Kresge Library Collections Review-Timeline and Tips
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Initial conversation with Head of Kresge, discussing the challenges of reducing our collection,
the opportunities to make more space, and strategies for how to best proceed with the project.
Met with Library Supervisor discuss goals and objectives of an inventory, and whether we can
achieve this simultaneously to a comprehensive Collections Review. In a series of subsequent
meetings that included all bibliographers and the Library Supervisor we drafted guidelines for a
complete collections review, determining what criteria we would use for assessment and the
age of materials to determine low use and no use titles.
After doing an “inventory” of seven shelves, all agreed that this could be rolled into our
Collections Review Project, as it yielded such positive results. Once the bibliographers have
reviewed a section, and all discarding has taken place, a physical inventory of the shelves will be
completed, with a code of Keep or Transfer input into the item record.
Criteria: only consider books with a publication date before 1995, and that have not circulated
in the past 20 years or never circulated. We are also looking at copy use and internal use
statistics.
Met with our Technical Services Departments, developed a project form for approval, and asked
for ICODE’s to be created for our item records, to easily identify them for inventory. These codes
are input by me or another staff member once the review is completed by the bibliographer.
o Keep, Discard, or Transfer to Remote Storage
Once we received approval for the project, we divided the collections by LC class, assigning
librarians to their appropriate subject area. We mapped this with our stacks guide which allows
us to know at all times where we are in the project.
Determined a process for allowing faculty, graduate and undergraduate patrons to review our
decisions. Books are pulled for discard, but patrons can request we retain a book for the
collection, or ask for the discarded book once we have finished processing it. All books not
discarded to patrons are sent to Better World Books
Agreed with technical services that we would process 100 books at a time so that records can
quickly be reviewed and suppressed from the catalog. We also alert our shipping and receiving
department when we have a large batch of books to be sent to Better World Books.
Due to the number of lists generated, and personnel involved, all of our documents are in a
shared workspace with folders for completed spreadsheets and a master spreadsheet to keep
track of it all.
Keep in mind that what works for Kresge might not work in your library. We have had to tweak
our procedures several times, and will continue to assess best practices throughout the project.
LL 033015 lisa.a.ladd@dartmouth.edu