25 SPEC Kit 352: Collection Assessment
Coordinator/manager/department head for acquisitions 4 36%
Acquisitions librarian 3 27%
Collection assessment librarian 2 18%
Serials librarian 2 18%
Cataloging/technical services librarian 1 9%
Special collections librarian 1 9%
Other staff category 4 36%
Please specify the other category. N=4
Assessment Librarian (2 responses)
Assessment librarian, reference, ILL, special collections, music, systems
Head of Liaison, Head of Access Services, Head of Conservation, Collection Analyst, Digital
Collections Specialist
COLLECTION ASSESSMENT STAFF: OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
17. Please briefly describe the other organizational structure for collection assessment. N=8
A single individual is responsible for collecting most of the data and facilitating analysis (takes about
25% of his time on average) and a group/committee is responsible for the final aspects of analysis. For
collections specific to a particular library, the librarian at that location is primarily responsible for
analysis. For cross-disciplinary resources a central committee assists with the analysis and makes
recommendations for cancellation. The committee has seven members and meets every two weeks. The
committee consists of collections/subject librarians, a department head, technical services librarian,
and support staff.
Aside from the Collections Assessment Librarian (0.5 FTE), staff at various departments and libraries
collect and analyze a variety of collections data as part of their job duties and as needed.
Assessment activities are primarily located in the Technical Services Division.
Assessment is done by one person with half-time assessment responsibilities, as well as by subject
librarians, most of whom are in the Collections Division but some of whom have primary job
responsibilities in other divisions.
In the main library, liaisons work with the Head of Technical Services on collection assessments. In the
professional school libraries, it is typically a single position who conducts these assessments.
Most routine collection assessment has been done by the Head of Collection Development. But
other projects, such as MINES, was done by the Libraries’ Assessment Committee, which includes
representatives from each of the administratively separate libraries on campus (main, law,
medical, theology).
The Collections Coordinator coordinates the collection of use data for the regular collections and
prepares some overview reports, but each liaison/selector collects and analyzes some data relevant to
their subject area also. Special collections does their own collections assessment.
There is an overarching assessment group (known as the Assessment Integration Group) that consists
of representatives (sometimes multiple) from individual divisions within the library. The Services
Division (of which collections is a part) is represented by an assessment coordinator within the division
(not a full-time position, about 25% of said staff’s time). Said coordinator/representative is in charge
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