Falvey Memorial Library Villanova University

Transcription

1 Info 665 Collection Development Dr. Collins Drexel University Falvey Memorial Library Villanova University Collection Analysis By Audrey Hamelers, James Gross, Marie Johansen 3/13/2011 We certify that: This paper/project/exam is entirely our own work. We have not quoted the words of any other person from a printed source or a website without indicating what has been quoted and providing an appropriate citation. We have not submitted this paper/project to satisfy the requirements of any other course. Your Signature: Marie Johansen, Audrey Hamelers, James Gross Date: 03/13/2011 1

2 Contents Introduction... 2 Falvey Memorial Library... 3 Subject area collections... 4 Evaluation criteria... 5 Internal analysis of the subject area collections... 8 External analysis of the subject area collections Strategies and responsibilities: the collection evaluation process Individual Contribution: James Gross Appendix A: Collection Map Worksheet Appendix B: Collection Map References Introduction In this report we present an analysis of two subject area collections and one special emphasis collection within Falvey Memorial Library at Villanova University. The three subject areas that have been chosen are Fine Arts; Philosophy, Psychology and Religion; and the special emphasis area Ethics. These subject area collections will be analyzed through collection mapping and comparison with the collection of the library of Bryn Mawr, a similar institution. First, we present data about Falvey Memorial library and the subject areas that have been analyzed. Second, we outline the goals of our analysis and the evaluation criteria used to assess strengths and weaknesses of the subject area collections. Next, we outline an internal and external analysis 2

3 of the three chosen subject areas. Finally, we outline and reflect on the analysis process. Documentation of our collection map and collection mapping process can be found in the appendix. Falvey Memorial Library Library Mission: Falvey Memorial Library is the main library of Villanova University and is centrally located on the Villanova campus. It houses more than a million items. (Villanova University, 2011a). The mission of Falvey Memorial Library is to serve "as the premier source of academic information for the Villanova University community through its collections, educational and consulting services, innovative technology, programming and physical facilities" (Villanova University, 2009). Community & Demographics: Falvey Memorial Library provides library services to Villanova University faculty, staff, and students. Villanova University is an Augustinian, Roman Catholic institution that welcomes students and staff of all faiths. The 254-acre campus is located in Villanova, Pennsylvania, twelve miles west of Philadelphia. A private university founded in 1842, Villanova comprises five Colleges, including a School of Law, and offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees. There are 69 buildings on campus, including 26 residence halls, a stadium, and Falvey Memorial Library. (Villanova University, 2011a). Villanova University has 633 full-time faculty members. As of Fall 2010, Villanova had an enrollment of 6,394 undergraduate students, 2,529 graduate students, 960 law students, and 599 part-time and other students for a total enrollment of 10,482 students (Villanova University, 2011a). The 10,482 students of Villanova are the Falvey Memorial Library's primary user community. 3

4 As of Fall 2010, 51% of undergraduates were female and 49% were male. The University has students from 45 U.S. states; Washington, D.C.; the Virgin Islands; Puerto Rico; Guam; and 53 foreign countries (Villanova University, 2011a). Collection: According to the Falvey Library website, the library "provides relevant print, electronic, and audiovisual collections to support the learning and research activities of students and faculty, complemented by specialized collections reflecting Villanova's Augustinian heritage and character" (Villanova University, 2011b). The focus of the Falvey Library collection is on providing course background and additional research material for courses taught at Villanova University, which focuses on the liberal arts and humanities. The library provides research guides, or pathfinders, for forty-eight different subjects at varying degrees of granularity (Villanova University, n.d.). Subject area collections We chose to analyze two subject area collections at Falvey Memorial Library that we expected to differ from each other in number of items collected. Fine Arts: The first subject area collection we chose to analyze was Fine Arts. We chose this subject area because while Falvey Library has collected and classified Fine Arts materials, the subject of Fine Arts is not particularly important to Falvey Library's service community, the faculty and students of Villanova University. There is no Fine Arts department or degree program at Villanova, and Villanova's Art History degree is offered by the History department (Villanova University, 2011b). In the Library of Congress classification system, which is used by Falvey Library, works in the subject area of Fine Arts are classified under "N" (Library of Congress, n.d.). 4

