The Future of Acquisitions: Planning for Change in an Ever-Changing Environment
June 25, 2011 – 8:30 -10:00 a.m.
Moscone Convention Center, Room 391
Speakers Biographies & Abstracts
Rick Anderson
Rick Anderson is Associate Director for Scholarly Resources and Collections at the University of Utah¹s Marriott
Library. He earned his B.S. and M.L.I.S. degrees at Brigham Young University, and has worked previously as a
bibliographer for YBP, Inc., as Head Acquisitions Librarian for the University of North Carolina, Greensboro and
as Director of Resource Acquisition at the University of Nevada, Reno. He serves on numerous editorial and
advisory boards and is a regular contributor to the Scholarly Kitchen blog, as well as writing an occasional op-ed
column for Against the Grain titled ³In My Humble (But Correct) Opinion.² His book, Buying and Contracting for
Resources and Services: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians, was published in 2004 by Neal-Schuman. In
2005, Rick was identified by Library Journal as a ³Mover & Shaker² one of the ³50 people shaping the future of
libraries.² In 2008 he was elected president of the North American Serials Interest Group, and he was named an
ARL Research Library Leadership Fellow for 2009-10. He is a popular speaker on subjects related to the future of
scholarly communication and information services in higher education.
Abstract:
Outsourcing continues to be a hot-button issue in libraries, but the current fiscal environment makes questions
of efficiency and value more urgent than ever. How many catalog records really ought to exist for an individual
item? Should books be selected by librarians, or by the patrons who need them?
Does it make sense to move all physical processing offsite entirely? The University of Utah's Marriott Library is
wrestling mightily with these questions, and experimenting with a number of potentially interesting options.
Dracine Hodges
Dracine Hodges is Interim Head of the Monographs Department at The Ohio State University Libraries.
Previously, she was the Monographs Librarian and the Mary P. Key Resident Librarian. She received a BA from
Wesleyan College and an MLIS from Florida State University. She is responsible for acquisition of monographs
and serial unit orders in print, micro, media, and electronic formats for the OSU Libraries. Most of her career has
focused on acquisitions, but she has also worked as a reference librarian and in access services. Dracine is a
graduate of the Minnesota Institute and an active member of ALCTS.
Abstract:
"An Acquisitions Renaissance"
The operations involved in acquiring library materials traditionally include selection, order, receipt, and
payment. However, shifting priorities and emerging philosophies are redefining this function. Acquisitions work
at OSU Libraries is expanding to include electronic migration, print retention and withdrawal management, as
well as exploration of shelf-ready processing and patron-initiated collection development. During this
renaissance period, OSU is also experiencing significant staff retirements and is steadily looking for ways to pass
on specialized skill sets and historical knowledge through its residency program as a means of targeted
succession planning and bridging the gap between seasoned and entry-level librarians.
Pam Matthews
Pam Matthews, the Acquisitions Manager at Cuyahoga County Public Library, has been working in library
acquisitions since 1986, when she started as an undergraduate student worker. Although she had some brief
detours (once into public service and once to the dark side, working for a vendor), for most of her career Pam
has stayed involved in acquisitions, both in academic and public libraries.
Abstract:
"Doing More Stuff with Less Staff"
CCPL orders an average of about 11,000 items a week. After some reductions in force, the department was left
with only one order entry clerk and four receiving assistants. With new employees and a new acquisitions
manager, the department had an optimal chance to eliminate duplicate processes, work more closely with other
technical services departments, and reshape vendor relationships to make sure Items are ordered, received, and
released to the public as quickly as possible.
This hand-out may also be found at http://connect.ala.org/node/64085