Transcript User-Focused Service Environment

Leveraging the
Collections Budget:
Best Practices in Assessing Information
Resources Users Need
Leslie Horner Button
Associate Director for Collection Services
UMass Amherst Libraries
Slide 1
Introduction
Prior to 2004, the UMass Amherst Libraries engaged in
measuring user service needs but not information
resource needs. Factors contributing toward
creating a programmatic approach to information
resource assessment:
Slide 2
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ILLiad software acquired in 2000-2001
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Collections budget had not kept pace with resource inflation
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5 College Libraries jointly licensing of SFX in summer 2003
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Turnover of 60% top library management in January 2004
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Staff committed to analyzing data from all available resource
measurement tools
Setting the Stage
January 2004, the Libraries:
 Subscribed to 4,718 print journals spending 41%
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($2.2m) of a $5.3 budget on them
Spent 28% of budget on electronic resources
Collections budget had not kept pace with inflation
Perceived very few print journals purchased were used
by faculty or students
Had not gathered any quantitative data on actual use
of unbound journals
Recognized growing user demand for desktop access
24/7
Assessment Takes Shape …
By June 2004, three steps towards meaningful information
resource assessment took shape through :
 Gathering in-house use for unbound print journals
 Exporting ILL article borrowing reports for in excess of
copyright allowance from ILLiad
 Creation of 2005-2007 Three-Year Plan
 All assessment data posted to staff intranet
The Libraries now rely on a variety of software tools to gather
data on information resources uses seek including:
 Circulation and use data from ILS
 ILLiad article and book borrowing requests
 SFX canned queries
This poster session outlines how the Libraries have used
these tools to inform selection decisions and possible next steps.
Slide 4
2005-2007 Three-Year Plan …
Outlined three areas to improve service to users:
 Information resources
 User-Focused Service Environment
 Library as Place
These strategic areas were formulated on the following
user expectations :
 24/7 access to resources, services and facilities
 Maximize effectiveness of current resources
 Connect users to information resources in a seamless
manner
Slide 5
Information Resources
Action items for Information Resources in plan
highlighted the need to:
 Analyze print resource usage in light of user demand
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for online content
Analyze ILL document delivery and borrowing to help
inform selection decisions
Expand access to collections we do not own
Explore cooperative collection development
opportunities
Preserve the collection we own
Work on the first two action items had started
by the time the 2005-2007 plan was approved.
Slide 6
ILL Metrics: Borrow or Own?
Starting with 2002 and 2003 ILLiad article borrowing
data, a process to analyze cost effectiveness of borrowing
vs. ownership was instituted:
 ILL staff exported report of articles borrowed in excess of
copyright at end of calendar year
 Spreadsheet contained title, total number of requests per
title, cost of borrowing through ILL, cost of subscription and
net cost were
 Multiplied number of requests times $30 (then average cost
of $30 of ILL borrowing.
 ILL staff researched subscription price and added to it
spreadsheet.
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Rewards of Article Analysis
Since 2004:
 Each subsequent year’s ILL borrowing data integrated
into master analysis spreadsheet showing requests
since 2002
 Able to get royalty cost for articles borrowed from
Copyright Clearance Center. Use that instead of $30 to
calculate borrowing cost.
 ILL data now uploaded to Ulrich’s Serials Analysis
System to get publisher, price and format availability
information (e.g., automate process)
 Analysis of article borrowing assumed new meaning
in 2005 when it became obvious that it was more costeffective to subscribe to 93 of the 203 heavily requested
ILL titles
Slide 8
Print Subscription Use
Analysis
In June 2004, a process for gathering in-house
use statistics for the print journals was
developed:
 Created “dummy” item records for each subscribed
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title
Embedded unique barcode into item
Trained students to scan in-house use prior to reshelving issues
Exported in-house use data monthly
Posted that data to staff intranet
Quantitative Data on Print
Analysis of in-house use from July 2004 -June 2005
revealed:
 141 of the 4,718 print subscriptions received 73% of the
total in-house use
 1,562 of the 4.718 subscriptions received 26% of the total
in-house use
 1,733 were never re-shelved by staff
This quantitative data:
 Supported the three-year goal plan to maximize the
effectiveness of resources
 Started a systematic approach to gather print resource
use in light of increased demand for online resources
 Provided data to share with faculty on whether the
Libraries were providing access to the “right stuff”
Slide 10
With Print Use Data in Hand …
Journal review projects took shape:
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Review phased in two stages – the 1st focusing on
journals costing $1,000 or more and 2nd on journals
costing $200-$999
Sought input from key internal and external
stakeholders
Integrated use statistics for online journals where
access was “free” by virtue of print subscriptions
and removed journals with high print and/or online
use
Proposed to Faculty Senate Research Library
Council to drop little used journals and redirect
money toward electronic resources and heavily
requested ILL journals
Print Review Outcome
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Overall Libraries proposed to drop 460 little used
print subscriptions
Faculty provided rationale for retaining 130 (28%)
of 460 journals
Libraries redirected approximately $300,000 to
purchase 49 heavily requested electronic resources
and 93 heavily requested ILL journals
Similar review process used to review lists of print
subscriptions Libraries proposed to convert to e-only
in September 2007
Using SFX Queries to Assess
User Information Needs
In 2006 SFX canned queries were introduced to metrics
used to assess user information needs, particularly:
 Journal Requested but No Full-Text Delivered
 Electronic resources staff review this data to fix errors in
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target activation/configuration
Once errors corrected, integrate results into fiscal year
spreadsheet to measure requests over time
Integrate data into ILL analysis spreadsheet for overall
“view” of user demand
Use this data when analyzing cost-benefit of new e-journal
packages
Can inform online backfiles purchases
Other Uses for ILLiad Data
ILLiad article request data has benefit beyond the cost
of borrowing analysis. For example, consolidated
request lists created at fiscal year:
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Allows library liaisons able to see faculty and students
requests in their assigned departments
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Keeps faculty informed what their graduate students
might need
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Focuses on whether the Libraries are providing access
to resources to support teaching, learning, and
research
ILLiad book requests can inform
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Books to digitize through the BLC Open Content
Alliance
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Adjustments in the BLC Cooperative Approval Plan
Music
Slide 14
Conclusion
There is a need for more data analysis to integrate
other information resource assessment into the
existing program:
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Explore additional SFX canned queries (e.g., fulltext not accessed)
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Formalize process to measure value of electronic
resources in meeting user information needs
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Implement collection analysis recommendations
outlined in 2007-08
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Develop coordinated strategy to demonstrate
value libraries provide and the need for
additional resources
Users depend on our ability to supply information
resources they need when they need it. Analyzing data
is one way to find out what they need!
Slide 15
Questions?
Contact:
Leslie Horner Button
[email protected]
Slide 16