CDL: Reponses(1-4),OCLC/WLN ACAS?

Original question:

From: "Averil Robertson" <acr39_at_hotmail.com>
>
>Does anyone have any feedback on OCLC's ACAS that they would like to 
>share with me?  ACAS is OCLC's Automated Collection Assessment Service
>(check >out the site at www.wln.com) and my library is considering using 
>it for >collection development.  I've been assigned to assess it, but have 
>had no luck tracking down feedback in the professional literature.
>
>Thanks
> Averil Robertson
> University of Hong Kong Libraries

Responses:

#1

From:  John Kistler <kistlerj_at_mail.wvsc.edu>


I went to the OCLC ACAS presentation at ALA Midwinter last month. It was a
good presentation and appears to be a good product. The main problem from
my perspective was that while it will do an excellent job of collating and
sorting the data from MY collection at MY library, they have a very strict
no-sharing policy, which may hinder libraries from sharing such data with
anyone else. What that means to me is: I can learn every statistic about my
own collection, but cannot legally share it with other libraries, without
their express written permission, which usually means the other libraries
must also have bought an ACAS license.

I am not altogether sure what good it does to know your own statistics if
you cannot compare them to the statistics of other libraries. What do the
numbers mean if they cannot be compared? And until the number of
participating libraries grows, there will be a very small pool of libraries
whom you can share with. Obviously they are trying to protect their
business and force libraries to participate in order to share their data
with each other.  In my opinion they have gone overboard in protecting
their data so far that the data is top secret information. But our library
has not joined and received the information, so I am only sharing what I
perceived from their presentation. Perhaps they are not so hard-nosed about
data sharing in reality?

John Kistler
Acquisitions/Collection Development Librarian
West Virginia State College
Drain-Jordan Library
PO Box 1002
Institute, WV. 25112-1002
304-766-3116 x3445
304-766-4103 fax
kistlerj_at_mail.wvsc.edu

=======
#2

From: Bonnie.Allen_at_orst.edu

This product builds on the Conspectus product previously marketed by WLN.
We used the Conspectus process at Oregon State University with a fair amount
of success.  The weakness is in finding current comparator bibliographies.
You should be able to find published reports for Conspectus.

======
#3

From: "Genco, Barbara" <b.genco_at_BrooklynPublicLibrary.org>

We would also be very interested in feedback on experiences with OCLC ACAS. 
We are considering this product for a proposed new Visual and Performing
Arts collection.  The project is in the discussion stage but ... it's 
never to early to begin to plan! 

We would eventually want to 'match' our current holdings in these areas
against exemplary collections (regionally/nationally)and begin to determine
collection parameters and (gasp!) cost estimates.

Thanks, 

Barbara Genco
Director of Collection Development
Brooklyn (NY) Public Library

=====
#4

From: "Williams, Pauline" <Williamp_at_montevallo.edu>

We are using the Automated OCLC/WLN Conspectus at the University of
Montevallo and have found it to be very useful in assessing our collection.
We started the project last Spring and have completed several disciplines.
We selected the subject analysis as well as the analysis for two standard
bibliographies. Below are a few references that we found to be helpful prior
to our purchasing the automated conspectus.

  Bushing, Mary, Burns Davis, and Nancy Powell. Using the Conspectus Method: a
collection assessment handbook. [Lacey, Washington]: WLN, (1997).  

  Loken, Sally. "The WLN Conspectus," Collection Building v. 13 no. 2-3
(1994): 31-42.

  OCLC/WLN Pacific Northwest Service Center. [Information Packet] "Informed
Decision-Making for Your Library: ACAS Automated Collection Assessment and
Analysis Service." [Lacey, Washington]: WLN,  [2000]

  Thweatt, Elizabeth. "Using the WLN Conspectus to Assess a Law Library
Collection." Advances in Collection Development and Resource Management (JAI
Press) v.2 (1996): 81-92 

Pauline C. Williams
Collection Development Librarian
Carmichael Library, University of Montevallo
Montevallo, AL 35115-6105
williamp_at_montevallo.edu
205-665-6105 (office) 205-665-6112 (fax)

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