5 Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion: The second subject area collection we selected for analysis is Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion. We chose this subject area because, in contrast to Fine Arts, we believed it would be a particularly well-developed subject area in the Falvey Library collections. Philosophy is an important field of study at Villanova University, where the Philosophy Department has 20 full-time faculty members (Villanova University, 2011c). In addition, as previously mentioned, Villanova is an Augustinian Catholic University, and they have special collections related to their religious and philosophical heritage. In the Library of Congress classification system, works in the subject area of Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion are classified under "B" (Library of Congress, n.d.). Ethics: Finally, we chose to analyze the special emphasis collection of Ethics. Like Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion, Ethics is an important field of study at Villanova. The Ethics Program at Villanova offers an introductory course that is a core requirement for all students in both the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the School of Business (Villanova University, 2011d). According to the Library of Congress classification system, works in the field of Ethics are a subfield of Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion, and are classified under "BJ" (Library of Congress, n.d.). However, for the purposes of this analysis, we counted all works cataloged at Falvey Memorial Library with the subject term "ethics," not just those classified under "BJ." Evaluation criteria Before we entered into analysis of our chosen subject area collection, we created a short outline of evaluation or collection quality criteria. The aim of our evaluation is to answer the following questions: How well do the subject areas reflect the mission of the library and the information 5

6 needs of the service community? What does the collection map reveal in terms of strength and weaknesses? Thus the evaluation criteria are as follows: Relevance of collection to service community needs Sufficiency of materials Diversity of formats available Recency of the collection (are the materials up-to-date?) (Loertscher 1985, p.16) Collection mapping scale: In creating our collection map, we attempted to compare our academic library's collection to a national standard, just as David V. Loertscher compares a school library collection with a national standard in his article on collection mapping (1985, p. 12). To that end, we sought out information about national use of academic libraries for the development of our collection mapping scale. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (U.S., 2008), the average number of volumes held per United States academic library is 275,028. The average number of students per United States academic post-secondary institution is 4,129 (U.S., 2006). Using these numbers, we arrived at the conclusion that the national average for books per student at an academic library is about 67 books per student. According to the American Association of School Librarians (2007, p. 11), the average number of books per student in American School Library Media Centers falls between the "Good" and "Excellent" range on Loertscher's scale (1985, p. 13). Using this as a guide, our Total Collection Quality scale is as follows: 6

7 Quality level Items/student Mediocre 0-22 Making progress Good Excellent Exemplary To create the scale to compare Villanova's collections to a standard for the general emphasis collection, we extrapolated the data from Loertscher's collection map (185, p. 13) using our new national standard number, 110. Thus, our General Emphasis Area Quality scale is: Quality level Items/student Exemplary Superior 3.30 Good 1.65 Fair 0.83 The same was done for the scale for the specific emphasis collection, making our Special Emphasis Area Quality scale: Quality level Items/student Exemplary 5.50 Superior 0.69 Good 0.41 Fair 0.28 We believe these scales will produce a far more accurate and helpful comparison with national numbers for the evaluation of the Falvey Library collections than the Loertscher scale for school library media centers. 7

8 Internal analysis of the subject area collections In the following we will analyze our focus subject areas in more detail. The analysis is based on numbers retrieved from Falvey Memorial Library s online catalog (Villanova University, 2009b). Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion: This subject area is a main focus area for the Falvey Library service community. Villanova University has a strong focus on religious and philosophical studies, and this focus is reflected in the library s collection. The library holds 99,187 items in the subject area Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion, thus the library holds 9.45 items per student. This subject area is rated as a Superior collection in the collection map (see Appendix B). The dominating format is the book, but a number of other formats are well represented: online resources (11,959), microform (1,486), conference proceedings (1,008), thesis (808) journals (746), serials (236), and DVD/VHS (418). The subject area is continuously updated or added to: 8,787 items in the collection were published within the last 5 years ( ) and 1,586 items in the collection have been published within the last year ( ). Approximately half of this subject area collection has a publication date before The recency of the collection reflects both the nature of the subject, which covers many resources published decades and centuries ago, but also reflects the focus of Villanova s collection which again reflects the research and coursework performed at Villanova University; many of the items are focused on medieval and early modern philosophy and religious studies. 8

9 The Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion subject area appears to provide course background and additional research material for courses taught at Villanova University, and thus the collection lives up to the mission of the library as well as collection policies. Fine Arts: The library holds 13,727 items classified as Fine Arts and thus offers 1.31 items per student. According to the collection map this subject area is of fair to good quality (see Appendix B). Most of the items are in book format, but other formats are available: online resources (234), journals (113), theses (41), conference proceedings (80), DVD/VHS (197), and serials (58). Within the last year 207 items were added to this subject area, and within the last five years 1,304 items were added. Thus, the Fine Arts subject area is growing at a slower pace that the Philosophy subject area. Approximately half of the items of the Fine Arts subject area are dated before Clearly the Fine Arts subject area is not as well represented as the Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion subject area. However, given that there is no Fine Arts department or degree program at Villanova, and Villanova's Art History degree is offered by the History department, it may be reasonable to hold significantly fewer items in the Fine Arts subject area collection. A closer examination of the Fine Arts collection shows a great focus on art history, which indicates that the subject area is designed to serve the service community s needs. Ethics: A search by subject headings of "Ethics" shows that Falvey Memorial Library holds 10,471 items on this subject, thus the library holds 1.00 item per student. According to the collection map this special emphasis collection is of superior quality (see Appendix B). The 9

