Book Allocations in a University Library: An Evaluation of Multiple Formulas

This article describes an academic library's process of running multiple allocation models in order to find one that best suits the needs of the institution. The authors employed four methods: percentage-based, factor analysis, weighted multiple-variable, and circulation-based in order to inform the redistribution of book (print and electronic) funds. A comparison of the models revealed very different results. The final consensus of Hofstra University's Reference and Collection Development Department was to employ a circulation-based allocation model to redistribute funds, while also using subject specialist experience to adjust this redistribution

Key Issues for e-Resource Collection Development: A Guide for Libraries

From IFLA: The purpose of this Guide is to help develop an awareness of the key issues that every library will need to consider and address in developing an e-portfolio. The Guide is not intended to be exhaustive, but is written to provide a reasonable and informed introduction to the wide range of issues presented by electronic resources.
A guide that addresses an evolving subject area, such as electronic resources, requires updates. Thus, updates to this Guide at appropriate intervals, as determined by the Standing Committee of the IFLA Acquisition and Collection Development Section, will replace the previous edition on IFLANet. The current document is simply a snapshot of best practices at this point in time.

Research Librarians Consider the Risks and Rewards of Collaboration

Thanks to Dina Belluighi of CHERTL who alerted Jill and me to this in the Chronicle of HE 16 Oct 2011:

Washington — Big-scale collaborations and digital-era collection strategies took center stage at the Association of Research Libraries’ membership meeting, held here last week. The library directors and others who attended heard about ambitious research and preservation projects like the HathiTrust digital repository and the proposed Digital Public Library of America, plans for which are moving ahead.

At the final session, on “Rebalancing the Investment in Collections,” H. Thomas Hickerson, vice provost and university librarian at the University of Calgary, said libraries had painted themselves into a corner by focusing too much on their collection budgets. Investing in the right skills and partnerships is most critical now, he said. “The comprehensive and well-crafted collection is no longer an end in itself.”