Academic Library Monograph Collections and Mobile Technology: Trends and Opportunities

Academic Library Monograph Collections and Mobile Technology:

Trends and Opportunities

Michael Levine-ClarkCollections LibrarianUniversity of Denver

Academic eBook Future and DevelopmentsHong Kong University

February 22, 2012

Mobile Devices

1990

2010

Academic Library Collections

Collection Development Trends

• Decreasing space• eBooks– DDA– POD

• Shrinking budgets• Emphasis on Discovery• Disaggregation,

unbundling• Greater collaboration

Decreasing Collections Space

• Campus core too valuable– Less stack space

• Full storage facilities• Decreasing storage options

Penrose Library1972 2012

A Potential Solution

• eBooks/local POD helps with:– Space–Off-campus access– Searchability–Multi-user access– Satisfying different user needs (p vs e)

Slow Transition to eBooks

• Lack of content• (Almost) no local POD options• Interface issues– Lack of ereader compatibility

For eBooks to Work, We Need

• Compatibility– Device agnostic

• Easy transfer

• Reasonable DRM

Libraries are Doing it Wrong

Adobe Digital Editions

Too Many Steps!

• Library Catalog• EBL – Open– Download

• Adobe Digital Editions• Nook

No Space = No Browsing

• Loss of serendipitous discovery

• Major faculty concern

The Browsing Problem

• Books in storage• One book – one call number• No option for eBooks• No option for books not in collection• No option for consortial partners• No option for books already checked out

The Browsing Solution

• Digital browsing via catalog– Any format– Physical availability irrelevant– One book can have many locations

• A mobile option?– QR code for physical location– Digital options nearby

Decreasing Budgets

• Disproportionate impact on monographs– Fewer dollars = fewer books

Demand-Driven Acquisition

• eBooks combined with POD (ideally)– eBooks combined with

print (really)

• Solves multiple problems– Space– Budget– Format

Definitions

• Patron-Driven Acquisition (PDA)– Faculty

Requests/Input– Use Data

• Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA)– Meets immediate

need

Demand-Driven Acquisitions Goals

• Broaden the collection–More titles–More publishers–More subjects

• Match acquisitions to immediate demand–Pay at point of need–Pay for amount of need– Short-term loans–Purchase-on-demand

University of Denver EBL Data (5/1/10-6/30/11)

Actual List

325 titles purchased $23,753 $23,753

3,599 titles with at least one STL

$49,171 $236,037

6,477 titles with at least one browse

$0 $473,378

Total (10,401 titles) $72,924 $733,168

Savings $660,244

Reconceiving Library Collections

• Traditional Model– Building a collection– Library as steward of cultural record– Providing resources for current research/teaching

• DDA– Allows a collection based on access– Primary goal: providing resources for current

research/teaching

DDA | Discovery

• Can’t buy it if you can’t find it• Can’t find it if it’s not where you

look

• Library discovery tools must work where users are

What We Know About Mobile

• Surpassing desktop ownership/usage• Changing user expectations– Immediate access!• Download• Request

• Changing user behavior– Purchase, download

Library Catalogs• Don’t take advantage of

mobile:– No location information– Often no ability to request an

item for delivery/to be held– No ability to check out with

device– Limited by idea of traditional

catalog/services

Libraries Need To

• Respond to mobile technology:– Immediate access– Anywhere

• Even for print

Disaggregation, Unbundling

• Of collections– Fewer packages– End of the big deal?

• Of content– Article vs. journal– Chapter vs. book

Smaller pieces for smaller devices

Collaboration

• In purchase– e or e/p

• In storage• In drawing down

print collections

Shared Collections

• Shared e-access– Multiple business

models for e (subscription, purchase, package, DDA)

Dispersed Collections

• One print copy to share consortially

• Shared storage• Reliance on partner

libraries

Remote Collections, Remote Access

Mobile Technology

Library Collections

Thank You

Michael [email protected]