Charleston 2015: Collection Lifecycle Management

Implementing Collection Lifecycle Management

Toolkit: subjectguides.uwaterloo.ca/collectionlifecyclemanagement

Annie Bélanger@annie_belangerNovember 2015Charleston Conference

Agenda

Collection Lifecycle Management & Creating Buy-In

Policies: From Development to Withdrawal

Working the Collection Lifecycle Management Way

uWaterloo & Lessons Learned

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Collection Lifecycle Management

Assess strengths & gaps

Your TurnDo you use the concept of collection lifecycle management to discuss collections?

Why Collection Lifecycle Management?

Because there is:• Holistic• Ongoing• Proactive• Engaged

Shifting Paradigms• Empowerment, not

loss• Working within

constraints ≠ sacrifices

• Focus on strategic retention

• Move the partnership to positive ground

Curating Collections• Careful ongoing

curation of the collections to preserve what is strategically important at each moment

Start, Build Buy-In• Find champions• Speak often, and consistently• Articulate why• Demonstrate benefits• Build trust

Your TurnHow have you created buy-in?

Policies Enabling Purpose

Empowered Staff

Strong Collections

Proactive Services

Engaged users

Responsive Programs

Collection Development

Your TurnDo you have an overarching collection policy?

Do you have collection development policies at thesubject level?

Retention Policies• Promote a proactive approach to collection

retention and withdrawal • Directly address the often unique

long-term research needs • Improve engagement with faculty in regard

to collection maintenance• Support ongoing collection evaluation

Developing Retention Policies• Key areas of research and teaching• Unique, distinguished collections• Short-term vs. long-term retention

Withdrawal Policy

• Encompass retention, shifting, and withdrawal

• Empowers Library to make decisions

• Underpinned by clear procedures and communication channels

Align procedures & practices

• Walk the talk! Policies without procedures are just placeholders.– What processes enable implementation?– Challenges in managing collections?– Ways to build trust around collection

management?

Your TurnDo you have a withdrawal/weeding policy?

How effective has it been in moving forward with larger scale projects?

Do you feel empowered to curate the collection?

Working the CLM way• Be proactive and engaged• Leverage stakeholder input and data to

articulate overarching policies and craft ongoing, flexible processes

• Develop evidence-based approach to collection management

Live Collection Evaluation• Create a sustainable plan for ongoing

material reviews• Develop data collection protocols• Create title level rules to “automate” general

weeding• Know what, if any, are the long-term needs

for collection areas– Preserve these & build trust

Collection Evaluation• As part of an

ecosystem of research

• No one way

Ask Questions• What are the collection’s focal points/areas of

concentration?• Is the collection strong and relevant? Conversely, what

are its weaknesses?• Are materials being used regularly by students, faculty,

etc.?• Is the collection supporting or impacting other

collections?• Are certain material formats more desired than others?

Know what your data can do for you

Context is key.• Usage data:

– Shows us what gets used, how often it gets used, and when its used

– Can’t tell us why or how something gets used• User engagement to answer the why and

how

Align Evaluation With Policies• Identify short-term need material• Build collection review into yearly

operations• Keep the communication channels open

Your TurnWhat collection evaluation initiatives have you undertaken?

Trial by Fire

Piloting

Walking the Talk

Learnings• Link between the policies• No one approach fits all• The power of stakeholders• Know what your data can/can’t do for you• Hesitation can lead to paralysis

Your TurnHow have you approached collaborative withdrawal processes?

How might retention policies fit in your culture?

Thoughts?

Toolkit: subjectguides.uwaterloo.ca/collectionlifecyclemanagement