assessing uniqueness in the system-wide book collection
DESCRIPTION
Slides from webinar for members of the Research Libraries Program partnership, summarizing OCLC research on last copies.TRANSCRIPT
RLG Programs
Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
Constance MalpasProgram Officer
RLG Webinar24 April 2008
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
2
Why investigate unique print books?
Future of library print collections is in question We need better “management intelligence” about where
continued investment in print collections – both legacy holdings and future acquisitions – should be directed
Uniquely-held content may be an asset or liability Institutional assets that may be leveraged through
digitization and resource-sharing agreements Potential preservation risks, if the content is not
adequately cared for Size, character and distribution of aggregate
collection has broad implications Digitization – identifying distinctive collections Disclosure – maximizing discoverability Distributed print archiving – sizing the need
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
3
Who’s Involved:
OCLC Programs & ResearchConstance Malpas, Program OfficerEd O’Neill, Senior Research ScientistBrian Lavoie, Research Scientist
RLG Partners Arizona State UniversityColumbia UniversityDuke UniversityFlorida State UniversityHarvard UniversityIndiana UniversityLibrary of CongressNew York Public LibraryNew York University
University of AlbertaUniversity of ArizonaUniversity of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Los AngelesUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of MichiganUniversity of MinnesotaUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Texas, AustinYale University… among others
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
4
Unique vs. rare: a distinction with a difference
“Unique” = single holding attached to master record in WorldCat describing a distinct manifestation / edition some uniquely held titles may be associated with
multiple local copies
“Rare” typically describes material that is in limited supply and has special value to particular audience Few copies were produced Few remaining copies available on the market Distinctive intellectual content or artifactual features
(binding, signatures)
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Growth of Unique Holdings in WorldCat
Jan -03 Jan -05 Jan -07 Jan -08
Date of Snapshot
Mas
ter
Rec
ord
s
50%
49%
42%
44%
Proportion of master records with a single holding has increased 8% since 2003
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
6
Background
Anatomy of Aggregate Collections (2005) Thin duplication of book holdings across “Google Five” libraries
(~40%) and between aggregate collection and rest of WorldCat (~30%)
Proportion of uniquely held titles decreases as publication date advances – until 1980s
Books without Boundaries (2006) 9.5M uniquely held works representing 36% of works in
WorldCat; preservation implications Unique titles in WorldCat represent ~2/3 of total print
production; significant collection gap Last Copies: What’s at Risk? (2006)
“last expressions” – a conceptual model 26K unique titles at Vanderbilt; typically “old, foreign, short”
Global Resources Report (2007) Limited redundancy in ARL holdings of non-North American
imprints (~3 to ~6 holdings per title)
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
7
Importance of FRBR
Measuring duplication at the “work” or expression level provides maximum measure of overlap for intellectual content
Uniquely-held manifestations may represent artifactual treasures Book history – bindings, printers Provenance – autographs, annotations
Implications for collection management Unique works represent distinctive intellectual assets Unique manifestations may require curatorial care
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
8
FRBR: Group One Entities
Is exemplified by
Is embodied in
WorkA distinct intellectual or artistic creation
Is realized through
ExpressionThe intellectual or artistic realization of a work
ManifestationThe physical embodiment of an expression
ItemA single exemplar of a manifestation
Is embodied in
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
9
Goals of current last copies work
Evaluate relative proportion of unique works in a representative and statistically significant sample Application of FRBR
Characterize material and content types “old, foreign, short”
Examine distribution of holdings by library-type preservation infrastructure
Assess preservation status and circulation history of selected titles In 1995 study of titles published 1850-1940, 12% were
not available for study – missing, not on shelf
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
10
Sample Characteristics
Fractional sample of 250 records representing: January 2007 snapshot of WorldCat
74.5M bibliographic records Master records with a single holding symbol
36.8M records Monographic language-based titles, excluding non-print
formats (electronic resources, microforms, braille) 14.7M records
Further limits were applied to facilitate analysis: English-language cataloging only
Common descriptive standards Titles published before Y2000
Avoid ‘first copy’ (cataloging lag) problem
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
11
Research Methods
Independent assessment followed by team review Combination of machine- and manual analysis
Connexion, FirstSearch, MARCView Level of uniqueness
work: content is not duplicated within WorldCat expression: distinctive expression of duplicated content manifestation: alternate editions available in WorldCat analytic: content is part of a larger published work duplicate record found: cataloging anomalies
Material / content types Non-fiction books; technical reports; language /
literature; archival materials; ephemera Theses and dissertations (baccalaureate, masters, PhD) Government documents (national, state, local)
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
12
Levels of Uniqueness within Sample
non-unique
unique analytics
unique manifestations
unique expressions
unique works
N = 250 records
>60% of titles in sample represent unique intellectual content
cataloging shortfalls
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
13
Content and Material Types
33%
20%
15%
10%7%
3%
12%
Non-fiction published books
Theses and dissertations
Technical reports
Serials
Literature, poetry
Archival materials
Other (ephemera, catalogs,manuals, direcotories, etc.)
