1. Hazen Symposium
October 20-21, 2016
Part II: Collective Collections
Galadriel Chilton, Ivy PlusDirectorof CollectionInitiatives
The recentlyappointedIvyPlusDirectorof CollectionInitiativesGaladriel Chiltonwilldiscussthe initial
stepsunderwaytofurtherthe workfor thisnetworkof librariesaroundavisionof collective collection
developmentandmanagement.
Slide SpeakingPoints
Good morning!ThankyouSarah the invitationtojoinyou
all thismorningto talkaboutthe IvyPlusLibrariesandthe
workof the IvyPlusLibraries’CollectionsGroup.Thank
youas well SusanCassidyandall of the people atHarvard
for arrangingthe logisticsof thisgreatevent.
Before lookingforward atwhatstepsare underwayto
explore andenable collectivecollectionswork,let’stake a
brief momenttolookback - what isIvyPlusLibraries, and
more specifically, whatisthe IvyPlusLibraries Collections
Group, andhow didwe gethere?
From the quite successful Borrow Directresource sharing
service questionsemergesuchas:
 What doesour scholars’use of Borrow Direct tell
us aboutour general collectionsasanecosystem
of information?
 How doesscholars’use of Borrow Directinform
and evolve managementof ourcollections?
Strivingtoexplore andanswerthese questions,infall
2014, the AULs of collectionsatthe Borrow Direct
participatinginstitutionssentaproposal totheir
UniversityLibrariansthat - basedonthe successof
Borrow Direct as well asthe collaborative work of this
groupof AULs goingback to 2008 - soughtsupportto
expandworkoncollaborative,collectivecollections.
The resultwas thatthe UniversityLibrariansaskedthe
AULs of collectionstodrafta businessplanfortheir
initiativesandvision.The UniversityLibrariansalsoput
fortha new name forthe group: IvyPlusCollection
DevelopmentGroupwithrepresentativesfromeachof
the 13 cooperatingIvyPlusLibraries.Borrow Direct
remainsthe resource sharingnetworkservice thatisthe
IvyPlusLibraries’ firstcooperativeinitiative. One could

2. say: IvyPlusLibraries,the cooperativebroughttoyouby
Borrow Direct.
Thisis an excerptfromthe IvyPlusLibrariesCollections
Group’svisionstatement:
“The IvyPluslibrariesembrace avisionfor collection
developmentandmanagementwhichrecognizesour
preeminentacademicresearchandspecial collectionsas
one great collectioninsupportof the teaching,research
and publicmissionsof ourrespective institutionsandthe
global scholarlycommunity.The IvyPluslibrarieswill
endeavortoimplementprojectsandinitiativeswhichin
time will move researchmaterialsinavarietyof formats
‘above the institution’toembedtheminanetworked
infrastructure thatfosterscollaboration,cooperationand
consolidationinsupportof buildingandprovidingaccess
to distinctive academicresearchcollections.”
In additiontothe CollectionsGroup’scooperative
endeavors,there are otherexamplesof cooperative
collectionswork thatbeginwithselectorscoming
togethertoaddress problemscollaborativelysuchas:
 Music: Withthe distributedacquisitionof
contemporarycomposer’sscoresbyparticipating
institutions,and
 Latin AmericanStudies: The purchase of Brazilian
monographsdistributedby geographicregionby
participatingIvyPlusLibraries.
Whenit comesto these existingcollective collections…
 How dowe review/assess/evaluate themandwhat
do we considerasuccess?
 How dowe assesandevolve cooperative
arrangementstoreflectthe vibrantunpredictability
of research aswell asthe full lifecycleof collection
management?
These are justtwo of the manyquestionsthe Collections
Group and colleaguesthroughoutthe IvyPlusLibraries
are asking.
Since I beganas the inaugural Directorof Collections
InitiativesinJune, one of the initiativesthat colleagues
and I have beenworkingon isa projectplanfor Collective
CollectionsAnalysis tohelpusbegintoanswersuch
questions.
We are at the verybeginningof thiswork,the trail head.

