2014 Charleston Library Conference

How one budget strapped university library and an earnest library science intern created a viable collection assessment plan in a month. Companies that provide collection evaluation services are a wonderful option, but when your library budget won’t allow additional expenditures, how can you still keep your library collection robust and current? An internship learning opportunity was the impetus that inspired a complete collection assessment of our monograph collection. Many libraries are in similar tight budget situations. This program will present how one university library utilized current collection assessment best practices, Excel spreadsheets, the Voyager ILS, and a library science intern to cull the herd of unused and outdated books in slightly less than a month. The project resulted in an unanticipated assessment of our historical collection development practices and the need to create a communication plan for the faculty regarding this project.

Through open discussion and active participation, program attendees will understand the effective collection assessment methods, the importance of mentoring library science interns and how much a library can benefit from their ingenuity and dedication. Participants who are now required to accomplish more with less will be inspired to think creatively for ways they may be able to begin a collection assessment fast and economically while using their own ILS reporting system and the homegrown talent, earnestness, and tenacity already in the library.