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Methodologies for the Analysis of Monograph Collections:

Methodologies for the Analysis of Monograph Collections:. From the Technologically Advanced to the Cost Efficient and Expedient. TAKE-HOME MESSAGES. Best Methodology = The One that Fits Your Environment and Resources. “Statistics” and “Collection Analysis” can be Very Broadly Defined.

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Methodologies for the Analysis of Monograph Collections:

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  1. Methodologies for the Analysis of Monograph Collections: From the Technologically Advanced to the Cost Efficient and Expedient

  2. TAKE-HOME MESSAGES • Best Methodology = The One that Fits Your Environment and Resources. • “Statistics” and “Collection Analysis” can be Very Broadly Defined.

  3. FIT THE METHODOLOGY TO THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT • Staff Skills • Staff Time • Finances

  4. TYPE A: HIGH INTENSITY & HIGH COST Environment • Staff Time Availability: high • Project Fund Availability: high Resource Requirements • Analytic/Technical Skills: high • Learning Curve Tolerance: high • Financial Outlay: high Suggested Methodology • Commercial collection assessment electronic tool. • Create full-time collection assessment position to establish a “culture of assessment.”

  5. TYPE B: LOW INTENSITY & HIGH COST Environment • Staff Time Availability: low • Project Fund Availability: high Resource Requirements • Analytic/Technical Skills: low • Learning Curve Tolerance: low • Financial Outlay: high Suggested Methodology • Commercial software package. • Hire analyst to interpret results & generate report on all subjects and aggregate data. Repeat every two years.

  6. TYPE C: HIGH INTENSITY & LOW COST Environment • Staff Time Availability: high • Project Fund Availability: low Resource Requirements • Analytic/Technical Skills: high • Learning Curve Tolerance: high • Financial Outlay: low Suggested Methodology • Available resources such as FirstSearch. • Peer-comparisons via local catalogs.

  7. TYPE D: LOW INTENSITY & LOW COST Environment • Staff Time Availability: low • Project Fund Availability: low Resource Requirements • Analytic/Technical Skills: low • Learning Curve Tolerance: low • Financial Outlay: low Suggested Methodology • Internal analyses. • Free resources off the Internet.

  8. Levels of Analysis Divisions Categories Subjects Language Formats Audience Types of Analysis Publication Dates Overlap Uniqueness Limit Analysis By Library By Levels of analysis Change Analysis Change column values Change row values WORLDCAT COLLECTION ANALYSIS: FEATURES & FUNCTIONS

  9. WCA: PUBLICATION DATE TABLE WITH EXPANDED DIVISION

  10. EXCEL GRAPH OF WCA DATA

  11. DATABASES OF APPROVAL PLAN VENDORS YBP – GOBI • Of all the books within this universe of publication, what % did your library receive? • Characteristics of those not received? • Interdisciplinary Subjects – e.g., Globalization.

  12. FIRSTSEARCH INTERFACE TO WORLDCAT DATA • “Hot Topics”- e.g., Global Warming. • “Expert Search” to limit number of libraries, languages, formats, audience type, & much more.

  13. Advanced Search Subject: women and employment Format: paperback Reader Age: all Language: all Publication Dates: all Sort by: Publication Date Result: 1,061 Prize-Winner Lists Man Booker Prize National Book Awards National Book Critics Circle Awards Nobel Prize Pulitzer Prize Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award Amazon.com's Best Books of 2005 Audie Awards Bram Stoker Awards Caldecott Medal Coretta Scott King Awards Edgar Awards Hugo Awards IACP Cookbook Awards James Beard Foundation/KitchenAid Book Awards Michael L. Printz Award for Teen Literature National Academies Communication Awards Nebula Awards Newbery Medal PEN American Center Literary Awards Etc. AMAZON

  14. CONSTRUCTING A REPORT USING INTERNAL RESOURCES • Boilerplate: “Fact Sheet” information to provide an overview of the entire Library system—e.g., number and names of branches, total volumes held, total expenditures, total staff, etc. • Local Catalogs: (a) relative strength of one collection to other collections within the library; (b) LC subject headings to compare the number of titles in your local catalog to the number of titles in the online public catalogs of peer or aspirational peer libraries. • Budgetary Statistics • ILL & Circulation Statistics • Other Collections

  15. SUPPLEMENTING A REPORT USING EXTERNAL RESOURCES • Institutional Statistics:Contact your institution’s office of research or check for an online “Data Book” (e.g.,http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/databook/ ). • Statistics from Organizations:ARL Statistics http://www.arl.org/stats/arlstat/ and the Academic Libraries Survey of the National Center for Education Statistics http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/libraries/academic.asp. • Vendor-Supplied Statistics:Contact foreign vendors and/or see cost reports and pricing forecasts such as the YBP “Annual Book Price Update” athttp://www.ybp.com/ybp/DomIndex.html?book_price_update.html&1or the BSS “Cost & Coverage” reports athttp://www.blackwell.com/librarian_resources/cost_and_coverage/index.html.

  16. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES • YBP Interdisciplinary Studies searches • FirstSearch-WorldCat • Amazon • Public catalogs LC subject headings or keyword phrases • Descriptions of “Core” collection: • Guide to Reference Works • Lists compiled by ACRL sections & other library committees *And everything under “…. Internal Resources” and “…. External Resources.”

  17. INTERPRETING NUMBERS 1. Collection Size = Strength Assumption: Bigger is Better What is the relative strength of the “International Relations” collection within Political Science? Is the Political Science collection specialized (strong in one subfield) or generalized (equal strength in all subfields)? How strong is this collection within the library’s total collection? What is the relative strength of this collection compared to the other nine Dewey divisions? Compared with peer libraries?

  18. INTERPRETING NUMBERS 2. Publication Dates = Growth Assumption: Publication Dates equal Acquisition Dates Although “Political Institutions” was shown to be the strength of the Political Science collection, the policy for the last ten years has been to give emphasis to “International Relations.” Do the data of the last ten years reflect this change in collecting patterns? Which areas have grown the most over the last twenty years? Is there a trend in growth during the last five decades of the last century? --to grow fast or to shrink?

  19. INTERPRETING NUMBERS 3. Publication Dates = Age of Collections Assumption: The library’s mission determines the significance of the age of the collection. The “Theory” subfield contains the largest holdings of pre-19th century titles. Within that subfield, “Forms of State” are found to be a special collection. Within LC’s J classification, which subfields appear to be most outdated, in need of updating or weeding?

  20. INTERPRETING NUMBERS 4. WCA Uniqueness or Prize-Winner Lists Assumption: Unique titles or holdings of prize-winners suggest positive qualities about the collections. These measurements may be said to indicate a certain “richness” within the collection.

  21. TAKE-HOME MESSAGES • Best Methodology = The One that Fits Your Environment and Resources. • “Statistics” and “Collection Analysis” can be Very Broadly Defined.

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