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Collections grid

Lorcan Dempsey and Eric Childress of OCLC Research developed the collections grid as a simple way to represent an increasingly complex universe. The spectrum of materials that currently comprise the actual and potential collections of libraries of all types, museums, archives and historical societies is increasingly diverse. The grid provides a spatial framework for these collections of content.

The grid divides collection materials into four general categories, each representing a distinct group of resources. The vertical axis of the grid represents the degree of “uniqueness” of the content; the horizontal axis represents “stewardship” or the degree of custodial care that the resources require.

Collections grid definition

Upper left quadrant. The upper left quadrant illustrates “published” information. Published Content includes books, magazines and newspapers, scholarly journals, government documents, CDs, DVDs/videos and published maps and scores. These materials can be either print, electronic or both.

Libraries traditionally have been focused on acquiring, managing and presenting these published resources, whether they are purchased, licensed or linked to.

Well-established practices have facilitated management of these non-unique, published materials, and mature, fully developed standards have reduced libraries’ burden of metadata creation. In short, the library’s role in this domain has been clear.

Upper right quadrant. The grid’s upper right quadrant illustrates resources available on the Web to anyone. Open Web Content includes freely accessible Web sites, open-source software, newsgroup archives and images.

Although these materials are not unique, they’re not published in the traditional sense. They are likely to be unmanaged (and maybe unmanageable). Libraries’ roles in acquiring, managing and presenting this content is not clear yet. Emerging standards are immature at best, and there are no established practices for collection management of these materials.

Lower left quadrant. The lower left quadrant, Special Collections, represents content often found in the special collections of libraries. For museums and historical societies this material comprises a substantial proportion of their collections. Content includes rare books, local and historical newspapers, local history materials, photographs, manuscripts, theses and dissertations.

Often unique, these materials are usually “high maintenance,” requiring special physical environments, access (both bibliographic and physical) and preservation. Immature standards mean a high burden of metadata creation for libraries and archives.

In this domain, the institutional focus moves from acquiring, managing and distributing published materials to acting as “publisher” and curator. Since these resources “belong” to the institution, the institution’s new role as knowledge creator is less clear.

Lower right quadrant. The Institutional Content quadrant is where, for academic libraries, learning and research materials dwell, including such resources as learning objects, courseware, e-portfolios, e-prints, technical reports and research data. For public, state or school libraries, these materials might include local government reports, internal training manuals and tutorials, minutes of board meetings, budget reports, vertical files and so on. In a corporate library this content could include e-mail, proprietary financial reports and information, and policies and procedures.

Most institutional content is unique to the institution, and traditionally libraries have not managed it by formally collecting or by providing bibliographic control. The lack of standards, or at best the presence of very immature emerging standards, means there is a high burden of metadata creation.

Institutional content is often unpublished, but it belongs to the creators: faculty, researchers, trainers, elected officials, committees, employees and advisory boards.

Interview questions

As you consider collection management in your organization today, we would like your insights on some of the issues exposed by the grid by asking you a few questions.

1. What are major trends for materials in the Published Content Quadrant?
2. What impact does the existence of materials in the Open Web, Special Collections and Institutional Content quadrants have for your library collection?
3. What are the implications for preservation and digital preservation?
4. How are the materials in the Special Collections and Institutional Content quadrants affecting your collection planning/development?
5. How can libraries provide sustainability for the materials in the Special Collections and Institutional Content quadrants?
6. How do you see the Grid as being useful in your library planning?

Please send your feedback to escan@oclc.org.

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