Determining Use of an Academic Library Reference Collection

Abstract

Studies indicate that a lean reference collection is the ideal

Nice vs. Necessary: Reference Collections in ARL Member Libraries

“…She found that 12% of the print reference collection was heavily used, 17% was moderately used, and 36% was lightly used. Although these data seemed positive, approximately 35% of the books surveyed in this study received no dots at all (Colson, 2007). Contrary to the face value results of her study, during the five years in which the project was taking place, reshelving statistics indicated that use of print reference books had increased by 40.4%.…”

“…Pierce (1990), in her introduction to a Reference Librarian special issue on weeding, argued that it is not unusual to delay weeding until a library is confronted with a space shortage. Similarly, Colson's (2007) literature review repeatedly affirmed a strong aversion among librarians to weeding. Possible reasons for this aversion include the nature of the library profession (fear of being considered a censor, fear of criticism from the outside), the practice of weeding itself (it is dusty, time consuming, and frustrating), and even politics (Colson, 2007).…”

“…Contrary to the face value results of her study, during the five years in which the project was taking place, reshelving statistics indicated that use of print reference books had increased by 40.4%. Colson (2007) identified the following factors as having an impact on use:…”

“…Her article described a use assessment project at Columbia International University. The library applied dots to each book as they were reshelved with different colors for each year (Colson, 2007). She found that 12% of the print reference collection was heavily used, 17% was moderately used, and 36% was lightly used.…”

“…If Fussler and Simon's (1969) study-which found that the best predictor of future use is past use-is correct, then collection use is an important metric for allowing the development of a responsive, user-centered collection. Colson (2007) outlined some of the major ways to assess reference collection use. Her article described a use assessment project at Columbia International University.…”