CDL-What is the average age of your collection? (Response #1)

From: Lynn Sipe <lsipe_at_usc.edu> Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2006 10:32:48 -0800 To: COLLDV-L_at_usc.edu

[Original posting on this topic follows the response.]

(1) From: Melissa Jeffrey <mejeffrey_at_gmail.com>

This may not be helpful to you, but Texas standards for public libraries 
are that 15% of the collection should be within the past five years.

Melissa Jeffrey
Head Librarian
Haslet Public Library
Haslet, TX
===========================================================================================================
From: Linwood DeLong 
<<mailto:linwood.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca>linwood.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca>

We have done some initial research into the average age of our
collection (both the median value and the arithmetic mean) and we
discovered that approx. 50% of the books in our collection were
published before the mid-1980s.   We have approx. 600,000 vols.   We
have an FTE of approx. 6800.

We are a 4-year, undergraduate arts and sciences institution.    I
would be interested in knowing, if libraries are willing to share this,
what the average age of your collection is.   If you reply, could you
please indicate the type and size of your collection is, and some
indication of the characteristics of your institution.

Is anyone aware of standards or collection norms regarding the average
age of academic library collections?

Thanks,

Linwood DeLong
University of Winnipeg Library

Linwood DeLong
Collections Coordinator
University of Winnipeg Library
515 Portage Ave.
Winnipeg, MB, Canada
R3B 2E9

Ph. (204) 786-9124
FAX (204) 786-1824

e-mail:  <mailto:l.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca>l.delong_at_uwinnipeg.ca