Collection Development in the Sciences Julia Gelfand, UCI STELLA, January 2010 Julia Gelfand, UCI STELLA, January

Probably will not be addressed: Serials, periodicals, subscriptions Remember that eBooks has another session – of major interest: patron-initiated, licensing across libraries, duplication with print = all important & timely issues Formats, Content, Monograph vs. Serial are ubiquitous topics in any discussion about Collection Dev in the Sciences 2

Role of Science Bibliographer Responding to interdisciplinarity – policy, environmental, technological, etc, parameters Partnering with other academic units on campus Establishing appropriate materials budget to support academic programs Creating more intellectual capital or generating knowledge locally instead of buying it – establishing repositories Anticipating information needs & value of collection over time; forensic metrics 3

Environmental Scan: Trends in Collection Development (CD) Changing academic environment and library priorities Doing more with less; Making do with what you have Economics of information – disciplinary variances Reviewing ownership vs. leasing models Print vs. electronic and other formats – decline & acceleration rates Immediate vs. long term needs & planning Empowering users in selection Multiple paradigm shifts in CD – selection, de-selection, packages Responding to publishers’ marketing & distribution models Influences of scholarly communications best practices Changing practices in Resource Sharing in increasing electronic environments Challenging accreditation guidelines – Medical, Engineering, etc Measuring size of collection – new metrics needed? 4

And… Responding to patron-driven or demand-driven collection development efforts Rethinking the core collection Responding to preferred formats – mobile applications Being driven by usage statistics Liaison or Research Librarian service model in decline per collection development focus Digital projects appear to be highly correlated to collection development activities Concurrent paradigm shifts taking place 5

Moving targets Budget formations & ratio of spending Importance of imprints – scholarly vs trade; foreign vs. domestic; individual title vs series Format emphases – having to replicate in numerous formats (more interest in handheld compatibility) Value of ILL data as indicator of need – institutional responses Role of Government Information in Sciences Reference Works – new vision for Reference? Reliance on approval plans; cooperative CD 6

Snapshot of Higher Education Changing nature of textbook – inclusions of media, online links, multiple sources, costs, resale Library Traditions – Reserves, Subject Guides (for other librarians or users -> differences), Collection Policies – are they important today? On Demand Access – pay as you need 7

Scoping Subject Coverage Scientific Journalism General Science Current “hot” topics Subject strength with no curricular emphasis Reviewed works in national media Biography Science Education – STEM Higher Education & Science Science Policy Public Understanding of Science 8

Next Steps for Discussion Are Collection Development & Collection Management getting absorbed by outsourcing practices Role of CD in the future – being obscured by both Public/Technical Services Sustainability issues for budgets Change in cooperative CD models – track Ithaka project of Mellon grant with Columbia/Cornell Other priorities 9

Additional Resources Pew Internet & American Life Project Reports Wireless-Internet-Use.aspx?r=1 10