Cecily Johns Project Director
Collection Management
Initiative
Collection Management Strategies in a Digital
Environment
Collection Management Initiative
A two year grant project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Initiated January 2001 CMI website at
http://www.ucop.edu/cmi/
What does the Project involve? Removing from campus libraries
selected print journals for which electronic access is provided, and relocating those journals to storage.
Gathering objective data, including cost and usage data for both print and electronic versions of selected journals.
Studying user attitudes and preferences when the primary use of journals is via access to electronic versions.
How planning for the CMI originated
UC’s library planning and advisory committee passed a resolution that endorsed experiments
http://www.slp.ucop.edu/consultation/slasiac/
The Mellon Foundation expressedinterest in supporting such experiments and making the results available
Why UC was motivated to assume such a project Overtaxed UC capital program:
limited opportunities to add new library buildings• Competing proposals for
classroom/faculty office space.• Seismic upgrades needed.• Deteriorating campus infrastructure.
60,000 new student enrollments expected over the next 10 years.
Why UC was well positioned to make a proposal to the Mellon Foundation
History of collaboration among the UC libraries
Ability to leverage the California Digital Library collections:• 7,000 electronic journals• 200 reference databases• Numerous monograph collections• Over 6,000 finding aids to archival
collections
UC well positioned to make a proposal
• Availability of two remote storage facilities, one in the north and one in the south
Phases of the project Phase 1: Consultation and preparation,
selection of journal titles, processing of materials – 9 months
Phase 2: Relocation of selected print journals to remote storage and gathering data on usage, costs, and user attitudes and behavior – 12 months
Phase 3: Evaluation of institutional strategies, development of policies, and programs for archiving and management of mixed format collections – 6 months (overlapping with Phase 2)
Two ways that UC libraries participate in the project As Experimental libraries:
These libraries removed selected print journals for which electronic access is available from campus libraries to remote storage
As Control libraries:These libraries are maintaining print journals for which electronic access is available on their shelves
Criteria for journal selection Sufficient data must be available
from the electronic publisher to measure use by title and by campus.
Sample of journal titles should include multiple publishers and/or suppliers of electronic journals.
Journal criteria
Sample of journal titles must include both:
• Currently received journals with digital counterpart
• Retrospective journal runs (e.g., JSTOR) with digital counterpart
Selected journals in the study should include: a variety disciplines graphics varying article length varying use patterns
Journal criteria
Eligible Universe of Journals 2,683 journals met criteria out
of 6,000 ejournals 15 publisher/providers capable
of providing use data 300 journal titles selected for
study
Journals selected for CMI study 300 experimental journal
titles relocated to storage October 1, 2001
300 matching control journal titles on library shelves
300 electronic journals, versions of the print titles
Sample Journal Title
Henry James Review Control journal located in the
library at UC Riverside Experimental journal relocated
from UC Irvine library to storage facility
Electronic version of journal available on all campuses
Breakdown of subject categories Arts/Humanities 23
Social Sciences 28
Physical Sciences/Engineering 111
Life/Health Sciences 140
Electronic journal publishers/providers Academic Elsevier ACS APS IOP JSTOR Muse Wiley
Research: Use Data
Use data is being collected for:
Print journals on library shelves (control)
Print journals in storage (experimental)
Electronic journals
Research: User behavior/preference data
Surveys of those who request journals from storage
Comment Cards left on library shelves
Interviews Surveys
Research: Costs Cost of staff time for
consultation, selection of titles, training, processing, bibliographic control, transportation
Cost of print subscriptions and ejournal licenses
Cost of storage of journals
Where do we go from here? Continue to collect usage and cost
data Analyze objective data Complete user interviews and surveys Analyze findings from
interviews/surveys Develop strategies and long range
plans for managing mixed format collections
Taking advantage of UC resource sharing services Union catalog (Melvyl) A&I databases with links to journals Shared storage facilities Patron-initiated request service Systemwide courier service Web-based delivery of electronic
resources