3. The goals of thisworkare:
 To write an IvyPlus Librariescollections
statementthatbuildsuponthe IvyPlusLibraries
CollectionGroup’svision,and
 To developamodel forcollectionanalysisthat
supports collectivecollectioninitiativesfocused
on bothprospective collectiondevelopmentof
resourcesinall formatsas well assharedprint
retention.
Presentlywe are beginning Phase 1of thisproject which
includes the behind-the-scenespreparation forcollection
analysis:
 EstablishinganIvyPlusLibrariescollections
statement
 Conductinganenvironmental scan soas to
systematically gatherinformationaboutthe
collectiongovernance andmanagement,existing
collaborations,etc.abouteachinstitutionina
comparable way.
 Conductingadata inventoryanddata profiles.
 Craftingrecommendationsfordatacollectionand
data analysis.
 DefiningtwopilotprojectsforPhase IIwhereby
the conceptual model forcollectionanalysiswill
be testedandrefined.
The goal isthat by writing the collections statementfor
the cooperative,buildingandtestingacollectionsanalysis
model,IvyPlusLibrarieswill have ablueprintfor
investigation thatwill be afoundationfor,andhelp
enable data-informedcollective collections of all types,in
all formats.
Beyondthe taskof creatingan analysis model,whatare
the keychallengesthatthe IvyPlusLibrariesface whenit
comesto collective collections?
 Well there are many to be sure,butlet’s consider
a couple:
o The concept of comprehensive
collections.
o The change frombrandedlocal ownership
comparedto collective stewardshipand
access.

4. To the first,it’simportantto rememberthatwhile all of
the Ivy PlusLibraries have very rich,deep,andbroad
collections,librarieshave neverhadcomprehensive
collections orcollectionsthatare easilyaccessible and
convenientlyavailable –thisiswhy it isnecessaryto have
resource sharinglike interlibraryloanand Borrow Direct;
servicesthatthrive,have name recognition, andthatour
scholars relyon.
So,let’sreplace
 “strivingforcomprehensive collections”and
 broad “justincase” collectiondevelopment”
with
 “addressingcomplex andever-changing
conditions”
through
 “collectionsasa service”
and workon careful alignmentamongstIvyPlusLibraries
to create collective collections inacomplicated,organic,
evolvingscholarlyecosystem.
For as Dan Hazenwrote “The librarycan solidifyitsown
sense of purpose,andalsopointthe campustowardthe
future,byrecastingitsdocumentationintermsof all the
researchresourcesassociatedwithitsusersandthe fields
theyrepresent.Insistingonin-flexible,site-specific
codificationsforourhardcopy acquisitionswill onlymire
us inthe past."
Lookingat the presentand intothe future so as notto
become miredinthe past,IvyPlusLibrariesisdifferent
than a 13-institutioncomprehensive collective collection.
Lookingagainat the Ivy PlusLibrariesCollectionsgroup’s
vision:
“The IvyPluslibrarieswill endeavortoimplementprojects
and initiativeswhichintime will moveresearchmaterials
ina varietyof formats‘above the institution’…thatfosters
collaboration,cooperation and consolidation insupport
of buildingandprovidingaccesstodistinctive academic
researchcollections.”
The visioncallsforinitiatives:
 That “...focusonmaximizingaccesswhile also
reducingpurchasing,processing,sharing,and
storage costs.”
 Where “Makingevidence-baseddecisionsshould
be the norm, not the exception.Pragmatism

5. shouldbe a touchstone. Likelihoodof use and
sustainabilityare validconcerns.”
Such a visionof collaborationthatmaximizesaccess,
reducespurchasing,processing,andstorage costsis
necessarybecause….
…of the evidence thatpointstothe necessity todoso,
includingthe decrease infundsavailable formaterials.
Thisgraph showsthe tremendouscollectionsacquisitions
strengthof the Ivy PlusLibraries –11 out of the 13
institutionsare representedhere –butitalso showsthat
fundsavailable are notsteadilyincreasingasinthe past.
But, if dollarsare a vehicle,asDaniel Dollarnotedearlier
thismorning,thenIvyPlusLibrariesstill have amighty
convoy.How can we collaborate tomake thisconvoygo
farther?
The demandfor contentinmultiple formats,aswell as
the needforfundsto supportthe infrastructure for
accessingandhousingcollectionsof all types:discovery
services,linkresolvers,institutional repositories,digitized
collections,etc.meansthatmaterialsbudgetsare spent
differentlyand thatthe fundsdonot all go to content.
Here we see how fundsfor serials(e andprint),
monographs(e andprint),andbibliographictoolshave
shiftedovertime.

