Collection Advisory Council
2008 Report to the Faculty
1 February 2008
Submitted by Jim Bracken, CAC Chair, Assistant Director, Collection, Instruction, and Public Services
Major topics and themes addressed by CAC in 2007 included (1) continued adjustments in collection size and processes related to the Thompson Library renovation (i.e., weeding the Ackerman Library stacks collection to fit into the renovated Thompson stacks, weeding the Book Depository, changing location codes); (2) simplifying and streamlining collection development processes that might result in better services (i.e., improving the Technical Services request form, adding available electronic versions of print journals, ordering with Purchase Cards); (3) trying new programs that might result in better services (i.e., GOBI Falcon, WorldCat Local); (4) bringing the internal funding formula study (charged to a task force on 24 January 2005) to some closure; (5) dealing with the materials budget's "carry forward" (nearly $3 million) that is essentially the good "problem" resulting from subject specialists' excellent resource stewardship; and (6) preparing for the future, particularly in relation to the reports of the several OhioLINK taskforces that convened in 2007 (for example, by stashing some of the "carry forward" in a proposed OhioLINK ebook warchest). In 2007 CAC met monthly (9 of 12 times) to discuss these and other content management issues, particularly related to OhioLINK, CIC, and national initiatives. CAC also continued to preview topics for three Collection Managers Forums (CMF) convened in 2007. Specifics related to the above are recorded in the minutes for CAC and CMF, respectively, that are archived at:
- http://library.osu.edu/sites/collectionmgt/cac/cacagnsummenu.php; and
- http://library.osu.edu/sites/collectionmgt/cmf/.
Appended below is my report to Chief Collection Development Officers of Large Research Libraries at ALA Midwinter 2008.
The Ohio State University Libraries (OSUL)
ALA Midwinter Report 2008
Chief Collection Development Officers of Large Research Libraries
Overview:
OSUL continues to try to steward its resources -- money, collections, facilities, people, and more -- in ways that, on the one hand, fully exploit the economies and efficiencies that come with cooperation and partnerships while, on the other, take advantage of opportunities to invest in things that can help make OSUL unique. Emphasis remains on consciously engaging the teaching faculty on a variety of fronts in order to connect them with the full range of OSUL's resources. We believe that we are having some successes in several areas.
Materials Budget Allocation and Reallocation:
For FY2007/8, the Libraries system-wide -- including the Health Sciences Library, Law Library, and University Libraries --requested a $900,000 increase to its acquisitions budget of $10.7 million, or an 8.4% increase. The OSU Libraries received an $850,000 (or 7.9%) addition to its budget. Of this total, $500,000 was continuing funds and $250,000 was one-time cash. The Libraries also received an additional $100,000 in cash earmarked for the digitization of the student newspaper, The Lantern.
In addition to University funds, the OSU Libraries benefits each year from OhioLINK acquisitions expenditures. In FY 2007 we reported to ARL an additional $1,142,832 in resources to our library system through OhioLINK cooperative purchasing.
Through conscientious stewardship by OSUL subject specialists (through such activities as carefully thinking before duplicating print otherwise available in 5+ copies in OhioLINK, replacing print with electronic media, buying just in time vs. just in case, looking closely at subscriptions that inflate at 10+ %, and like behaviors), we have managed to create reserve funds in acquisitions that have given us the flexibility to make large purchases in special collections and "big deals" with OhioLINK -- and most interestingly, begin to extend our definition of "acquisitions" and "collections" to include digitization, digital repository services, scholarly publishing assistance and reform, and some preservation and collections support activities.
We have entered discussions with University administrators and with faculty about the changing nature of library "acquisitions," and the new and growing needs we have for funding knowledge management activities that extend beyond the purchase of published books and journals.
Thompson Library renovation:
The $109 million (from $79 million in state funds and $30 in fund raising) renovation of Thompson Library is on-schedule and on-budget for completion in Autumn 2009.
