Session Number
M441
Keywords
circulation, reference services, information consumption
Description
In preparing for a five-year president’s advisory review of the library, the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries examined how users drew on the library collection and how they wanted to use information. We surveyed faculty and students to learn how they found and employed library resources for research, study and teaching. Circulation, interlibrary loan, and documented use of electronic resources provided one snapshot on the different ways that the campus community used information.
From a 2001 study [Bergman] we extrapolated how much information for scholarly and research purposes was obtained from the free web. For the advisory board review in late 2010, we again updated this information with results showing a larger web (no surprise) and an increased use of electronic information and free web, a decline in circulation and a small rise in interlibrary loan. Based on these use patterns—a decline in circulation and an overall increase in the use of electronic resources—questions about staffing services and operations needed to be examined.
In the summer of 2011, we explored these changes to understand their practical and operational ramifications. One line of inquiry was to re-examine the data collection process and collected data. Monographic circulation was extrapolated from all circulation data so that this type of use could be examined in more depth. Was the decline in circulation as dramatic as first thought? A second initiative—to put selection in the hands of users—was initiated to test and understand user behavior. Thus in fall 2011, a demand driven monographic acquisitions pilot project in computer science and electrical engineering was begun. This paper will report on the outcomes of those initiatives and initial steps taken to align collections and services.
M441 Presentation
Aligning Collections and Services with User Needs and Practices
In preparing for a five-year president’s advisory review of the library, the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries examined how users drew on the library collection and how they wanted to use information. We surveyed faculty and students to learn how they found and employed library resources for research, study and teaching. Circulation, interlibrary loan, and documented use of electronic resources provided one snapshot on the different ways that the campus community used information.
From a 2001 study [Bergman] we extrapolated how much information for scholarly and research purposes was obtained from the free web. For the advisory board review in late 2010, we again updated this information with results showing a larger web (no surprise) and an increased use of electronic information and free web, a decline in circulation and a small rise in interlibrary loan. Based on these use patterns—a decline in circulation and an overall increase in the use of electronic resources—questions about staffing services and operations needed to be examined.
In the summer of 2011, we explored these changes to understand their practical and operational ramifications. One line of inquiry was to re-examine the data collection process and collected data. Monographic circulation was extrapolated from all circulation data so that this type of use could be examined in more depth. Was the decline in circulation as dramatic as first thought? A second initiative—to put selection in the hands of users—was initiated to test and understand user behavior. Thus in fall 2011, a demand driven monographic acquisitions pilot project in computer science and electrical engineering was begun. This paper will report on the outcomes of those initiatives and initial steps taken to align collections and services.