N = 250 records
Academic and technical content predominates . . .
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
14
Range of Unique Works by Material Type
Material types representing >5% of titles in sample
“grey literature” contains greatest proportion of unique intellectual content
moremanifestations
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Theses and Dissertations
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Masters Doctoral Baccalaureate
Total in sample
Unique works
Held by issuinginstitution
N = 49 records
75% are unique works
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Language of Publication
Non-English publications account for <40% of uniquely held books in sample
vs. ~75% of uniquely held books in Vanderbilt study
N = 250 records
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Place of Publication
32%
68%
US imprint
Non-US imprint
A majority of uniquely held print books were published outside the United States
63%
37%
5% more than print books with multiple holdings
US
Non-US
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Subject Access
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
100%
1 2
No Subject Cataloging
Subject Cataloging
Unique works Multiple holdings
19% 9%
~20% of unique print books lack subject cataloging
NB: unique works do not benefit from FRBR-enhanced discoverability; no related manifestations
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
19
Sample Holdings by Institution Type
54% of sample
23% of sample
Academic and research libraries hold the greatest share of unique print books
N = 250 records
Non-ARL academic libraries have the greatest number of aggregate holdings in WorldCat – but are less likely than ARL institutionsto hold unique titles
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
20
Age Distribution of Unique Titles N = 250 records
>70% of titles in sample were produced after 1950
Relative proportion of unique works increases in post-WWII period increased print production? rise of scientific and technical enterprise? increased library collecting activity?
Date of Publication
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
titl
es
(re
co
rds
) in
sa
mp
le
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
21
Characterizing Unique Works
Foreign, but accessible
Limited discoverability
Challenging inventory control
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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In Sum . . .
Uniquely-held print books containing unique intellectual
content are typically:
Non US imprints English language titles
Produced after 1950 Technical, non-fiction content
Sparsely described Short (~100 pages in length)
Held by academic and research libraries
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Preservation and circulation status
Surveyed 27 RLG partners regarding shelf status, condition and circulation history of selected titles from ‘only copy’ sample
Responses (to date) from:Columbia University University of Arizona Harvard University University of Chicago Indiana University University of California, Los Angeles New York Public Library University of Minnesota, Twin CitiesUniversity of Alberta University of Pennsylvania
University of Texas, Austin
Subset representative of larger sample: ~70% unique works / expressions
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Survey Results (to date)
Inventory control and item condition 100% of requested titles were available for examination
Multiple copies held for 3 titles in sample, all theses None had significant condition problems
Location and status 50% housed in off-site shelving facility
Mostly transferred in the 1990s 50% non-circulating (local or off-site)
Some availability via SHARES
Use (value, discoverability?) None requested or circulated in past 5 years
Limited usage data for non-circulating collections
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
25
Implications
Preservation ~50% of uniquely held works are potentially at risk in on-
site, circulating collections Limited discoverability and low-use of these titles
diminishes relative risk Recent publications less likely to have inherent condition
problems
Access Preponderance of recent publications, and non-North
American imprints, is likely to limit potential impact of mass digitization
Inter-institutional access and borrowing programs (e.g. SHARES) will test the limits of cooperative collection management
Effective disclosure (holdings, condition, policies) may require additional investment
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
26
Opportunities for Joint Action
Cooperative access agreementsIncrease the mobility of scarcely-held content; empower resource-sharing networks to lend and borrow unique holdings
Distributed print archivingLeverage existing on- and off-site storage infrastructure as network resource
Shared digitization infrastructureReposition off-site repositories as digital delivery hubs
Continue to build new uniqueness into system-wide holdings…strategicallyLocal collection development priorities will be trumped by economic realities; plan accordingly.
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Short, foreign … and competing for attention
RLG Programs Assessing Uniqueness in the System-wide Book Collection
RLG Webinar – 24 April 2008
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Questions, Comments?
OCLC Programs & Research Agenda Managing the Collective Collection
Constance Malpas [email protected]