Charleston Conference Thursday, November 4, 2010 5:45 - 6:30 PM

1. The Other Side of the Coin:
De-selecting Material from a
Research Library’s Storage
Facility
Charleston Conference
November 4, 2010
Suzanne M. Ward
Head, Collection Management
Purdue University Libraries 1

2. Outline
• Why de-select?
• Purdue’s experience
– Serials in storage
– Serials from digitized runs
– Books
• Using WorldCat Collection Analysis
(WCA)
• Next steps & future trends
• Q & A
2

3. Why de-select?
• Easy answer: Recover space
• Real answer:
– Local collection assessment is part of
collection management
– Huge number of very low use or unused titles
– Digital copies increasingly available
– National scale: aggregate demand can be met
with a reduced inventory 3

4. Why de-select from storage?
• Easy answer Recover space; avoid
construction costs
• Real answer
– See previous slide
– We’re all storing the same low use titles
4

5. One research library’s
de-selection experience
5

6. Purdue University Libraries
• Public university
• 40,000 students
• 12 libraries
• 2 storage facilities
– Central campus repository (Hicks)
– Second repository (light & dark) (Lynn)
6

7. Hicks Repository
• Opened in 1982
• SpaceSaver shelving (compact storage)
• 20 miles of shelving (104,000 linear ft)
• 3 full-time staff + supervisor + students
• Circulated 6,375 items FY 2009/10
• “Full” by 2006
7

8. Dealing with “Full”
• Withdraw duplicates
• Two unsuccessful weeding
attempts
• Declare moratorium on
transfers (98% full)
8

9. Serials de-selection project
2006-2008
• Short/incomplete runs held entirely in
storage
• Systematic identification
• Quick access to consortial copies
• Review by subject specialists
• Dedicated staff to manage project
• Develop de-selection criteria
9

10. Serials de-selection project
2006-2008
• Criteria
– Relatively short run / few volumes (storage only)
– Publication start date: 1989 or earlier
– Held by at least 2 of 4 benchmark libraries
– Held by at least 25 OCLC libraries
– Not U.S. government documents
– Not in-state publications
10

11. List development: WorldCat
Collection Analysis (WCA)
– OCLC product / consortial subscription
– Compare your library’s holdings against . . .
• Group
– Pre-defined consortium
– Custom (up to 10 libraries)
• Single library (with permission)
– Collection building tool
11

12. List development
– WCA (32 divisions, 500 categories,
7000 subjects)
– Local holdings and locations
– Benchmark libraries’ holdings
– Language tiers
• English
• French, German, Spanish
• Other languages
12

13. Serials de-selection project
2006-2008
Three ranks for each subject list
1. Fit criteria exactly
2. Fit most of the criteria
3. Fit some of the criteria
13

14. WorldCat Collection Analysis
14
Selector Review

15. Final outcome
• Withdrew 36,571 volumes
• Freed 4,892 linear feet
(4.7%)
15

16. For more details:
Ward, Suzanne M. and Mary C. Aagard. 2008.
The dark side of collection management:
Deselecting serials from a research library’s
storage facility using WorldCat Collection
Analysis. Collection Management 33(4): 272-
287.
16

17. WorldCat Collection Analysis
Dark Archive Project
2008-
– JSTOR
– Major publisher
• All volumes from all locations (52,224)
• Current 5 years on shelf
• Remove holdings from OPAC
• Resource sharing from “e” allowed
17

18. Storage Book
De-selection Project 2009-
– 1920-1979
– Held by 5+ consortial partners AND
– Held by 50+ OCLC libraries
– Add circulation information
– Selector review
LOW USE, HIGH DUPLICATION ELSEWHERE 18

19. Holdin
g
Count
Check All
Clear All
Held by 1 Held by 3 Held by 5 Held by 7 Held by 8 Held by 9
Held
by 10
Held by 2 Held by 4 Held by 6
Format
Check All
Clear All
Archival Materials
Continually Updated
Resources, Electronic
Serial Publications,
Electronic
Archival Materials, Electronic
Continually Updated
Resources, Microform
Serial Publications,
Microform
Archival Materials, Microform Maps Sound Recordings
Articles Maps, Electronic
Sound Recordings,
Electronic
Articles, Electronic Maps, Microform
Sound Recordings,
Microform
Articles, Microform Musical Scores Texts, Electronic
Books Musical Scores, Electronic Visual Materials
Books, Microform Musical Scores, Microform Visual Materials, Electronic
Computer Files Serial Publications Visual Materials, Microform
Continually Updated Resources
19

