Since the emergence of digital tools, reference departments have
seen a radical shift away from once essential print resources.
This session introduces a collaborative approach to material
evaluation and processing, detail innovative tools being used,
and discuss challenges as the reference collection transforms.
Trauma-Informed Leadership - Five Practical Principles
Constructing a future for reference in print
1. Constructing a Future for Reference
in Print
A Collaborative Approach to Planning,
Assessment and Materials Processing
2. Agenda 1. Overview
2. Context
3. History of reference
collection (monographs)
4. Collaboration &
communication (JIRA)
5. Reference serials
6. Recommendations
7. Panel discussion
3. Who we are Christina Tooulias-Santolin
Reference Librarian, University of Toronto
Yoonhee Lee
Graduate Student Library Assistant
University of Toronto Libraries
Ben Walsh
User Services Librarian, University of Toronto
5. Reference futures ● Organic process
○ Applying flexible policy to
changing landscape
● Constructed future
○ Constructing policy to achieve
collection goals
● Information gathering
○ Literature review
○ Consultation
■ Colleagues
■ Colloquium
■ Administration
6. Reference futures ● In academic libraries
○ Deselection linked to user
preferences/research strategies
○ Research challenging long-held
assumptions/beliefs
● At the University of Toronto
○ Incorporation into circulating
collection for discovery and use
○ Robarts reference to become
student work space
○ UTSC process already complete
○ UTM following different model
11. Interdepartmental
team
● Reference and Research
Services
● Access and Information
● Metadata Services
● Collections Development
● Information Technology
Services
● UTL at Downsview
13. Reference
Collection History -
Robarts Library
Collection Policy
● 2nd edition of policy produced
in 1972 as a working document
● Print Reference Collection
numbered at 35, 000 volumes.
● Main goal of collection is to
collect works to support
academic programmes of
humanities and social
sciences.
14. Reference Collection History - Robarts Library
● Comprehensive collection
relating to Canadian life and
culture
● Representative collection of
international and national trade
bibliographies to meet the needs
of the University Community
● Selective Collection of general
information sources
● Basic collection of reference
works in fields not represented
on campus.
● Minimal collection of reference
works in areas or subjects, which
other campus libraries cover
15. Reference Monographs - Early to Mid 2000’s
● Like most institutions we
were facing a space problem
● In 2005 UTL opened up the
Downsview storage facility
● Began a process of
cancelling and transferring
print indexes because of size
and electronic duplication.
16. Reference Monographs - Considerations
When choosing reference materials to weed:
Who do we need to include in the consultation process
● Liaison Librarians
● Selectors
● Other Departmental Colleagues
Where the items needs to go
● Basement Storage (B2)
● Book Stacks (floors 9-13)
● Downsview Storage
17. Reference Monographs - 2009
● We began tracking book
use by placing a
coloured dot every time
we shelved a reference
book.
Dots and years applied
Green - September 2009 to April 2010 (fall/winter 2009/2010)
Yellow - May 2010 to August 2010 (summer 2010)
Blue - September 2010 to April 2011(fall/winter 2010/2011)
Red - May 2011 to August 2012 (summer 2011 to summer
2012)
Small green - September 2012 to August 2013
Small lime green - September 2013 to August 2014
Small brown - September 2014 to August 2015
Small pink - September 2015 to August 2016
Small baby blue September 2016 to August 2017
Small lavender September 2017 to August 2018
Small orange September 2018 to August 2019
19. Reference Monographs - 2010
● Construction was
scheduled for the
reference area.
● Our collection need to be
looked at.
● Librarians began choosing
and consulting eachother.
Instructions for Weeding the Reference Collection
~Consult with Librarian for call number range or choose a section
and record it in the list
~Librarians will pull volumes from reference shelves and place
them on a book truck by your desk for approval
~Once book truck is full notify others in department for their
approval. Books can go to Downsview, or B2 Permanently, or
Robarts Stacks. Make sure books on your truck are properly
labeled. Some books may need to be transferred to another library
please make this clear on your truck.
~If a colleague would like to query an item please discuss together
and make decision. Please only week single volumes of small
multi-volume sets. (no more than 1-4) books
~After the truck has sat for a week the Student Library assistants
will begin processing the materials and taking items to designated
areas to complete processing.
20. Reference Monographs - 2011
Goals of this weeding project was to streamline the print
reference collection to meet the departmental policy for
collection management, and to improve student study space.