Science and Engineering Library's Digital Union expansion:
OSUL has internally reallocated $1 million to expand the Digital Union, (http://digitalunion.osu.edu/) a partnership of the CIO and Libraries, that "empowers the university community by facilitating access to new media technologies for use in teaching, learning, research, and outreach." To accommodate this expansion, about 150,000 volumes were reviewed and removed from the science library. OSUL is looking to partner with other University organizations to offer services in this space and other library facilities on campus. In 2007, the Writing Center and Office of Undergraduate Research joined the Digital Union and Mathematics & Statistics Learning Center in opening branch shops in the Science and Engineering Library. OSUL envisions integrating its own offices for scholarly communications, copyright information, electronic reserves, and more in this space.
Other Library Facilities:
With the Libraries' Book Depository now at capacity (2.8 million volumes), OSUL's top need is additional storage space. OSUL will make an FY 2008/09 budget reques for $5 million in capital funds to add a third module of the Book Depository and continuing funds of $500,000 to $1 million annually commencing in July 2009 to retain part or all of "temporary" Ackerman Library.
Scholarly Communication:
Major scholarly communications efforts include continuing work on a project to digitize pre-2000 theses, dissertations, and honors papers for inclusion in the OhioLINK repository; ongoing work with OSU faculty to secure rights to digitize their professional papers and published articles for inclusion in The Knowledge Bank, OSU's institutional repository; creation of a Knowledge Bank "welcome" video in which OSU faculty introduce the concept and value of an institutional repository; copyright education for faculty, staff and students; development of a new copyright web page; and rights acquisitions activities.
Collections Analysis:
OSUL is using the OCLC WorldCat Collection Analysis Tool to prepare for the CIC Google project. OSUL is also participating in OCLC's pilot Cooperative Collection Management Trust (CCMT), formerly known as the North American Storage Trust (NAST).
Personnel:
In 2007 OSUL was able to conduct searches for Physical Sciences and Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences subject specialists to replace faculty who retired in 2006 and 2007. Both job descriptions included as required qualifications an advanced degree in a related subject and an ALA-accredited MLS "or willingness to obtain an MLS within three years of appointment as a condition of consideration for tenure and promotion." Offers were made to three candidates (two with Ph.D's, in chemistry and in agronomy). All three accepted and started working in OSUL on 2 January 2008.
Selected Major Acquisitions and Additions:
- Original Czech theatre designs of Jaroslav Malina, Jana Zborilova, and Jan Stepanek
- Glen Bernhardt's Northern California Cartoon and Humor Association collection
- Bill Blackbeard's San Francisco Academy of Comic Art materials
- Highlights for Children archives
- Rick Moody collection
- Jerry Tarver Rhetoric, Oratory and Elocution collection
- Pimen M. Sofronov Russian Old Believer collection
Other Interesting Initiatives:
"FREE Electronic Article Delivery"
In June 2007, OSUL began providing free document delivery of articles/chapters from our own collections to our patrons. "So if an article you need is across campus or across the country, we'll find and get it for you!" Now, using ILLiad, patrons can request any article not online in our collections and we'll scan it if we have it or get it elsewhere if we don't. The number of requests has been manageable, fewer than 2,000 per month, which reflects our large electronic journal collections. But this service gives us information on what our patrons want so that we can focus on acquiring demanded titles electronically. To support this service, a scanning unit of three staff now works the 12am-8am shift in OSUL's Science and Engineering Library, a 24/7 facility.
Course Management System (CMS) Library integration
In collaboration with Technology Enhanced Learning & Research (TELR), OSUL is integrating library content into the University's course management system in order to make students and faculty aware of appropriate library materials. The integration has resulted in several products: 1) Electronic Reserves delivered within the course in the CMS; 2) seamless access to items in research databases and e-journals without requiring additional login; 3) creation of a "Librarian" role in the CMS for librarians working closely with instructors to support specific courses; and 4) explorations of library information pages within each course in the CMS containing content targeted to the course, department, or college.
