The Evidence Is In: Patron Driven Acquisition Promotes Collection Use

Authors

Jason S. Price, Claremont University ConsortiumFollow
John D. McDonald, Claremont University ConsortiumFollow

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

3-2-2011

Abstract

This retrospective study of the usage and breadth of user- vs. pre-selected ebook collections across 5 libraries, using the EBL demand-driven system, will help libraries anticipate the effect of adding a patron-driven component to their monograph acquisition strategy.

Library lore includes a cautionary tale of a few users in a patron-driven acquisitions pilot who spent a large part of the library budget on ebooks about bananas. This story and others like it have been used to perpetuate the argument that patron-driven acquisition will inevitably result in collections that don’t appeal to a broad audience or are otherwise undesirable. The authors apply post-acquisition holdings and multi-year usage data to test the hypothesis that patron-selected versus library-selected collections have different usage and subject profiles.

Comments

(co-author, not presenting: John McDonald, Director, Information & Bibliographic Management and Faculty Relations, Claremont University Consortium)

Rights Information

© 2011 Jason S. Price and John D. McDonald

Recommended Citation

Price, Jason S. and McDonald, John D., "The Evidence Is In: Patron Driven Acquisition Promotes Collection Use" (2011). Library Staff Publications and Research. 8.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/library_staff/8

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