62 Survey Results: Survey Questions and Responses
Non-standard data, data integrity issues in general
Access to complete financial data
Incomplete vendor data or non-standard compliant data
Non-COUNTER usage statistics
Reliable vendor statistics
Cost/per use analysis within consortia
Not enough staff/librarian time
Not enough technology support, need software we don’t have
We do additional work to collect data to tell the story, but it doesn’t translate to additional funding so it
is worth all the work?
Overcome selector biases to data. Methods to overcome this challenge include exposing subject
librarians to data, transparency in how data is being use, and training.
RDA. Problems with the standard in analyzing collections by publisher and subject. Problems have not
yet been overcome.
Scale. Collection assessment tools are not up for the job. The size of our collections make them difficult
to analyze.
Overwhelming number of subject areas to assess
Limited staff time to perform assessment activities
No systematic, individual tool—requires multiple tools and approaches
Staff shortage
Lack of data analysis expertise
Staff shortages
Time constraints
Staffing. We were among the first research libraries to create a Collections Analyst position, but we lost
the position when the incumbent retired. As described above, we are exploring options for distributing
collection assessment tasks among staff in various library units. These units have been involved in
aspects of collection assessment all along, so this is partly a matter of more closely defining as well as
enhancing existing work and also improving coordination. We expect a successful outcome, but it will
still be a challenge to match the focused attention of a dedicated, collections-specific position.
Tools. We need automated tools that allow different library stakeholders to quickly and easily generate
various tailored, real-time reports that provide integrated views of holdings, acquisitions, usage,
expenditure, and budget data.
Purpose and implementation. It is a challenge to understand the conclusions to draw from collections
assessment, how to act on the data wisely and with appropriate attention to specificities of
academic discipline.
Non-standard data, data integrity issues in general
Access to complete financial data
Incomplete vendor data or non-standard compliant data
Non-COUNTER usage statistics
Reliable vendor statistics
Cost/per use analysis within consortia
Not enough staff/librarian time
Not enough technology support, need software we don’t have
We do additional work to collect data to tell the story, but it doesn’t translate to additional funding so it
is worth all the work?
Overcome selector biases to data. Methods to overcome this challenge include exposing subject
librarians to data, transparency in how data is being use, and training.
RDA. Problems with the standard in analyzing collections by publisher and subject. Problems have not
yet been overcome.
Scale. Collection assessment tools are not up for the job. The size of our collections make them difficult
to analyze.
Overwhelming number of subject areas to assess
Limited staff time to perform assessment activities
No systematic, individual tool—requires multiple tools and approaches
Staff shortage
Lack of data analysis expertise
Staff shortages
Time constraints
Staffing. We were among the first research libraries to create a Collections Analyst position, but we lost
the position when the incumbent retired. As described above, we are exploring options for distributing
collection assessment tasks among staff in various library units. These units have been involved in
aspects of collection assessment all along, so this is partly a matter of more closely defining as well as
enhancing existing work and also improving coordination. We expect a successful outcome, but it will
still be a challenge to match the focused attention of a dedicated, collections-specific position.
Tools. We need automated tools that allow different library stakeholders to quickly and easily generate
various tailored, real-time reports that provide integrated views of holdings, acquisitions, usage,
expenditure, and budget data.
Purpose and implementation. It is a challenge to understand the conclusions to draw from collections
assessment, how to act on the data wisely and with appropriate attention to specificities of
academic discipline.
