Research and Publications - University Libraries

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A Retrospective Look at a DDA-Centered Collection Strategy: Planning for the Future of Monograph Acquisitions
(Elsevier, 2024) Lowry, Lindsey; Arthur, Michael A.; Gilstrap, Donald L.
The demand-driven acquisitions (DDA) model has been established as a standard component of collection development strategies for academic libraries. The University of Alabama’s collection development strategy revolves around the large DDA program for acquiring electronic monographs and is supplemented by other methods of monographic acquisitions such as firm ordering, bulk eBook purchases, and more. While previous studies have confirmed the advantages of The University of Alabama's DDA plan early in its implementation, this study explores the long-term effectiveness of the DDA-centered collection strategy, seven years after it was first put into place, and examines the validity of the strategy as one bringing efficiency and high return on investment. Finally, this longitudinal study hopes to substantiate the DDA-centered collection strategy as one that could be a foundational model for other academic libraries to follow.
Being Earnest With Collections-Building a Successful Marketing Program at the University of Alabama
(Against the Grain, 2017-06) Arthur, Michael A.
This article highlights a new marketing program at The University of Alabama focused on promoting key databases and other electronic resources including eBook and streaming video collections. The program began over a year ago and has seen a few revisions along the way. This article will explore some of the key aspects of planning and implementation from the past 18 months. The key to any project of this magnitude is establishing goals for the program and ensuring that staff have the right tools and training. The marketing program has changed in response to library strategic goals and because the skill level of those involved has improved. In the past three months, the overall quality of program has improved greatly following the hiring of two students who had knowledge of how to use the software, and interest in developing high quality professional images. Now with development and refinement of the marketing program complete it is time to look back on the entire process, highlight some best practices, and alert others to the potential pitfalls to consider when beginning a similar initiative.
Being Earnest With Collections-Known Unknown: A Humanities Collection Gap-Analysis Project
(Charleston Hub, 2017) Arthur, Michael A.; Daugherty, Alice L.
University of Alabama faculty member, Alice Daugherty, provides insight into a project she participated in while working at Louisiana State University.
Being Earnest With Collections-The Importance of Reviewing Technical Services Operations to Promote Efficient Access and Enhanced Discoverability of Resources
(Against the Grain, 2016-04) Arthur, Michael A.
I was recently reflecting back on the first six months of my new role at The University of Alabama. I was charged during the first year to undertake a complete review of work processes within the newly formed Resource Acquisition & Discovery Department. The previously separate functional areas of acquisitions, cataloging, and electronic resources were brought together just prior to my start in August of 2015. The analysis began within the first couple of months as I began to meet with everyone in the department. We discussed the usual things including what was going well and what could be improved. I learned about the transition period after the loss of department and unit heads over the previous year or two, and understood how the staff now had to face the uncertainty of a new manager. It became apparent that bringing the units together in proximity did not necessarily mean that there would be a logical move toward integration of workflow. Being Earnest with Collections focuses this month on raising awareness of the importance of workflow analysis. Hopefully I will provide some best practices for others who plan to take a good hard look at just where technical services is going. There is a new emphasis on moving away from traditional models of collection building and toward a focus on collection strategy, in line with providing content when and where it is needed rather than building collections across all disciplines. There is an opportunity to be more efficient while we transition spending and staffing from a traditional print based operation to one that will be able to address selection, procurement and access in the electronic environment.
Cooperation is Key: How Publishers and Libraries are Working Together to Achieve Common Goals
(Against the Grain, 2016-01) Arthur, Michael A.; Sieck, Stacy
Building the library/publisher relationship is by no means a new issue. It’s an issue we see covered in conferences and industry news articles, and it’s often a point of discussion (and sometimes contention) on listservs and industry blogs.
Creating Core Title Lists for Print Subscription Retention and Storage/Weeding
(Taylor & Francis, 2010-04-09) Rais, Shirley; Arthur, Michael A.; Hanson, Michael J.
Loma Linda University (LLU) is a small, health sciences-oriented university with a growing electronic resource collection with 5,674 e-books, over 70 databases, and more than 12,000 e-journals. In 2007, they decided to use print usage statistics compiled over several years with a goal of making sound decisions about retaining or cancelling print subscriptions and determining which subscriptions to flip from print to online only. The core title lists the developed were used to help guide the library in making decisions about weeding, maintaining print access, migrating to online, and placing bound volumes into remote storage. This presentation outlined the process used at LLU to identify core titles and explains some of the rationale behind their decisions. Some of the advantages and disadvantages in undertaking such a project are identified and a review from the practical side of the project may give some insight to other libraries considering such an endeavor.
Developing a Collections Marketing Program at The University of Alabama
Arthur, Michael A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Developing a Crystal Clear Future for the Serials Unit in an Electronic Environment: Results of a Workflow Analysis
(Taylor & Francis, 2013-12-06) Graves, Tonia; Arthur, Michael A.
