Are We There Yet? Moving to an E-Only Collection Development Policy for Books

Presentation at NASIG 2014 May 2nd 1:10pm

Kate Moore, Coordinator of Electronic Resources, Indiana University Southeast

Outline

I. MotivationsII. ReservationsIII. Steps TakenIV. Future Directions

ABSTRACT: Online journals have been the preferred format for several years, with most academic libraries favoring online access to print subscriptions. However, the move towards an online-preferred collection development policy for books has not quite reached the same saturation, despite the popularity of options such as DDA and PDA. This session will review the literature on reasons for moving to an online-preferred collection development policy for all resources, including books [Motivations], and provide information on user preferences, technological and platform hurdles to overcome [Reservations], and information on current collection development policies for e-books [Steps Taken].

What’s the motivation?

Space Constraints

OCLC Collection and Circulation Analysis Project (2011) found that just 6% of the collection drove 80% of the usage.

What’s the motivation?

Reinvention of Library Space

The “Library as Incubator” project defines makerspaces as “[c]ollaborative learning environments where people come together to share materials and information, and to learn new skills.  Makerspaces are not defined by a specific set of materials or spaces, but rather a mindset of community partnership, collaboration, and creation.”

Reinventing Library Space

What’s the motivation?

Online Education

Fall 2010 Fall 2011 Fall 2012 Fall 2013 Spring 2014

4.65.3

5.86.6

7.9

1.6 1.9 1.9

5.2

7.8

Percentage of Hours Taken in Online Classes

All IU IU Southeast

ACRL’S Standards for Distance Learning Library Services (2008)

The originating institution is responsible for ensuring that the distance learning community has access to library materials equivalent to those provided in traditional settings.

What’s the motivation?

24/7 availability Remote access Full-text searching Copy and paste

Portability No re-shelving,

loss, or defacement Environmentally

friendly

What’s the hold up?

Lack of interest is perhaps too mild a characterization for the reaction that some students have to e-books. Many of the reactions that I have encountered have been more visceral. They reflect an intensity I did not see in the transition from journals to e-journals. The loss of print books is personal. Books are loved. E-books threaten them. I think it is important to acknowledge that for many students, faculty and librarians, perhaps most acutely for librarians, e-books threaten the loss of something approximating the loss of a personal friend. - Allen McKiel, Dean of Library and Media Services, Western Oregon University, 2008

What’s the hold up?

Book TypeSubjectAgePurpose

User Preferences vary by:

What’s the hold up?

User Preferencevs.Use

What’s the hold up?

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 20130

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

76,33567,773 66,955

72,478 73,16880,069

56,460 55,092

3420 2998 3071617 984 287 719

25222 26135 27016 26894 26069 2653722181 25222

60,888 61,430 64,06669,315

73,324 73,84169,763 68,412

IU Southeast Usage by Collection

Subscription Collection Collection (through consortia)Publisher Collection Print Circulation (includes Request Delivery)Student Credit Hours Enrolled

What’s the hold up?

Platform Functionality

What’s the hold up?

Ebooks are a “Faustian technology that seduces with convenience, particularly for those who consume a great many books, but offers little else while extracting a corrosive toll on our social institutions and norms.” –Clifford Lynch, Executive Director, Coalition for Networked Information, 2013

Accessibility

Is the content accessible?Is the search interface accessible? Is the content reasonably navigable for users

with disabilities?Are other features such as highlighting and

note-taking accessible?Adapted from Thoughts and Tips about Ebook Accessibility http://www.uniaccessig.org/universal/node/97

Business Models for Libraries

Subscription v. PurchasingSingle Title vs. Collections vs. Patron Driven

Acquisitions Platform preference Number of simultaneous users“There is no agreement or direction pointing to the obvious choice for most types of libraries.” –David Stern

While We’re on the Subject…

PreservationAvailability of content Multiple licenses Interlibrary loan

Where are we now?

Wiley 2013 Library Survey Key Findings:• Spending on print books still exceeds digital but is expected to be even in

three years’ time.

• Currently 26% of book collections are digital.

• 75% of respondents state that their e-book collection supplements their equivalent print collection, while 25% state it replaces it.

Where Are We Now?

What Should be Taken into Account?

Responsibility for Selection Funding for Electronic Resources Criteria for Selection Duplication of Resources eBook Collections vs. Individual Titles

Perpetual Access vs. Subscription for eBooks Patron Driven Acquisitions Open Access (Free) eBooks Downloadable eBooks Library-owned eReaders Guidelines for Weeding Electronic Resources

Adapted from LRCCD Libraries Electronic Collection Development Policy:http://www.crc.losrios.edu/Student_Services/Library/About_the_Library/LRCCD_Libraries_Electronic_Collection_Development_Policy.htm

Promoting Policy/Availability to Users

What Should be Taken into Account?

Where are we going?

• Knowledge Unlatched• Evidence-Based Acquisitions

• Other Initiatives?

References

http://www.zotero.org/groups/ebook_collection_development_policies/items