Managing the collective collection

An “artful” analysis of the rich holdings of four museum libraries

By Brian Lavoie and Guenter Waibel, OCLC Programs and Research

Images courtesy of Frick Art Reference Library

Libraries are finding more and more opportunities to extend their perspective beyond the boundaries of the local collection. Studies of aggregate collections—the combined holdings of multiple institutions—have been applied to a range of topics, from thinking about ways to expand the array of resources accessible to users, to identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and eliminate redundancy. Aggregate collection analysis can confirm widely-held, yet unproven “received wisdom” about the size and characteristics of the collective holdings of a group of institutions, as well as reveal aspects that were previously unknown.

Recently, OCLC Programs and Research undertook a study of the aggregate collection of four New York City-area art museum libraries—the Brooklyn Museum, the Frick Art Reference Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. These institutions are founding members of the New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC). Using data from the RLG Union Catalog (prior to its integration with WorldCat) and the SCIPIO database of auction catalogs, the study explored the size, scope and characteristics of the four libraries’ collective collection. OCLC has undertaken a number of aggregate collection studies in the past. The goal for this study was to provide an empirical context for an ongoing discussion among the four libraries aimed at exploring opportunities for deeper collaboration. In addition, the study presented an ideal opportunity to demonstrate the value of aggregate collection analysis in a domain—the art library  community—that OCLC is committed to support.

Highlights from the analysis

The analysis conducted on behalf of the NYARC institutions fell into two categories: description of the size, holdings patterns and overlap, and general characteristics of the NYARC aggregate collection; and comparison of the NYARC collection with several other collections, including the system-wide collection (as represented in WorldCat), the collective holdings of several other New York City-area institutions (New York University, Columbia University, and New York Public Library), and the collection of a nonlocal peer institution (Getty). In addition, some more focused analysis was carried out in regard to certain material types of special interest to art museum libraries, such as auction and exhibition catalogs.  

The analysis revealed that:

• The NYARC collective collection amounted to more than 960,000 unique titles. About 80 percent of these titles were held by a single NYARC institution; only about 1 percent were held by all four.

• The NYARC libraries collectively held more than 250,000 unique exhibition catalogs titles and more than 130,000 unique auction catalogs titles. Comparison of the NYARC holdings, excluding auction catalogs, with WorldCat indicated that roughly 40 percent of the NYARC collection was not held by another library with holdings represented in WorldCat.

• About two-thirds of the NYARC collection was unique compared to the combined holdings of three other New York City-area research libraries, while this same figure was about 80 percent in comparison to the holdings of Getty, a peer institution (again, excluding auction catalogs).    

These and other results from the analysis provide the NYARC institutions with a detailed “internal” and “external” perspective on their collective holdings—internal in the sense of casting an inward light on the pooled holdings of the four libraries, and external in the sense of considering the NYARC collection in light of other aggregate collections, ranging from the system-wide collection represented in WorldCat to more focused groups of local or peer institutions. These perspectives will help the NYARC institutions as they explore opportunities for deeper collaboration, providing a rich context against which to place future discussions.   

Possible applications of the analysis

In what areas could an aggregate collection analysis of this kind be usefully applied? After sharing the results of the analysis with the NYARC institutions, a teleconference was held with representatives from the four libraries to discuss decision-making areas in which they felt the analysis might be particularly illuminating. As the discussion proceeded, four major areas emerged; these are listed below, accompanied by examples of aggregate collection analysis particularly relevant to each area:

• Shared storage: reduce cost and leverage economies of scale through collaborative print storage solutions.

  Identify print materials held by multiple NYARC  libraries;

• Resource sharing: expand the landscape of information resources available to users, regardless of location.

  Identify patterns and concentrations of holdings in various subject areas across the NYARC institutions;

• Digitization: improve access to rare or unique materials through digital surrogates;

  Identify uniquely held or rare materials at each NYARC institution;

• Partnerships with other libraries: establish cooperative arrangements with local and peer institutions in areas like collection development and reciprocal borrowing agreements.

  Assess strengths and weaknesses of NYARC collection vis-à-vis collections held by other institutions or groups of institutions.  

Knowledge of the contours of the collective collection provides a foundation for deeper forms of collaboration in all of these areas.

The results of the study also provide an opportunity to identify forms of analysis that were “customized” for this work, but that might have broader application and interest beyond the four NYARC institutions. These analytical techniques could then be generalized in ways that would support their possible future incorporation into OCLC services like the WorldCat Collection Analysis Service and Group Services.

Conclusion

Awareness of broader contexts extending beyond the local collection is becoming increasingly important for libraries and other collecting institutions. As the analysis of the collective collection of four New York City-area art museum libraries demonstrates, studies of aggregate collections provide valuable intelligence in support of collaborative initiatives impacting multiple institutions and their collections. OCLC will continue to explore opportunities to apply aggregate collection analysis to a variety of decision-making areas.

Many of the analytical techniques found in OCLC aggregate collection studies are now available through OCLC services, such as WorldCat Collection Analysis and Group Services.

A paper reporting the complete results of this study will be forthcoming soon.

Circulation Analysis  | By the numbers