Resources for college libraries what do the numbers mean
1. Resources for College
Libraries : What do the
Numbers Mean?
Sue Beidler
Lycoming College
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
2. Agenda
Overview of Lycoming’s Environment
Overview of Resources for College Libraries
What is BBAS (/Bowker’s Book Analysis
System)?
How We Use RCLWeb
How We Use BBAS
Discussion
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
3. Overview of Lycoming’s Environment
Lycoming College: private, 4-year, approx.1400
FTE
Traditional Liberal Arts
5 Librarians, 6 support staff
An active collaborative instruction program that
teaches the responsible use of research sources,
building the skills to find, evaluate, and integrate
information is a key aspect of our mission.
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
4. Overview of Lycoming’s Environment
Local ILS: TLC’s Library•Solution 4.2
Collection of approx. 155,000 cataloged volumes
Annual monograph/standing order budget of
approximately $120K
2,300 new cataloged volumes added annually
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
5. Overview of Resources for College
Libraries
Successor to Books for College Libraries (BCL3)
Collaborative project between ACRL, CHOICE,
and R.R. Bowker
Available in print and as an online tool
(RCLWeb)
First released in 2006
Online version is updated quarterly
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
6. Overview of BBAS
(Bowker’s Book Analysis System)
Electronically compares local collection to the
RCL database
Provides array of reports that can be customized
Duplicate titles
Invalid ISBNs
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
8. Overview of BBAS
(Bowker’s Book Analysis System)
Electronically compares local collection to the
RCL database
Provides array of reports that can be customized
Duplicate titles
Invalid ISBNs
Statistical reports by RCL Subjects, LC Classification or
Core titles in library
Core titles NOT in library
Total # of core titles
% of core titles held
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
10. Lycoming’s Uses for RCLWeb
Evaluating gift books for inclusion in our
collection
Generally do a quick title search in RCLWeb for
possible keepers
Are likely to keep the book if any edition is in RCL
Sometimes will also search by author – if there are a
number of titles by the author we may keep if the title
is curriculum related
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
11. Lycoming’s Current Uses for RCL Book
Analysis results
Retrospective Collection Development –
Photography Project
Overview of Project
Used “Don’t have” list to work from with faculty
Improved from 27.74% coverage in 2007 to 51.82%
coverage in 2008 as a result of this project
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
12. Lycoming’s Current Uses for RCL Book
Analysis results
Weeding/De-selection decisions
Faculty from specific disciplines selected each year
They’re set loose in the stacks with very general
guidelines
Any items they think should be withdrawn are put on
a book truck
I pull up the list of RCL titles we have in that call
number range – anything on the RCL list goes back to
the shelves immediately, but is marked that it is in
RCL
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
15. Lycoming’s Current Uses for RCL Book
Analysis results
Assessment
Meetings with academic departments regarding the
collection
Sometimes used in preparation for the meeting – a gauge of
strength or weakness
Sometimes used as follow-up – Mathematical Sciences –
even though there was no response from the faculty
Track changes in our holdings from year to year, by
discipline
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
16. Lycoming’s Current Uses for RCL Book
Analysis results
Challenges
Analysis is always done against the current RCL
database
Must save analyses at the time you run them
Exported statistics cannot be manipulated
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
17. What do the numbers
mean?
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
18. What can the analysis tell us?
RCLWeb
Book Analysis System
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
19. How would/could we go about
developing comparisons with
similar size/type libraries?
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
20. How might we determine
comparison libraries?
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
21. Contact Information
Sue Beidler
Snowden Library
Lycoming College
700 College Place
Williamsport, PA 17701
570-321-4084
beidler@lycoming.edu
Charleston Conference November 4, 2010