10 quality of the Ethics collection was somewhat expected because the collection covers a subject area that is central to coursework and research at Villanova University. The predominant format is books (10,251), but there are relatively many online resources (1,624) compared to the Fine Arts subject area; furthermore there are other formats available for example: journals (94), conference proceedings (73), and DVD/VHS (109). Within the last five years 1,362 new items have been added to the Ethics subject area, and within the last year 266 new items were added. 60% of the items in this collection were published after 1990, thus this special emphasis area collection is quite recent. External analysis of the subject area collections We utilized the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Library Statistics Program website to identify and locate a library that was comparable to the Villanova University Falvey Memorial Library. The NCES Library Statistics program was run, using the criteria of "Books, Serial backfiles and other paper materials held" (U.S., 2008b) Based on this criterion, the NCES data listed the Villanova library as having 1,070,638 paper volumes (U.S., 2008b). The NCES listing for Bryn Mawr s library was 1,167,127 paper volumes (U.S., 2008b). A group decision was made to use the Bryn Mawr College library, as both libraries fell within a 20% difference, based on the NCES statistic labeled, "Books, Serial backfiles and other paper materials held" (U.S., 2008b). The Villanova University Falvey Memorial library and the Bryn Mawr College library are both located in the greater Philadelphia, Pennsylvania geographic region. They both offer a 4-year program for undergraduate as well as graduate studies. On the surface, the two libraries appeared to be similar. But, upon closer examination, it became apparent that the Bryn Mawr library 10

11 catalog was actually composed of a consortium of three separate colleges, each with its own library. In reality, the Bryn Mawr NCES academic library data was misleading as the Bryn Mawr library catalog consists of a three college library system: the Bryn Mawr College library, the Swarthmore College library, and the Haverford College library. In fact the Bryn Mawr College library catalog is even referred to as the Tri-college libraries catalog on the Bryn Mawr library homepage (Bryn Mawr, 2011a). To add to the confusion, the Bryn Mawr College library is also composed of three libraries: The Mariam Coffin Canaday Library, the Lois and Reginald Collier Science Library, and the Rhys Carpenter Library. Their combined collection count is well over 1 million volumes and provides access to more than 3,000 electronic serials. The Rhys Carpenter Library, with 125,000 volumes, is a specialized library for archaeology, classics, and the history of art and architecture. In comparing the Villanova and Bryn Mawr College library collections, we were truly comparing Villanova with the consortium collection including the Bryn Mawr system's 1,167,127 volumes, the Swarthmore College library s 834,883 paper volumes, and the Haverford College library s 595,522 paper volumes, resulting in a revised Bryn Mawr College library (volumes held) count of 2,597,532 (U.S., 2008b). In the end, we compared the combined "Tri-college libraries catalog" with 2.6 million volumes to Villanova University s library, with 1.7 million volumes. In reviewing the external differences between the library collections, it was apparent that the size of each library s collection was directly related to that school s academic emphasis. This emphasis was stated in each school s mission statement. There were also such factors as the 11

12 number of enrolled students, and total library expenditures, which had a direct correlation to each library s budget, as well as its ability to purchase new collection materials. For example, Villanova University has a student enrollment of 10,482 and an annual library budget of $7,381,620 (U.S., 2008b) In comparison, Bryn Mawr College has a full time student population of 1,568 and an annual library budget of $3,853,642 (U.S., 2008b). As mentioned above, the Bryn Mawr College library is part of a three-college library consortium. According to Bryn Mawr reference librarian Berry Chamness, the Bryn Mawr College library catalog contains data that reflects its merged holdings with both the Swarthmore College and Haverford College libraries, which combined serve another 2,714 students (Swarthmore, 2010; Haverford College, 2010). If one were to also include the library budgets of Haverford College library, which is $3,238,404, and Swarthmore College library, $5,103,043 (U.S., 2008b), then the library budget comparison would then be revised with the Villanova University library at a $7.3 million budget, versus the combined Tri-college library budget at $12.1 million. It was obvious that there was a difference of approximately 5 million dollars between the operating budgets of these libraries. The difference between the $7.3 million budget and the $12.1 million budget was also reflected in the comparison results of both library collection counts. In reviewing our chosen subject area collections, we conducted catalog searches of the Tricollege database just as we had done at Villanova. Holdings information on the category of Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion was obtained via communication with Bryn Mawr College library staff as their catalog limited queries larger than 10,000 hits. For this subject area, the Villanova University library held 99,187 volumes (Villanova, 2009b), while the combined 12