6. Additionally,circulationamong12 of the 13 IvyPlus
Librarieshasdecreasedsteadily overthe last5 yearswith
projections thatthe decrease willcontinue.Yet,despite
decreasingcirculationof tangible items,the numberof
monographspurchasedisstill steadilyincreasing though
at a slowerrate.
Furthermore,projectionsfrompublishingindustries
aroundthe worldshow increases(exceptSouthKorea
where there isa decrease) andgrowthmeaningthat the
numberof possible publicationstopurchase continuesto
increase.
The numberof titleswithISBNsprintedinthe US shows
an increase inavailable titlestoo –I’mnot sure whythere
issuch a tremendousspike inpublicationsin2010, but if
justlookat the dottedline andfuture projections,we see
again,that the numberof publicationsavailableeachyear
continuestoincrease.
So, there is an increase inmaterial availabletopurchase
that may be of interesttoour researchcommunities,and
yet,we have lessfundstobuycontent, lessavailabilityof
space to keepphysical collections, andthe circulationof
physical monographsthat have beenpurchasedis
decreasing. Also,asTomnotedearlier,there’salsoa
greaterproliferationof documentationof the human
experience (e.g.e-mail,twitterfeeds,blogposts,etc.)
Additionally,whenitcomestothe humanintellectand
skillsneeded tomanage collections,there isamuch
broaderneedfora varietyof core skillstomatchwhere
scholarsare goingandwhere collectionsare going:digital
scholarshipanddata managementaswell asensuring
that areassuch as e-resource management,collection
discovery, metadata, etc.are robustlystaffedasa key
part of collectionstewardship.
Thisverybroad, bigpicture data supportscollaborative
collectionanalysissothatthe IvyPlusLibraries’significant
collectionsacquisitionspowercanbe usedto bringto life
the visionof collaborationsthatreduce purchasing
(especiallyunnecessaryduplication),processing,and
storage costs,while maximizingaccess – especiallyto
unique,neededcontent.

7. While we have datapointingtothe necessityfora
significantchange,it’s alsoimportanttopause andrealize
that whenitcomesto evidence-basedanddata-informed
decisions, thataswe see data andevidence, ourhuman
nature is to questionorrefute anydata that goesagainst
our preexistingphilosophical structuresandpersonal
stories – that iscounterto our currentconceptsand
mental models.
Dan Kahan,law and psychologyprofessoratYale Law
School,andfounderof the Cultural CognitionProject
notesthat whenitcomesto acceptingscientificdataand
facts aboutglobal warming, the disposal of nuclear
wastes,andthe effectof conceal andcarry laws,humans
tendto accept andassimilate new facts ONLYif itfitsinto
a pre-existingnarrativewithmeaning.
So,whenit comesto ourcollections,if dataaboutour
collectionsiscountertoourcurrent narratives,thenit’s
time to craft new narratives, because asKahanstates
“evidence can’tbe refutedbyjustsaying‘no’.”
Eula Biss,a professorof EnglishatNorthwestern
Universityandthe authorof On Immunity talksabout
vaccinationsandhow for those againstvaccines, while
facts alone maynot change our perceptions, the
incorporationof personal narratives,analysisof the facts,
and the philosophybehindthe facts maycreate a
frameworkof understandingand helpcreate new
philosophical structures.
So,as we draftnew philosophiesof librarycollections,
buildnew modelsforcollectionanalysisandevolve what
isa librarycollection –thatis a collective andwithshared
stewardshipinsteadof asingle institution’sownership –
it’stime to buildanew structure,a new frameworkof
understandingthatdescribeswhat isa “library
collection.”
But, buildingonthe new modelsforcollectionanalysis
and collections managementsothatwe can then create a
new structure of what are librarycollectionsrequires
significantmentalandpragmaticshift.
How dowe dothat?
SociologistMarkGranovetterdescribesthe Threshold
Model of Collective Behavior wherehumanshave beliefs-
that isa positionone holdsintheirmindandheart –

