Follow the METADATA Breadcrumbs: For titles you are considering for purchase...what does the metadata look like in WorldCat? Search your local catalog for that metadata, and see if it has every circulated. Can that metadata predict whether your new selections will circulate?

1. CRAFTING PRINT
MONOGRAPHIC
COLLECTIONS THAT
HAVE A PURPOSE II
SUNYLA 2017
Marianne Hebert
SUNY Potsdam
hebertm@potsdam.edu

2. WE NEED TO MAXIMIZE OUR
MONOGRAPHIC FUNDS
• 40-50% of books purchased by academic libraries NEVER circulate
• Library budget is flat or has decreased
• Use of books, ILL and Research Help is down
• Students still prefer print books over e-books
• We need to optimize purchases to meet users needs
• We need to focus our efforts on titles thatWILL circulate

3. TRADITIONAL ASSUMPTIONS
• We teach [topic]
• We should have books on [topic]
• Selectors should buy books with good reviews on [topic]
• We should have “Choice essential” books on [topic]
• A good academic library should have books on [topic]

4. NEW WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT
BUILDING LIBRARY COLLECTIONS
• Students come to the library when they have a research assignment
• Students need books to complete their assignments
• Libraries don’t just need “good books” with “good reviews”
• Libraries need “good books” that fulfill current assignment needs
• Don’t worry so much about predicting future needs
• For low use titles, we can rely on resource sharing

5. SO HOW CAN WE FIGURE OUT
WHAT BOOKS TO BUY?
• Faculty input can be useful
• ALEPH Web OPAC Search Strings
• ALEPH circulation by title report
• ALEPH circulation by budget code report
• ILLiad Reports – Most requested Loans
• Follow the Metadata Breadcrumbs

6. FOLLOW THE METADATA BREADCRUMBS
For every title you are considering for purchase:
• Check holdings on WorldCat (SUNY Rule of 3)
• What does the metadata look like? Content notes? Abstract? What are the
Subject Headings?
• Search the ALEPH GUI CIRC module using the metadata terms.
• Do you own similar titles? How many titles? How recent are they?
• Do they circulate?
• How much do they circulate?
• To whom do they circulate (students, faculty, public or ILL)?
• When did they last circulate?

7. E
FIRST A NO-BRAINER
SUNY Rule of 3?
Mosques of Egypt

8. METADATA lacks contents
note, but has an ABSTRACT
and pretty good SUBJECT
HEADINGS

9. SH=MOSQUES
Only three titles
and all are pretty
dated
Click on the
Circulation
button to see
how each title
has been used.
Search the METADATA in ALEPH GUI

10. 1/3 The mosque : history, architectural development
12 LOANS!

11. 12 LOANS:
2 INHOUSE
7 STUDENT LOANS
(one student
borrowed it 3 times,
plus 3 Loans prior to
2008)
1/3 The mosque : history, architectural development

12. Dates of ALL Loans 2007-2016
Most recent use is by students
1/3 The mosque : history, architectural development

13. ITEM CHANGES TAB:
BOOK was on RESERVE
in 2014 but only resulted
in one LOAN
1/3 The mosque : history, architectural development

14. 2/3 Hagia Sophia from the age of Justinian
12 Loans:
4 Student Loans
1 ILL
Loan details prior to 2009
don’t display in the
Circulation Log.

15. 2/3 Hagia Sophia from the age of Justinian
26 LOANS since 1994
Was on RESERVE in 2011, but
only one LOAN in 2011

16. SUBJECT HEADING = ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE 20 titles

17. SH= ISLAMIC
ARCHITECTURE
Save results to
server and use
p-manage-70, etc.
to pull circ data.
20 titles most have
pretty good circs.
The collection is a
bit dated and could
use a few more
titles. One
purchased in 2016
hasn’t circulate yet.

18. ASSESSMENT: “MOSQUES OF
EGYPT”
• Collection needs updating
• We have very little on mosques, and books on “Mosques”
and “Islamic Architecture” show strong evidence of use
• It’s no brainer!

19. Second Example:
Not so clear cut

20. SUNY Rule of 3?
The Shadow of unfairness

21. Pretty good METADATA
Content notes
Abstract
Subject Headings
Search these terms in the catalog
The Shadow of Unfairness

22. SUBJECT HEADING =
Representative government
and representation
democracy =15 titles

23. Highlight each record
and push to Circulation
pane to see how it got
used …

24. Not all titles are similar to
the title I am considering, but
a few are…

25. 7 LOANS
3/15 Why deliberative democracy?

26. FACULTY
No Recent Student Loans
3/15 Why deliberative democracy?

27. ZERO USE!
4/15 Deliberative democracy in America

28. No recent loans.
Last use in 2000.
12/15 The future of American Democracy

29. SAME STUDENT
SAME STUDENT
SAME STUDENT
One student borrowed
this title 3 times, 1 ILL, 4
in-house uses
7/15 Deliberative democracy

30. ASSESSMENT OF “THE SHADOW OF
UNFAIRNESS”
• No strong evidence that this title will get used
• One student used one book, multiple times (could have
been borrowed on ILL?
• Might try searching other METADATA terms
• SH=Political participation—Economic aspects
• KW=Plebeian* or KW=Plutocracy
• In-house use is more like “maybe it got used?”
• In short: I probably wouldn’t buy this book

31. QUESTIONS?
HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/SUNYLA2017
• Marianne Hebert
• hebertm@potsdam.edu
• 315 267-3308
2016 slides with HOW TO RUN REPORTS
Slideshare: http://tinyurl.com/SUNYLA2016MH