Comparative Collection Assessment for Books

Goals

1. Identify and characterize interlibrary loan (ILL) and usage patterns
2. Identify and characterize book-collection holdings by library type, both domestic and international
3. Formulate strategies for eBook collection development
4. Contribute to the establishment of community-wide standards for eBook collections

Background

This research supports OCLC's strategy for the development of member services for collection development and assessment and the development of international member services.

The Comparative Collection Assessment project will produce data that can be used by librarians for

• developing print and eBook collections
• comparing library book-collection holdings to specific types of aggregate libraries
• evaluating and providing interlibrary loan services.

Description

This project includes two phases: ILL usage data and collection assessment.

Phase I

The book-borrowing patterns of selected ARL libraries will be identified. These ILL statistics will be compared against the NetLibrary eBook collection.

Phase II

The WorldCat holdings collection assessment will include analyzing and comparing aggregate book holdings data for

• ARLs
• academic non-ARLs
• public libraries.

Titles will be identified for each type of library, along with their

• intellectual levels
• subjects (using the conspectus)
• publishers.

Schedule

• February 2003: Data collection begins.
• February 2004: Data collection and analysis completed.
• August 2004: Papers published.

Related publications

• Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, and Stephen R. Lawrence. 2003. "A Comparison of the Functions and Processes Associated with Identifying, Selecting, Acquiring, and Organizing Paper Books and Electronic Books." In Learning to Make a Difference: Proceedings of the Eleventh National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries, April 10-13, 2003, Charlotte, North Carolina, ed. Hugh A. Thompson, 35-45. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, A Division of the American Library Association, 2003. Available online at http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ACRL/Events_and_Conferences/connaway.pdf (PDF: 231K/11pp.).

Related presentations

• OCLC Research: Collection Assessment and Use Studies (Continuously running PowerPoint:1.2MB/13slides)
  Research colleagues: Lynn Silipigni Connaway, Ed O'Neill, Chandra Prabha, Mark Bendig, and Anya Dyer.
  2004 ALA Mid-Winter Meeting, January 9-12, 2004, San Diego, California (USA).
• Data Mining Library Collection Silos: Print Books and E-books in Library Collections (PPT:8.33MB/27slides)
  Study coauthors: Ed O'Neill, Chandra Prabha, and Brian Lavoie.
  Digital Library Federation Fall Forum 2003, November 19, 2003, Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA).
• Use of Circulation Statistics and Interlibrary Loan Data in Collection Management (PPT:89K/13slides)
  Study coauthors: Heather Wicht and Jennifer Knievel.
  The Games People Play: 23rd Annual Charleston Conference Issues in Book and Serial Acquisition, November 7, 2003, The Lightsey Center, Charleston, South Carolina (USA).
• Collection Assessment and Use Studies (PPT:24.8MB/49 slides)
  Study coauthors: Ed O'Neill, Chandra Prabha, Mark Bendig, and Anya Dyer.
  OCLC Members Council Digital Libraries Research Interest Group, October 28, 2003, Dublin Ohio (USA).
• What Can Be Learned From Usage Data (PPT:3.2MB/22slides)
  Research colleague: Mark Bendig.
  ASIS&T 2003 Annual Meeting: Humanizing Information Technology October 22, 2003, Long Beach, California (USA).

Project team

• Lynn Silipigni Connaway
• Ed O'Neill
• Chandra Prabha
• Brian Lavoie
• Anya Dyer