Western Regional Storage Trust (WEST)
Overview and Current Status
Image courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of
California, Berkeley
“Heading WEST: Toward a Western Regional Storage
Repository”
• Planning Grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the
University of California Libraries
• Period of Award: October 1, 2009 – June 30, 2010
• Principal Investigators:
– Daniel Greenstein, Vice Provost, Academic Programs, Planning,
and Coordination, UC Office of the President
– Brian E. C. Schottlaender, Audrey Geisel University Librarian,
UC San Diego
• Project website:
http://www.cdlib.org/services/collections/sharedprint/initiatives.html
WEST Overview
February 2010
2
Project Overview
Project goal
Develop a shared retrospective journals repository among research
libraries in the Western Region of the United States
Planning grant objectives
• Design business model, including operating plan, governance,
and financial model
• Develop selection criteria incorporating risk management
principles
• Establish standards for low-level validation and disclosure of
holdings
WEST Overview
February 2010
3
Invited Participants
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Arizona State University
California Institute of Technology
California State University*
Getty Library
Greater Western Library Alliance (GWLA)
Huntington Library
Occidental College
Orbis-Cascade Alliance
Oregon State University
SCELC
Stanford University
University of Arizona
University of California
University of Oregon
University of Southern California*
University of Washington
Washington State University
* Not yet participating
WEST Overview
February 2010
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Steering Committee
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Brian Schottlaender (Chair)
Ivy Anderson
Deborah Carver
John Helmer
Tom Leonard
Gary Strong
Betsy Wilson
Lizanne Payne
UC San Diego
UC California Digital Library
University of Oregon
Orbis-Cascade Alliance
UC Berkeley
UC Los Angeles
University of Washington
WEST Project Consultant
Planning and Coordinating Team
• Ivy Anderson (CDL), Lizanne Payne (Consultant), Sherrie Schmidt
(ASU), Brian Schottlaender (UCSD), Emily Stambaugh (CDL)
WEST Overview
February 2010
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Advisory Committee
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Anne Kenney
James Michalko
Bernie Reilly
Roger Schonfeld
Abby Smith-Rumsey
WEST Overview
Cornell University
RLG Programs
Center for Research Libraries
Ithaka
Independent Consultant
February 2010
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Project Timetable
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Planning phase: October – December 2009 
– Communicate with potential participants
– Develop background documents for participant review
Meeting 1: January 2010 
– Explore risk management and validation standards
– Select preferred business model(s)
– Identify work teams to develop further details
Design Phase: February – May 2010
– Refine the business model(s) and develop selection criteria
– Analyze print holdings across participating institutions
Meeting 2: early June 2010
– Select final business model
– Approve policies and standards embodied in MOU
– Endorse initial title list for archiving
Final Report: June 30, 2010
WEST Overview
February 2010
7
Participant Discussions
• Calls to potential WEST participants during November and
December 2009 to learn institutional goals and priorities,
operational considerations
• Nearly-universal comment: NEED MORE SPACE ASAP
• Many libraries have not significantly drawn down print journal
volumes even for JSTOR
– Deterrents include: cost, other priorities, concerns about
access and validation
• Other concerns:
– May be harder to justify financial support for archiving widelyavailable digital materials
– May be difficult to afford significant validation
– May need to consider deduping storage facilities
WEST Overview
February 2010
8
Discussions and thinking
so far
Structure of Proposed WEST Business Models
Operating Plan
(how it works)
Selection
Validation
WEST Overview
Location
Disclosure
Administrative Plan
(how it is managed)
Access
February 2010
Ownership
Retention
Financial
Support
Org
Structure
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Operational Considerations
• Print and electronic?
• Widely held even if
print-only?
• High uniqueness?
• How important?
• Volume, issue, page,
none
• Defined term or
permanent
Selection
Validation and
Retention
Disclosure and
Access
Archive
Location
• Archive status?
• Access services?
WEST Overview
• Storage facility?
• Library-based?
February 2010
11
Areas of Preference
(based on initial discussions and January meeting)
• Widely-available
in electronic
form
• Validation = Yes
• But how much…
• Mixed views on
retention
Selection
Validation and
retention
Disclosure and
Access
Archive
Location
• WorldCat
• RAPID
• Hybrid (storage
facilities and
library-based
Based on initial conversations with potential WEST participants (Fall 2009)
WEST Overview
February 2010
12
Possible Business Model 1: Multiple Storage Facilities
WEST Governance: Federation or Consortium
Selection
Fees
Compensation
University of
California RLFs?
Arizona State
University Storage
Facility?
Services
Other WEST
Participants
Stanford University
Storage Facility?
January 7-8, 2010
WEST Planning Meeting
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Possible Business Model 2: Storage Facilities and
Library-Based Agreements
WEST Governance: Consortium
Selection
University of
California RLFs?
Orbis-Cascade
Alliance DPR?
Arizona State
University Storage
Facility?
GWLA Distributed
Print Program?
Stanford University
Storage Facility?
Others?
WEST Planning Meeting
Fees
Compensation
January 7-8, 2010
Services
Other WEST
Participants
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Working Groups Established
1. Selection and validation
•Priorities
•Collection analysis
2. Access and delivery
•Policies
•Systems
3. Holdings Disclosure
•Policies
•Standards
•Systems
4. Business Models and Organizational Structure
•MOU
•Governance
•Costs and compensation
WEST Overview
February 2010
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Next Steps
Organize working groups (in process – can still add members)
Design Phase: February – May 2010
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Refine the business model(s)
Develop selection and validation criteria
Analyze print holdings across participating institutions
Meeting 2: early June 2010
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Select final business model
Approve policies and standards embodied in MOU
Endorse initial title list for archiving
(Future Plans: Seek Implementation Grant?)
WEST Overview
February 2010
16
Questions?