Delivery of circulating materials to undergraduate dorms
In September 2007, OSUL started delivering most borrowed materials to undergraduate student dorms. Students request delivery to their dorms by choosing "My Columbus Campus Office/Dorm" in the online request form's pull down menu of pick-up locations. In Autumn Quarter 2007, roughly about 1,000 items were sent to campus dorms. By comparison, roughly 13,000 holds were sent to offices of faculty, staff, and graduate students during this period. Total check out of materials to OSU patrons during this period was 179,698.
Faculty Course Enhancement Grants
In Fall 2005, OSUL initiated a program to provide grants to faculty members to enhance their courses with electronic resources. Grants are $2000 and are considered incentives; there is no requirement to use the money to advance the activities in the course. The purpose of this program is to maximize use of electronic resources for which the Libraries is already paying and to encourage collaboration between faculty and librarians in course development. A third objective is to develop procedures and human resources to scale the program for Ohio State University, including areas such as electronic reserves, digitizing print content on demand, copyright and rights management, integrating chat reference functionality, integrating library resources with the CMS, and integrating digital media content available through OhioLINK. Proposals are reviewed by a committee of subject specialist librarians and, starting in 2007, representatives of Technology Enhanced Learning & Research (TELR) and the Office of Academic Affairs/College of Education's Faculty and Teaching Assistant Development (FTAD) offices. We gave out 18 awards in 2007 (a total of 36 since 2005).
Collection Awareness activities
The Collection Awareness unit was formed in 2006 to promote OSUL's resources during the Thompson Library's renovation and to pilot programs that might be put in place in the renovated Thompson and elsewhere in OSUL. Programming activities in 2007 included:
- creating rotating displays on "African-American & African Art: Selections from the Marantz Collection of Picture Books in Celebration of United Black World Month 2007" (Spring 2007) http://www.lib.ohio-state.edu/sites/HSSweb/Marantz.php ; and "Greek and Roman Classics" (Autumn 2007) http://library.osu.edu/sites/collectionawareness/HSSWeb/ClassicsDisplay.html. Each display has been a tool for outreach by seeking collaboration with University departments and campus organizations in presenting display material.
- developing advertising placards focusing on different subject specialists and OSUL services for the University's Campus Area Bus Service (CABS) http://library.osu.edu/sites/collectionawareness/BusPlacards.php.
"Journal Service Center: New Model for Access in OhioLINK"
OSUL has proposed that OhioLINK create a Journal Service Center to serve OhioLINK patrons and libraries. Our vision is development of a shared journal collection where a permanent archival run of journals would enable us to provide one-day on-demand document delivery service to all our patrons. In addition to the archival copy, a second copy of each title would be maintained for the purpose of allowing patron-initiated circulation directly from the Center. This would provide new, improved access to journal literature throughout OhioLINK while creating a cost-effective archive specifically for journals in our state. A Journal Service Center would allow libraries and depositories throughout Ohio to withdraw their holdings of duplicated and infrequently-used titles. All OhioLINK member libraries could contribute their holdings on a voluntary basis to the Journal Service Center which would enable them to re-purpose space in their local libraries and regional depositories. The Center would determine whether the copies are needed and dispose of unneeded volumes. OhioLINK members could weed their collections with the assurance that volumes held at the Center will be retained as a permanent archival copy and rapid access to this material will be available. Lack of space is a perpetual issue for all libraries and widely held journal titles consume thousands of feet of shelf space. For example, Nature is held by 59 OhioLINK institutions. At OSU, one complete copy of this title takes up 78 linear feet of shelving; retaining only two complete runs of Nature at the Center would theoretically free a total of 4,212 linear feet of shelving across the state. By consolidating all of the duplicate titles across the state in a Journal Service Center, newly freed space could be made available without the need for additional local capital expenditures. We see the Center as an open-shelf browsable collection intended to provide a high level of access and enhance preservation of shared journal resources in Ohio. OhioLINK members would share in the cost, ownership and use of the Center.
Added to the site: 01/29/2008.
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