2018 Charleston Library Conference

Can three libraries with different needs and goals successfully work together to build a strong shared collection and contain costs? This talk will highlight the practical aspects of how the CTW Consortium in Connecticut deployed a consortial print approval plan, complementary EBA ebook plans and a fulfillment network in order to save money while building a collection that meets patron needs. CTW, formed in 1987, is a consortium of Connecticut College, Trinity College and Wesleyan University. Each campus has a separate Alma catalog joined to the others through a shared fulfillment network, which allows users at each campus to request book delivery from the other two. Starting in November 2016, the consortium built on this successful service by implementing a shared print approval program that was modeled on a similar program at Colby, Bates and Bowdoin. Each school had its own reasons for sharing print purchases, including the desire to reduce duplication, save funds spent on print, move away from DDA, and lessen the workload of selectors. Since the implementation of the print approval plan, CTW’s institutions have made several big changes, including cancelling DDA programs (at two of the schools) and adding JSTOR and Project Muse EBA plans. For at least one school, the plan has been extremely helpful in making decisions about collection budget reductions. In this talk, speakers will share the current state of the approval plan, along with metrics gathered before and after plan implementation, such as circulation data, planned versus actual expenditures, collection duplication, patron perceptions and selector impressions of the plan. Speakers will also discuss the next steps for the program and grapple with some lingering questions, such as how far the consortium should go toward becoming a truly “shared collection,” and the implications this may hold for reserve services and collection growth.