2018 Charleston Library Conference

Starting a position as a collections development librarian, or being assigned responsibilities to oversee collections in an academic library, can be a daunting task, regardless of how healthy or extensive the library's budget is. This presentation will offer insights and advice to those who are relatively new to assuming a collections budget from a panel of librarians from private and public, small and large university libraries. We will offer some best practices for assessing fund structures, spending patterns, and trends. Participants will understand navigating restricted and unrestricted funds, and strategizing spending models, such as demand driven acquisitions, evidence-based acquisitions, and purchase on demand, in the context of configuring an overall materials budget. We will demonstrate the analytical components of ILS, ERM, and subscription agent systems. Particular attention will be paid to how best to make use of usage statistics, circulation patterns, peer comparison reports, consortial reports, and cost-per-use in planning and assessing allocations. And, we will discuss some key constituents one needs to work with in overseeing a collections budget, including a university's budget/procurement office, vendors, legal counsel, and librarians from units throughout the library. We will share our experiences in working with these stakeholders in considering such matters as long- and short-term license agreements, managing invoice renewals, and forecasting future spending and allocations. Regardless of the size of an academic library’s collections budget, we will show some commonalities that can occur in approaches for one new to assuming a collections budget.