Institutional growth at Old Dominion University and changes within its libraries over the past several years have left the Serials Unit feeling anything but crystal clear. In moving from a print to an electronic focus, the Serials Unit conducted a workflow analysis project. The analysis resulted in a report containing recommendations for reallocating responsibilities and documenting changes in staff skills and positions. This article, which grew out of a presentation at the 15th North Carolina Serials Conference “Crystal Clear? Today’s Libraries, Tomorrow’s Library Users,” describes the workflow analysis process and expands on how its recommendations have benefited the Serials Unit. Serials Review 2006; 32:238–246.
Developing a Distributed Print Depository System: Challenges and Opportunities
(Taylor & Francis, 2005-09-24) DeRosiers, Barbara; Trevvett, Melissa; Arthur, Michael A.
Barbara DesRosiers and Melissa Trevvett provided background information regarding their ongoing projects to develop print archives to preserve legacy materials and to serve as a backup to electronic journals. The presenters discussed projects currently underway and outlined the factors and issues to be considered when planning to form or join a print archive consortium. They also provided details about their current partnerships with JSTOR, Michigan State University, the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and Yale University including: the components of the projects, funding and staffing issues, and coordination and communication among the partners. The presenters stressed the importance of legal agreements among partners as a way to minimize risk and provide better management of the program.
Developing a Statewide Print Repository in Florida: The UCF Experience with FLARE
(Purdue University, 2013) Arthur, Michael A.; Zhang, Y.
Many academic libraries are struggling with collections size reaching or exceeding building capacity. Meanwhile, the movement of twenty-first-century libraries calls for user-centered space. The combination of these two factors has challenged libraries to identify ways to eliminate physical collections without losing access to content. The academic libraries in the State of Florida, including the University of Central Florida (UCF), have discussed and developed plans for a shared print repository for several years. For the past few years a statewide Shared Storage Task Force was convened with representation from the state university libraries, and eventually formed the Florida Academic Repository (FLARE) under the leadership of the University of Florida. In 2012, FLARE received the first large shipment from a participating library, the University of Miami. After a few months of active planning, UCF implemented its project preparing materials to send to FLARE and is poised to be the next library contributing to FLARE. As presented, the UCF FLARE project requires tremendous coordination and collaboration within the multiple units in the Technical Services Division at UCF and with the external FLARE Team in Gainesville. Policies and procedures were developed with guidance from the FLARE Team, and internal workflow was designed to ensure accurate processing. This presentation focused on providing an overview of the FLARE project with a specific focus on the UCF experience in selecting and processing materials.
Expectations and Realities of Streaming Video
(2021-04) Calabrese, Cara; Arthur, Michael A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Libraries want to support curricular needs for video content, but meeting needs can be difficult when faculty are inflexible regarding title, format type, and timeline. How many of us have gotten the email saying I need a specific film to show in my class on a date that is suspiciously close to today? Many librarians actively try to educate faculty about the importance of asking early for class required content. That message doesn’t always get through. It can also be hard to break the expectations library patrons have regarding streaming video for personal use. So many people are consuming streaming video via a variety of platforms and that content is easily available on interfaces that keep working to make staying on their platform easier and more desirable. The content can be nearly instantaneous, when renting (leased) or purchasing (perpetual) new content. However, purchasing and delivery models for some of these platforms may not be as manageable for libraries as it is for an individual purchasing content for their own personal use. For example, they may not allow for IP authentication with site wide license, or they may require payment for “individual only access” at the point of need. How can the library provide access to streaming video content that meets the needs of the academic community while competing against the large variations in options available to individual users? More importantly, should we? Should we instead be working to manage expectations and educate patrons on costs, processes, and restrictions the library faces in availability and access as opposed to what individuals encounter? What have we been doing recently to cultivate conversations on this topic? What resources are we providing for streaming video in general? How are we tackling changes in access regarding streaming video collections? What alternative solutions are being offered and how feasible are those solutions for both faculty and the library? When is it more feasible to promote a DVD as an alternative? What role do librarians have in educating the campus community regarding copyright and fair use for both streaming video and DVD? Coming from both a large and a medium/small university, we will look at what methods and communication our libraries have been implementing to answer these questions. Presented at the ACRL 2021 conference, held virtually April 13-16, 2021.
Expediting the Delivery of Content to Library Users: When to Buy Versus When to Borrow?
(2020-07-17) Decker, Emy Nelson; Arthur, Michael A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
If an item is not readily available in an academic library’s collection, is it quicker to buy it or does is make better sense to borrow it? At a public, four-year institution, Acquisitions and ILL are exploring a new relationship to improve the users’ experience. The question is determining what triggers the decision to borrow versus buy an item. The exploration is born of the institution’s ongoing migration from a traditional to a demand driven based collections strategy. This article will elucidate how Acquisitions and ILL can work together to effectively deliver what users need when they need it.
How Technology Fee Funding Transformed Collection Decisions at the University of Central Florida
(Against the Grain, 2013-04) Arthur, Michael A.; White, Natasha
In 2007, the Florida Legislature addressed the need for technology funding at the eleven state universities. The change permitted each university to collect technology fees from students at the rate of 5% of tuition. The new fees went into effect at the start of the 2009-2010 academic year.
Improving the Librarian-Publisher Relationship: What Librarians and Publishers Need to Know About Each Other
(The Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge, 2015-06) Brown, Laura; Arthur, Michael A.
