Original post:
From:
"Clark, Stephen D" <sdclar_at_wm.edu>
Hello,
I would like to pose this question which revolves around use statistics
for monographs.
How much credence to you put on use statistics for monographs that have
just been purchased within the last year? I think that it is kind of
unfair to do use stats at the end of a fiscal year on monographs added
that year since some of them have not been in the collection very long,
and that discovery of newly added titles might not be that strong when
looking at their use.
I may be wrong here, so I would like to get the opinion of the list on
this.
Thank you all for your feedback on this question.
--
Stephen Clark
Collections Strategist
Swem Library
College of William and Mary
Box 8794
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8794
757-221-3107
sdclar_at_wm.edu
==========================
#1
From:
Katie Aldrich/Northcentral Technical College <Aldrich_at_ntc.edu>
I agree. I think that it takes some time for patrons to discover new
items. Certain types of new materials will require promotion to the
right groups before the word gets out & circulation spikes.
Katie Aldrich
Library Services Assistant - Purchasing
Northcentral Technical College | 1000 W. Campus Drive, Wausau, WI 54401
Phone: 715-803-1055 | Mail Stop: WG | Email: aldrich_at_ntc.edu
Fax: 715-301-2055
#2
From:
Beth Jacoby <bjacoby_at_ycp.edu>
I agree that using one year (or less if the book was added in the last
months of the fiscal year) isn't a good measure of the usefulness of a
book, print or e. Some courses are taught every other year, sometimes
every third year, so if a book supports a course that isn't taught that
year, it won't get any use.
I prefer to take the long view on collections. While some pundits see a
future with no print books, my own research shows strong evidence that
many students still prefer to use print for study/research purposes, so
I'm acquiring a mix of print and e. Some books have a short shelf life
(e.g., medical/nursing, business) but many others have a long shelf
life. I want to be sure that those long-term books are easily available
for future scholars, whether it takes 1, 3, or 8 years for them to be used.
Beth Jacoby
Collection Development Librarian
Schmidt Library
York College of Pennsylvania
441 Country Club Rd.
York, PA 17403-3651
#3 From: Steve Oberg <steve.oberg_at_wheaton.edu>
Stephen,
In general I agree with you on this. But one question I have is, do you
mean print, or online monograph (e-book)? If the latter, I have found
that use statistics can still be quite useful after just a year. I have
been impressed, for example, by the immediate adoption of many e-books
in our Safari Books Online setup after just one year.
Steve
Steve Oberg
Assistant Professor of Library Science
Electronic Resources and Serials
Wheaton College (IL)
+1 (630) 752-5852
#4 From: Thomas Izbicki <tizbicki_at_rci.rutgers.edu>
Some titles take time & book reviews to generate interest. Book
reviewing itself is notoriously slow in the academic journals I read.
It would be interesting to know whether first circulations are quicker
when the items appear on a new books shelf or in a list of new acquisitions.
Tom Izbicki
#5 From: John Abbott <abbottjp_at_appstate.edu>
We usually run collection circulation reports at least three years after
items are added, and five years often gives a better picture of what is
going on.
John Abbott
Appalachian State Univ.
Boone, NC
#6 From: "Black, Douglas M" <doblack_at_nmu.edu>
Hi, Stephen,
Recently purchased monographs get a pass here. When I run a usage
report, I ignore low numbers for anything added in the last two calendar
years. I do include those titles in the reports, in order to pick up
information on replacement copies of materials historically heavily used.
The challenge is determining how long to give a title before starting to
rely on the stats. I would say it varies by discipline; given
differences in information lifecycles, I don't assess usage of
philosophy materials, say, the same way as medical ones. But that could
vary by library--crazy-making for large institutions but still workable
in smaller ones.
I hope that helps!
Douglas
Douglas Black
Collection Development Librarian
Northern Michigan University
1401 Presque Isle Avenue
Marquette, MI 49855
(906) 227-1208
Received on Fri Sep 05 2014 - 07:07:22 EDT