CAM

• Collection Assessment Methodologies


  Strategies or procedures in assessing the library collections
• Collection Assessment Methodologies


  • Collection-Centered Methods
  • User-Centered Methods
• Collection-Centered Methods


  • Focuses on library collections
  • How to collect, develop, weed, and improve your collections base on your current collections
• List Checking


  1. Frequently used assessment method

  2. Used when lists are readily identifiable

  3. Used to check library collections

  4. Time consuming
• Obtaining User Opinion (Expert Opinion)

  A method where libraries hired experts or invited experts to come up with unbiased decisions in the selection of library materials
• Obtaining User Opinion (Expert Opinion)

  • Hiring experts to come up with unbiased decision in selection of library materials
  • Provide fair decision or assessment
  • Hiring outside of institution
• Comparative Use Statistics


  Techniques and processes used to compare data across different collections or datasets
• Collection Standards


  Established guidelines and protocols used to ensure the consistency, reliability, and accuracy of data collected from different sources
• User-Centered Methods


  • Focuses on how patrons and users interact in library resources
  • Prioritize and meeting the standards of the users
  • Accessibility, usability, and relevance to the community
• Circulation Studies


  Adequacy of print collection is directly related to its use. Circulation records provide a reasonably representative picture of collection use.
• Customer Perception


  User's opinion about collection adequacy, in terms of quantity, quality or both are significant factors in their overall view about library quality
• Use of ILL Statistics (Interlibrary Loan)


  An overall review of ILL data may reveal areas of the collection that are too weak to meet all the demands of that may need greater depth of coverage
• Bibliometric Studies


  Particularly valuable for assessing serial collections. Two of the most common techniques are citation and content analysis.
• Direct Observation


  • The main advantages are that it is practical and immediately effective
  • The main disadvantages are that it requires a subject or materials expert and is not very scientific
• Shelf List Analysis


  • Gross Size
  • Volumes added per year
  • Formulae
  • Comparisons
  • Subject balance
  • Unfilled requests
  • ILL requests
  • Optimum size
  • Expenditures
• Shelf Scanning


  When most of the materials are on the shelves, this method may provide information about the condition and the extent of the collection very quickly
• Client-Centered Statistical Analysis


  Covers a variety of techniques involving gathering and analysis of statistics relating to circulation, reference, interlibrary loan, cataloging, acquisitions and online searches