Judging the Need for and Value of DDA in an Academic Research Library Setting
Walker, Kevin W.; Arthur, Michael A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
KBART: Best Practices in Knowledgebase Data Transfer
(Taylor & Francis, 2009-03-13) McCracken, Peter; Arthur, Michael A.
Knowledge Bases and Related Tools (KBART) is a joint project between the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) and the UK Serials Group (UKSG) that is now underway with a focus on improving the functioning of OpenURL by providing standards for the quality and timeliness of data provided by publishers to knowledgebases. In this presentation Peter McCracken, Co-founder of Serials Solutions, provided an overview of KBART and discussed the future plans of this new initiative. A major goal of KBART is to develop a best practices guide that can be used by content providers as they focus on quality control as it relates to the data they provide to the knowledgebase. By bringing together librarians, publishers, aggregators, and e-resource and access management services (ERAMS) vendors the hope is that the real beneficiaries will be library patrons. Several problems that impact the ability of users to get to full-text content include OpenURL data errors and syntax errors. Peter provided an overview of the problems facing library patrons, the various factors that can lead to errors in the knowledgebase and what the KBART project may be able to do to contribute to better data for everyone. The various groups are meeting monthly and presentations are planned at several national-level conferences. KBART will be successful if it results in better data for everyone including those who provide it, those who process it, those who present it, and those who use it.
Looking for Money in All the Right Places: How One Academic Library is Making Good Use of Grant Funds
(Purdue University, 2011) Arthur, Michael A.
In 2007, the Florida Legislature addressed the need for technology funding at the eleven state universities by amending the Florida Statutes. The change permitted each university to collect technology fees from students at the rate of 5% of tuition. The new fees went into effect with the fall term 2009-2010. The presentation at the Charleston Conference focused on the success the UCF Libraries has enjoyed in 2009 and 2010 in securing large awards for use in providing access to relevant content and outlining the key factors that have contributed to the overall results. Each university in Florida is able to determine the process for distribution of the funds. UCF administrators decided that the technology fee funds would be awarded through a competitive bid process. All UCF departments are invited to submit proposals and these are reviewed by a student panel. Winning proposals are ranked into one of three tiers based on the overall impact they will have on students at the University of Central Florida. The tier designation given to a proposal has an impact on when it will be funded. Located in Orlando, FL, and established in 1963, the University of Central Florida (UCF) has quickly grown in size and reputation. By fall 2010, the university had grown to 56,235 students making UCF the second largest public university in the United States. In 2010-2011, the UCF Libraries expended $6,040,023 on library resources. Over $400,000.00 of this total expenditure was a result of technology fee awards. Keys to developing winning proposals include matching the proposal to department and university priorities, outreach to faculty, librarians, publishers and vendors with an eye toward acquiring the most relevant content for the students and faculty. Analyzing usage and turn away data and working with publishers on pricing models that result in low cost per book or low cost per article is critical to developing a winning strategy.
Managing a Comprehensive Cost-per-Use Project in a Large Academic Library
(Routledge, 2019-02-01) Arthur, Michael A.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This article reports the findings of a study to evaluate title-level cost per use (CPU) for most recurring resources at The University of Alabama Libraries. The study relied on cost and usage data from FY2016. The purpose of the project was to identify titles for cancellation and to establish CPU for most titles ordered individually and those within packages for use in future contract negotiations. The analysis began with a list of all recurring titles having a cost of $1,000 or more. The review involved 1,035 titles with an initial objective to highlight all titles with a CPU of $200 or more. Titles exceeding this CPU threshold received additional review, with several identified for cancellation. This article presents the findings and provides an overview of the process used to collect CPU on a large scale. The article outlines some of the challenges faced by libraries when trying to align data that are stored in various silos and the limitations for various platforms and software used when collecting CPU data. The findings from this study formed the basis for a LibGuide developed and used to raise awareness of the need for cancellations. The data also assisted with future contract negotiations.
Paving the Way for Print Repositories Through Electronic
(Taylor & Francis, 2008) Zeter, Mary Jo; Drewes, Jeanne; Arthur, Michael A.
Mary Jo Zeter and Jeanne Drewes from Michigan State University presented an overview of the state of print repositories. The presenters provided a brief history of the move toward print repositories, outlined reasons for inclusion of print serials, and discussed the impact that electronic formats are having on print repositories. Ms. Zeter and Ms. Drewes discussed initiatives by the Center for Research Libraries and provided specific recommendations for the planning and development of a national repository system.
Redesigning Technical Services for the Twenty-First Century A Case Study from the University of Alabama Libraries
(American Library Association, 2020-07) Arthur, Michael A.; Jackson, Millie L.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The University of Alabama Libraries began a workflow analysis over a decade ago. Primarily focused on traditional technical services areas, this process has been iterative and evolved from the need to seek efficiencies to a broader change in the culture and an acceptance of an ongoing process of improvement. This paper discusses lessons learned from workflow analysis regarding acquisitions, electronic resources, and cataloging/metadata, and examines how these changes impacted the broader library and philosophies of collection development and management.

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