20. 2. Statistical sampling for audit and control
Author: McRae, T. W. 1933-
Publication: London, New York, Wiley 1974
Document: English : Book
Libraries Worldwide: 478 | Regional Holdings |
State Holdings
CIC Holdings
3. Statistical auditing /
Author: Roberts, Donald M.
Publication: New York : American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants, 1978
Document: English : Book
Libraries Worldwide: 434 | Regional Holdings |
State Holdings PURDUE UNIV
CIC Holdings
4. The auditor's reporting obligation; the meaning and implementation of the fourth standard o
Author: Carmichael, D. R. 1941-
Publication: New York, American Institute of Certified Public
Accountants 1972
Document: English : Book
Libraries Worldwide: 411 | Regional Holdings | State
Holdings
CIC Holdings
20

21. OCLC Title Author(s) ImprintPublisher Physical Description
1264068Princes in the making; Marples, Morris, [1965](London) Faber and Faber 211 p. illus. ports. 28 cm.
4073894
Politik der Schulreform
im Teufelskreis der
Kompromisse. Lengert, Rudolf. [1969](Neuwied a. Rh. u. Berlin) Luchterhand ix 132 p. 21 cm.
1238360
The great investment :
a secondary education
in a democracy ... /
Briggs, Thomas
Henry, 1930... Cambridge : Harvard University Press, x, 143 p. ; 18 cm.
66438
New lamps for old; one
hundred years of urban
higher education Knepper, George W., 1970][Akron, Ohio, University of Akron, 407 p. illus., ports. 28 cm.
454048
New York State and
private higher
education; report. New York (State). 1968[Albany] 155 p. 26 cm.
1996917
College of the Empire
state; a centennial
history of the New York
State college for
teachers at Albany,
French, William
Marshall, French,
Florence Smith, 1944][Albany?] 271 p. 23 cm.
21

22. OCLC Title Author(s) Imprint Publisher LOCATION CALL_NO BROWSES
CHAR
GES
00102152
Quantitative research methods
for business and economics
Balsley,
Howard
Lloyd, [1970]
New York,
Random House
Hicks
Repository 001.424 B 216 Q 1 0
00322798
Decision and control; the
meaning of operational
research and management
cybernetics.
Beer,
Stafford. 1966
London, New
York, Wiley,
Hicks
Repository 001.424 B 392 D 0 0
00352170
Introduction to quantitative
management
Brabb,
George
Jacob, [1968]
New York, Holt,
Rinehart and
Winston
Hicks
Repository 001.424 B 72 I 0 0
03983113
Today's information for
tomorrow's products; an
operations research approach,
Chacko,
George
Kuttickal, 1966
Washington,
Thompson
Book Co.,
Hicks
Repository 001.424 C 344 T 0 0
01307508
Heuristische
Planungsmethoden.
Weinberg,
Franz,. 1969
Berlin, New
York, Springer-
Verlag,
Hicks
Repository 001.424 H 484 0 0
00543079
Monte Carlo Simulation in
Operations Research
Kohlas,
Jurg,̈ 1972
Berlin, New
York, Springer-
Verlag,
Hicks
Repository 001.424 K 823 M 0 0
22

23. Why involve selectors?
• Depth of subject knowledge
• Circulation isn’t everything
• Retain local interest titles
• Identify special collections titles
23

24. Weeding in a vacuum:
is it dangerous? No, if …
• Robust Criteria
• Resource sharing (just in time)
• Common titles
24

25. Next Steps
• Public domain
– Google Books
– HathiTrust
• Support collaborative efforts
25

26. Collaborative retention of
legacy print collections
• Consortial efforts
• National efforts
– Center for Research Libraries
• Shared archiving of print material
• Cooperative access
• Project management / coordination
26

27. What will it take?
• Trust
• Cooperation
• Commitment to
– Retain & maintain certain titles
– Pay / share
27

28. Discussion? Questions?
28

29. For more information…..
• Contact Sue Ward: ward@purdue.edu
29