18 · Survey Results: Executive Summary
focused on journal backfiles, where holdings are
disclosed (e.g., PAPR, DocLine, JRNL). Currently, re-
sources are not consistently or uniformly disclosed
in systems that span the particular partnership or
multiple partnerships or that reveal the retention sta-
tus and location to users presenting some important
challenges to existing resource sharing networks.
More work is needed in these areas to achieve ARL
libraries’ expressed interest in better or more access
to shared collections.
Shared Print Monographs and Future Services
While very important progress has been made in jour-
nal retention agreements, monographs appear to be
the next area for development. Faced with a chronic
shortage in storage space and heavy duplication in
some areas of the collections, libraries seek to deter-
mine how much diversity can be retained for the fu-
ture and possible ways to collaborate to ensure reten-
tion while also deaccessioning some materials. The
Maine Shared Collections Strategy and PALNI/ALI
programs are two early frontrunners that can provide
invaluable expertise.
Monographs present some significant additional
challenges for collaboration. To better understand pos-
sible future directions, ARL members were asked to
consider aspects of publishing and use that might in-
form future decisions. In addition, they were asked to
consider various library management areas to explore
or experiment with in the future to support shared
collections of fewer copies of print monographs.
The library respondents identified the following
activities as most important to monitor in the future:
1) interlibrary lending capabilities for e-books, 2) uses
of print and digital monographs throughout the re-
search lifecycle, 3) use of shared print books as discov-
ery and delivery of them are enhanced, and 4) print
monograph deselection rates. It is interesting to note
that these are mostly collection management areas
within the purview of library management.
Other important areas identified by respondents,
though to a lesser extent, included monitoring use of
print books as digital surrogates become available,
use of print books by different user cohorts, trans-
formation of the long-form argument to other more
dynamic forms of publication, tenure achievement
with non-book length publications, and tracking un-
met demand for print books. It is interesting to note
that these areas a somewhat beyond library control.
When asked about library management services
that might be experimented with to better understand
the infrastructure needed for shared monographs, the
top responses included 1) coordinated digitization
of shared print monograph collections, 2) scan-on-
demand services, 3) metadata cross-walks between
shared print and digital copies and unified display,
and 4) business models that provide incentives to im-
plement additional access services at retaining librar-
ies and repositories (possibly including some “free”
and “for a fee” options). Beyond these, a middle tier
of interest, which may suggest longer-term areas for
exploration and may be the harder areas to address,
include 1) expanded interlibrary lending networks, 2)
print on demand, 3) preferred pickup locations across
a broad network of libraries and repositories, and 4)
direct delivery services by mail to authenticated users
in a network of print retaining libraries and reposi-
tories. Harmonizing loan periods and rules were of
least interest.
Anticipated Future Uses of Print
To better understand the reasons for continued print
management, ARL libraries were asked about sev-
eral possible uses for print and the number of years
into the future this usage would be important. These
questions were asked to begin to answer the question
“why retain print?” These questions were only asked
about print journals that are digitally available and
preserved. Questions were not asked about journals
only available in print or about print monographs
(the vast majority of ARL library holdings). The ra-
tionales for retention may be different but these re-
sponses may begin to help formulate a response and
strategies. The questions asked are modified versions
of questions originally developed by Ithaka S+R in
an unpublished study, and were used with permis-
sion. It may be useful to contrast the responses in this
study, which represent an ARL library perspective,
with work currently underway among ARL, Modern
Language Association, and American Council of
Learned Societies on print collection management,
a scholar’s perspective, to begin to develop future
focused on journal backfiles, where holdings are
disclosed (e.g., PAPR, DocLine, JRNL). Currently, re-
sources are not consistently or uniformly disclosed
in systems that span the particular partnership or
multiple partnerships or that reveal the retention sta-
tus and location to users presenting some important
challenges to existing resource sharing networks.
More work is needed in these areas to achieve ARL
libraries’ expressed interest in better or more access
to shared collections.
Shared Print Monographs and Future Services
While very important progress has been made in jour-
nal retention agreements, monographs appear to be
the next area for development. Faced with a chronic
shortage in storage space and heavy duplication in
some areas of the collections, libraries seek to deter-
mine how much diversity can be retained for the fu-
ture and possible ways to collaborate to ensure reten-
tion while also deaccessioning some materials. The
Maine Shared Collections Strategy and PALNI/ALI
programs are two early frontrunners that can provide
invaluable expertise.
Monographs present some significant additional
challenges for collaboration. To better understand pos-
sible future directions, ARL members were asked to
consider aspects of publishing and use that might in-
form future decisions. In addition, they were asked to
consider various library management areas to explore
or experiment with in the future to support shared
collections of fewer copies of print monographs.
The library respondents identified the following
activities as most important to monitor in the future:
1) interlibrary lending capabilities for e-books, 2) uses
of print and digital monographs throughout the re-
search lifecycle, 3) use of shared print books as discov-
ery and delivery of them are enhanced, and 4) print
monograph deselection rates. It is interesting to note
that these are mostly collection management areas
within the purview of library management.
Other important areas identified by respondents,
though to a lesser extent, included monitoring use of
print books as digital surrogates become available,
use of print books by different user cohorts, trans-
formation of the long-form argument to other more
dynamic forms of publication, tenure achievement
with non-book length publications, and tracking un-
met demand for print books. It is interesting to note
that these areas a somewhat beyond library control.
When asked about library management services
that might be experimented with to better understand
the infrastructure needed for shared monographs, the
top responses included 1) coordinated digitization
of shared print monograph collections, 2) scan-on-
demand services, 3) metadata cross-walks between
shared print and digital copies and unified display,
and 4) business models that provide incentives to im-
plement additional access services at retaining librar-
ies and repositories (possibly including some “free”
and “for a fee” options). Beyond these, a middle tier
of interest, which may suggest longer-term areas for
exploration and may be the harder areas to address,
include 1) expanded interlibrary lending networks, 2)
print on demand, 3) preferred pickup locations across
a broad network of libraries and repositories, and 4)
direct delivery services by mail to authenticated users
in a network of print retaining libraries and reposi-
tories. Harmonizing loan periods and rules were of
least interest.
Anticipated Future Uses of Print
To better understand the reasons for continued print
management, ARL libraries were asked about sev-
eral possible uses for print and the number of years
into the future this usage would be important. These
questions were asked to begin to answer the question
“why retain print?” These questions were only asked
about print journals that are digitally available and
preserved. Questions were not asked about journals
only available in print or about print monographs
(the vast majority of ARL library holdings). The ra-
tionales for retention may be different but these re-
sponses may begin to help formulate a response and
strategies. The questions asked are modified versions
of questions originally developed by Ithaka S+R in
an unpublished study, and were used with permis-
sion. It may be useful to contrast the responses in this
study, which represent an ARL library perspective,
with work currently underway among ARL, Modern
Language Association, and American Council of
Learned Societies on print collection management,
a scholar’s perspective, to begin to develop future