To accomplish this we needed to reduce the collection by
25%.
21. Reference Monographs - 2011
Our Procedure was to look at our assigned areas and get an idea of the material:
● Will not be consulted in Reference
● Might be more useful as a circulating item
● Might be best housed in Robarts Stacks
● Might be best housed at Downsview
22. Reference Monographs - 2012
Method
If any reference librarian notices a book in Reference which they think is a candidate for transfer, we
should pull it from the shelf, insert either a 'Stacks' or 'Downsview' flyer in it, and put it on the book truck
outside Department heads office. When the book truck is full, an email will be sent by organizing librarian
to Departmental librarians to let us know transfers are ready for review.
Notes:
Only 4 librarians participated in this transfer of reference materials
We could not transfer items to the book stacks from the Z’s
In April 2013 we had to stop transfering items to Downsview as additional storage pods were being built
23. Reference Monographs 2013-14
● Only transferred materials to Robarts stacks
● Worked in conjunction with the stacks supervisor
● Only two librarians worked on these transfers with the
help of student library assistants.
24. Reference Monographs - 2016
● This round we targeted monograph, no sets.
● Difference this time was that items that had early dots
were no longer safe to stay on shelves.
● We used our intranet as a communication tool if we had
questions about resources.
● 9 librarians participated looking at three ranges each.
25. Challenges,
successes, and
recommendations
● Fixed deadlines
● Collaboration can slow
process
● Multiple completed projects
● Begin with clear goal
● Ensure each decision takes
step towards goal
● Consult widely & be
transparent
● Be patient
33. Challenges
○ Designed for software
development
○ Workflow redesign
○ Communication
○ Comfort with technology
○ Changing team
○ What is the future of print?
Reflective practice
34. Successes
○ Designed for software
development
○ Workflow redesign
○ Communication
○ Comfort with technology
○ Changing team
○ What is the future of print?
Reflective practice
36. A record of print annuals and
continuations received by the
Reference Department.
Purpose is for record keeping,
evaluation, recording of
information relevant to each
title and decisions regarding
status and location of each title.
Reference Annuals+
Project
37. Project workflow
Under Evaluation
Notify Vendor
Updating
Serial Record
Managing Physical
Volumes
Processing Physical
Volumes
Updating
Monograph Record
Review Record Closed
38. ● Received serials are set
aside
● Compared with current
JIRA list
● Issue created as needed
Step 1:
Evaluation
Identify serials
39. ● Process collaborative and
iterative
● Criteria developed over
time
■ Best practices
■ Specific context
■ Feedback
■ Assessment objectives
Evaluation
process & criteria
Step 1:
Evaluation
(continued…)
40. “ The best way to choose
what to keep and what to
throw away is to take each
item in one’s hand and ask:
Does this spark joy? ”
Marie Kondō, The Life-Changing Magic
of Tidying Up, p.41
Step 1:
Evaluation
(continued…)
Credit: Marie Kondo by RISE, used under CC BY 2.0
41. Step 1:
Evaluation
(continued…)
Info gathering
Usage (dots)
Other holdings
Price Digital access
Comparable titles
Relevance
Stacks space
Perpetual access
Digital subscription availability
Peer institutions
Routing
42. ● Information reviewed
● Decision proposed
● Feedback requested
● Decision revised or
finalized
Problem
● Constructing a future for
reference in print
Step 1:
Evaluation
(continued…)
Review &
decision
43. Who?
Collections Development
What? Notify vendors of
cancellation
Things to consider
Missed renewal dates
Outstanding orders
Packages and bundles
Step 2:
Cancellation &
vendor notification
44. Who?
Metadata Services
What? Update catalogue
record
Things to consider
Consolidate records
Recall routed holdings
Digital holdings
Accurate description
Step 3:
Updating serial and
monograph records
48. Recommendations ● Begin with clear goal
● Ensure each decision
takes step towards goal
● Consult widely
● Be transparent
● Use project management
tool if scale requires
49. High stacks drama: Experiencing Change
Moderator:
Julia Chun
Korean Studies Librarian
Cheng Yu Tung East Asian Library
University of Toronto Libraries
Panel:
Christina Tooulias-Santolin
Reference Librarian, University of Toronto
Yoonhee Lee
Graduate Student Library Assistant
University of Toronto Libraries
Ben Walsh
User Services Librarian, University of Toronto