8. - and humans alsohave a thresholdbefore theywill
engage ina behavior– usuallyone thattheyperceive as
irrational.
(Granovetterfoundthatbeliefsandthresholdsoverlap
sometimes,butsometimestheydon’t.)
One’s thresholdof engagementoractionis strongly
influenced bypeers,andone’sthresholdcanvarygreatly
dependingonhow aperson thinksthat theiractionswill
be perceivedbyothers,whatwill theirpeersthinkof
whatthey’ve done?
Now consideringthe necessitythatwe significantly
change our collectionsdevelopmentandmanagement,it
isthenalso necessarythatwe all lowerourthreshold for
engaginginwhatmay feel like anirrational behavior
whenitcomesto collections –as a group of peers,come
togetherandconscientiously saythatyes, we will dothis.
We will come togetherand:
 Use quantitative andqualitative datawithcritical
eyestocreate a clearerpicture of whatour
communitiesof scholarsneed,andwe
understandthattheirneedsare constantly
shiftingand oftenunpredictable.
 Use thisdata-informednarrative tocasta light
ahead,and
 We will lowerourthresholdasa community of
peerstoinvoke thisnecessarychange.
In 2013 Dan Hazenand DeborahJakubswrote:
“Cultural expression,scholarlycommunication,anddata
are movingtowarddigital modalitiesof creationanduse.
The scale of meaningful activityinsupportof these shifts
has clearlysurpassedwhatlibrariesandtheirinstitutions
can accomplishontheirown.
New perspectivesandapproachesare essential asthe
entire scholarlycommunityaddressesthisemergent
context.We have boththe opportunityandthe
responsibilitytodevelopacoherentstrategytoadvance
international scholarship.”
- Dan Hazenand DeborahJakubs

9. Embracingthisopportunityandresponsibilitythatis
before us isnecessaryforour librariestosurvive,evolve,
and thrive…
We’ve all heardHerbertSpencer’s phrase “survival of the
fittest”thathe usedto describe Darwin’snatural
selection.
However,ethologistMarkBekoff notesthatthough
“’Survival of the fittest’hasalwaysbeenusedtoreferto
the most successful competitor,…infactcooperationmay
be of equal ormore importance.”
Bekoff continuesbywritingthat“if the group[of animals]
workstogethertheneachindividual’schance forsurvival
[andI’d addthriving] improves.”Bekoffnotesthat
“Animalscertainlystill compete,butcooperationis
central inevolutionof social behavior,andthisalone
makesitkeyfor survival.”
Thinkingonmyexperiencewiththe IvyPlusCollections
Group these pastfourmonthsinthisnew position, I’m
inspiredandexcitedabout the cooperation Isee andthe
extraordinarypotential formovingtowhere collective
collections asakeycomponentof libraries’supportingthe
entiretyof the scholarlyecosystem - the whole research
cycle - isthe normrather thanthe novelty.
WhenI thinkof Ivy PlusLibraries asa community,Ithink
of a flockof tundra swans,or snow geese –each bird
remainsa distinct individual,yettheycome togetherand
migrate as isnecessaryfortheirsurvival andinorderto
thrive – theymigrate as a group,and as a flock cover
significantlymore mileage infarlesstime than flyingsolo.
Citations
Beck,J. (2015, January29). AmericansBelieveinScience,JustNotItsFindings.The Atlantic.Retrieved
fromhttp://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/01/americans-believe-in-science-just-not-its-
findings/384937/
Bekoff,M.(2007). The emotional livesof animals:A leadingscientistexploresanimal joy,sorrow,and
empathy--andwhytheymatter.Novato,Calif:New WorldLibrary.
Bowker.(2014, August).PrintISBN counts,USA pubdate 2002-2013.
http://media.bowker.com/documents/bowker-isbn_output_2002_2013.pdf

10. Granovetter,M. (1978). ThresholdModelsof Collective Behavior.AmericanJournalof Sociology,83(6),
1420-1443. Retrievedfromhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/2778111
Hazen,D. C. (1995). CollectionDevelopmentPoliciesinthe InformationAge.College&Research
Libraries,56(1),29–31. http://doi.org/10.5860/crl_56_01_29
Hazen,D.C. & Jakubs,D.(2013). The Global Dimensionsof Scholarship and Research Libraries: Finding
Syndergies,Creating Convergance. https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/28553796.
How Many BooksHave EverBeenPublished?(n.d.).RetrievedSeptember20, 2016, from
http://mentalfloss.com/us/go/85305
Kahan,Dan M. andJenkins-Smith,HankandBraman,Donald,Cultural Cognitionof ScientificConsensus
(February7, 2010). Journal of RiskResearch,Vol.14, pp.147-74, 2011; Yale Law School,PublicLaw
WorkingPaperNo.205. Available atSSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1549444 or
http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1549444
Transcript| This AmericanLife.(June24,2016) RetrievedSeptember14, 2016, from
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/590/transcript