Thursday, Nov 6, 2014 11:30 AM

1. Print Reference: Is it dead yet?
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

2. David A. Tyckoson
Associate Dean, Henry Madden Library
California State University, Fresno
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

3. Nature of Reference Collections
 Noncirculating
 Close to reference service desk
 Comprehensive
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

4. The Problem Part 1:
The Size of Reference
Collections
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

5. The Problem Part 1:
The Size of Reference
Collections
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

6. The Problem Part 1:
The Size of Reference
Collections
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

7. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

8. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
 How often should something be used to be
placed in a reference collection?
 Once
 Once a year
 Quarterly
 Monthly
 Weekly
 Daily
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

9. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

10. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
 2009-2014 Usage Data
 Titles = 11,227
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

11. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
 2009-2014 Usage Data
 Titles = 11,227
 Used once or more = 4,678 (41.7%)
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

12. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
 2009-2014 Usage Data
 Titles = 11,227
 Used once or more = 4,678 (41.7%)
 Used once a year or more = 1,627 (14.5%)
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

13. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
 2009-2014 Usage Data
 Titles = 11,227
 Used once or more = 4,678 (41.7%)
 Used one a year or more = 1,627 (14.5%)
 Used quarterly or more = 341 (3.0%)
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

14. The Problem Part 2:
The Use of Reference Collections
 2009-2014 Usage Data
 Titles = 11,227
 Used once or more = 4,678 (41.7%)
 Used one a year or more = 1,627 (14.5%)
 Used quarterly or more = 341 (3.0%)
 Used monthly or more = 48 (0.4%)
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

15. The Problem Part 2:
The (non)Use of Reference Collections
 2009-2014 Usage Data
 Titles = 11,227
 Used once or more = 4,678 (41.7%)
 Used one a year or more = 1,627 (14.5%)
 Used quarterly or more = 341 (3.0%)
 Used monthly or more = 48 (0.4%)
 Used weekly or more = 3 (0.02%)
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

16. Twenty Most Used Print
Reference Titles
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

17. Dave’s Solution
 Circulate your reference books
Charleston Conference November 6,
2014
Print Reference: Is it dead
yet?

18. Print Reference:
Is it Dead Yet?
Publish, Perish and the Plateau
Rolf A. Janke
CEO, Mission Bell Media
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

19. Publish
 What formats for print are still viable, affordable
(for the customer) and profitable?
 Formats that are also attractive digitally.
 Monographs, academic handbooks and single
volume reference.
 Take advantage of changing technologies and
realize that print can be the default purchase.
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

20. Perish
 Can traditional reference publishers sustain growth
based on a publishing strategy that does not
include any form of print?
 Non traditional reference publishers provide new
solutions without serving up print.
 Shrinking real estate.
 Alexander Street Press, Adam Matthews
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

21. The Plateau
Can reference publishers survive on the plateau?
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

22. The Plateau
 Print sales never hit bottom as expected.
 Ebook sales have slowed to single digit
growth after many years of double digit
growth.
 2013 - Approximately 5% Ebook growth
while hardbook/paperback sales remained
flat. (2013 data per digitalworldbook)
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

23. Predictions, predictions, predictions…
 The print vs. electronic choice will always be
apparent: to each his own.
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

24. The Global Effect
 Publishers deploy global campaigns to promote
relevant reference works.
 Academics topics in the English language are
desirable.
 In some countries i.e. Japan, there is a demand for
US print reference works and the higher the price
the better (high price = high value).
 Global sales help publishers afford reasonable print
runs to lower unit costs.
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

25. "Print a thousand copies of a printed book, and
odds are, even through fire, flood, or the
ravages of war, a copy will survive somewhere,
somehow. How much confidence can we have
that books published in e-book format only, will
be readable in twenty-five years, fifty years, a
hundred years? We are in danger of recreating
the world of haves and have-nots in this
exciting information age. The printed book
continues to remain more accessible on any
income level, than any other form of
information."
—Allan Kornblum, publisher, Coffee House
Press, The Huffington Post, Feb. 15, 2011
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

26. Alive and kicking
Elisabeth Leonard, MSLS, MBA
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

27. People still use and ask for
 Subject handbooks
 Databases,
 Encyclopedias
 Dictionaries
 Updated editions
As well as journals, articles and textbooks
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

28. “E” (and a little print)
Academic Public Special
Print only 0.5% 0% 3%
Print preferred 4% 5% 6%
Online only 7% 0% 11%
Online preferred 68% 35% 50%
No preference 22% 60% 31%
No longer purchase reference 1% 0% 5%
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

29. Funds and formats
“Our 'reference' fund is only for print material.
So our online reference buying is increasing each
year. Our print reference buying is holding
steady or decreasing.”
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

30. Reference budgets: past and future
n=376
Increase Stay the same Decrease Don’t spend now Don't know Eliminated
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Last 5 12% 32% 49% 7% 7%
Next 5 13% 35% 49% 2% 5.00%
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

31. Financial concerns
 “Print is still important format. We would like to
have an extensive virtual reference collection
but annual subscriptions of too many titles is
not financially realistic. We purchase one-time-payment
titles with permanent access as the
budget allows. We do not have budget to
purchase a large collection of annual
subscriptions.”
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

32. Room for both?
 “Online reference, of course, has the potential
to be available to more users, especially if it is
multidisciplinary. It can be updated easily; it's
best if the dates are given for the updates at
least. We revere the print here, too....& have
some storage space.”
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

33. Format agnostic
 It just depends on the item itself. We try not to
let format dictate too many of our decisions,
though we definitely have moved more towards
purchasing online content.
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

34. Sets a mood
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

35. User experience and choice
 “We purchase what best suits our users to the
best of our ability which sometimes means
online, sometimes print and sometimes we
purchase the reference resource in both print
and online because it is that important.”
 “We have purchased based on faculty requests,
and they usually decide if they want print or
electronic.”
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

36. Imagery
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

37. Discovery
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

38. Circulates well
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

39. Marla E. Peppers
Associate University Librarian
John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
California State University,
Los Angeles

40. Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

41. Library as Networks
 of collections, experts, facilities, technologies and
business practices.
Library as Place
 for learning, teaching, collaboration, social student
engagement, community engagement and virtual and
physical facilities.
Library as Service Center
 for access to content, learning materials, expert
advice, learning assistance and information literacy
classes.
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

42. Former Reference Area with Index Tables
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

43. Former Reference Area with
Book Stacks
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

44. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THAT
SHELVING?!?
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

45. Safely disassembled and relocated to storage …
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

46. Utilizing Space for Student Use
From stacks … … to additional
seating for students
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

47. Reference Area
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

48. Reference Area (another angle)
Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014

49. Print Reference: Is it dead yet? Charleston Conference November 6, 2014