the Copac Tools

How Leeds University Library is using the Copac Tools. Maureen Pinder COSEELIS conference 9 th April 2013. What we’re trying to do at Leeds. We’re trying to categorise our collections: Heritage, legacy, self-renewing, finite Drivers: Space/weeding decisions

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How Leeds University Library is using the Copac Tools

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  1. How Leeds University Library is using the Copac Tools Maureen Pinder COSEELIS conference 9th April 2013

  2. What we’re trying to do at Leeds • We’re trying to categorise our collections: • Heritage, legacy, self-renewing, finite • Drivers: • Space/weeding decisions • Focus spending on most important areas • Prioritisation for digitisation and physical conservation • Aid decision making for collaborative collection management

  3. Our initial approach • Gathered expert opinion from relevant librarians and retired librarians • Identified academics who know collections well • Created Access database to store decisions, with rationale • The downside: • slow • subjective • no expertise in some areas • Needed hard facts/stats on which to base decisions

  4. Copac Tools Project • JISC funded project • Phase 1 2010/11 • Phase 2 2011/12 • Phase 3 2012/13 • Aim to develop tools to improve collection management decisions • Especially relating to retention and disposal of materials • Also important for preservation and digitisation decisions • Partners: RLUK, MIMAS, Leeds, Sheffield, York, plus associate partners at different stages

  5. What the Tool does • It allows you to compare your collection with other libraries in Copac • Different partners were using it for different purposes: • To get a profile allowing them to understand the strengths of their collection • To know for certain which materials in a collection are common nationally, so that they could weed safely • To get information of their collection they can use for fundraising

  6. The process • Decide which collection or bit of collection you want to examine • Create a review file in your Library Management System • Output a list of ISBNs from this review file, and upload into the Copac Tool: http://copac.ac.uk:8020/test/ • Run the search and then export your results into Excel, and save locally • Manipulate the data to pull out the specific information you want

  7. What the results look like 1: how many libraries hold titles

  8. What the results look like 2: how many of the books are in each library

  9. And how did we make sense of the results? • We collected key indicators in a table, which allowed us to compare them • We gradually worked towards a realisation that a collection meeting one of the following measures was potentially ‘heritage’/worthy of further investigation: • 15% or more of the titles are in 3 libraries or less • 21% or more of the titles are in 4 libraries or less • 2 or fewer libraries hold 2/3 of the titles

  10. Tentative conclusions so far about our collections • Chemistry is widespread in the country, but Colour Chemistry is rare • Transport is rare • Communications Studies is widespread, but the journalism section is much stronger • French, German, Spanish and Portuguese seem very strong – but we only have partial results • Icelandic is very rare – but only partial results • Health Sciences seems to be widespread

  11. But approach with caution • This only compares our collection with Copac libraries • If the subject might be well represented in non-Copac libraries, the results might give a false picture, e.g. nursing • There may be uncatalogued material in the Copac libraries which would make a significant difference to results • Poor quality catalogue records might lead to an item not being found • No guarantee the other libraries will keep their copies, or that they’re in good physical condition

  12. Where we are now • The Tool only gives reliable results for items with ISBNs • So we can’t tackle our potentially most interesting collections in Arts, Social Sciences and Science • We’re waiting for the launch of a whole new Copac database, which will allow us to search on other criteria reliably – autumn 2013? National issues: • Need agreed system for flagging physical condition and intention to keep • Need a body to lead this – RLUK?

  13. Further information For more information on all phases of the Copac Tools project go to www.copac.ac.uk, then to Innovations and then Collections Management: http://copac.ac.uk/innovations/collections-management/ Instructions on using the Tools can be found in the Sheffield and York-Leeds workflow documents under Phase 2.

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