Research Article (Preprint): “Collections as a Service: A Research Library’s Perspective”

The following article (an accepted for publication preprint) is scheduled for final publication in the Jan. 2018 issue of C&RL (College & Research Libraries).
Title
Collections as a Service: A Research Library’s Perspective
Authors
Julie Linden
Yale University Library
Sarah Tudesco
Yale University Library
Daniel Dollar
Yale University Library
Source
C&RL Website
Abstract

ACRL’s “2016 Top Trends in Academic Libraries” noted a “shift to the incorporation and integration of more continuous, ongoing, flexible, and sustainable review of collections,” and “an increasing need” to align collection development with “institutional research and curricular requirements.”
This article describes these trends playing out at a top-ranked research library. Given the library’s long history of collecting print books, the article examines the monographic acquisitions program from multiple angles, including circulation, expenditures, approval plans, and e-book usage. There are also suggestions for additional metrics to evaluate collections as a service, and questions posed to frame an ongoing research and assessment agenda.
The models described in this case study and the proposed research and assessment agenda can be adapted by other academic libraries, both to fit local institutional needs and as collection development and “collections as a service” are increasingly realized within interinstitutional collaborative networks.

Direct to Full Text Article (27 pages; PDF)

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Libraries, News, Reports