13 Bryn Mawr library holdings were 44,862 (B. Chamness, personal communication, March, 11, 2011). Thus, the combined Bryn Mawr College holdings were half the size of the Villanova University holdings. A search of the Fine Arts category within the Villanova University library catalog yielded the figure of 13,713 (Villanova, 2009b). The combined Bryn Mawr library s holdings amounted to 41,023 (B. Chamness, personal communication, March, 11, 2011). In regard to the Fine Arts category, the Villanova University s library holdings were approximately 1/3 the size of the combined Bryn Mawr College library s holdings. Finally, the special emphasis collection of Ethics at Villanova University, at a count of 10,251 items (Villanova, 2009b), was twice the size of the combined collection at Bryn Mawr College, at a count of 5,178 (Bryn Mawr, 2011b). We could attribute several factors to the differences in collection sizes. First, as Philosophy and Religion are both important subjects at Villanova, as stated previously, it makes sense that they are emphasizing religious materials in their library collection. This is reflected in their 2:1 collection size ratio in Library of Congress category B Philosophy, Psychology, and Religion. This educational emphasis is also evident in Villanova's 2:1 ratio of holdings in the special emphasis collection Ethics as compared to Bryn Mawr s holdings. Second, the data would seem to indicate that the combined libraries of the Bryn Mawr College consortium place a higher emphasis on Fine Arts than that placed by the Villanova University library. This emphasis is evident in the ratio of 3:1 between the two library collections. Finally, there was the issue of library budgets. Based on the NCES data, it was apparent that the Villanova University library budget of 7.3 million dollars was less than the combined Bryn 13

14 Mawr College library budget of 12.1 million dollars (U.S., 2008). This disparity in budgets, roughly 5 million dollars, may be the reason why the Villanova University library collection was found to be roughly half the size in comparison to the collection held by the Bryn Mawr library consortium. One could make the argument that the larger quantity of Philosophy, Psychology and Religious materials held by Villanova reflects that institution s academic priority of philosophical and religious education. In comparison, the combined library collection of the Bryn Mawr library could be a reflection of that institution s commitment to a broad based liberal arts education. In fact, the Bryn Mawr College mission statement clearly states that the school seeks to foster, expression in an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum for women and in coeducational graduate programs in arts and sciences and social work and social research (Bryn Mawr, 2011c). Strategies and responsibilities: the collection evaluation process Our group first met on March 1 to discuss the project. On that day, we made the decision to analyze the collections of Villanova University's Falvey Memorial Library in our two chosen subject areas and one special emphasis collection. We set a deadline of one week for the completion of the initial tasks we enumerated: mapping the collection, deciding on evaluation standards, and choosing a comparison library. Each of us chose one task to complete. After completing our initial tasks, we set out to research and write the collection evaluation. We followed the process strategy depicted below: 14

15 Brainstorm Research Analysis Choice of Library Choice of subject areas Group strategies Data on library Data on subjects Evaluation standards Comparison library Collection Mapping Internal External Report Based on our research, we entered into analysis, which again led us to do more research. Thus the research and analysis phases were iterative. Throughout the research phase we shared our findings through Blackboard and to keep everyone updated and to ensure progression in the research, and we assisted each other with research and analysis. Each group member fulfilled their responsibilities admirably, and completed a third of the project. James Gross researched and selected a comparison library and wrote the external analysis. Audrey Hamelers researched and wrote the descriptions of the Falvey Memorial Library and the collections, and mapped the collections. Marie Johansen researched and selected evaluation criteria and completed the internal analysis. In writing the final paper, we each consulted the others and made decisions as a group. Finally, we each proofread the final draft to ensure coherence and agreement. This process worked to everyone s satisfaction. Individual Contribution, James Gross: I was part of a three person group for this assignment. I was assigned by the group to select an academic library to compare with the Villanova University library. I was also asked to write the 15

16 external analysis. I utilized the NCES database to locate a local academic library for the comparison. Two complications occurred during my research. First, the Bryn Mawr College library was not only composed of three on-campus libraries, it also turned out to be part of a three college consortium. This had to be researched and explained in the paper. Second, I encountered a complication in comparing both the Villanova University and Bryn Mawr College library collections due to the 10K limit on search results imposed by the Bryn Mawr College library catalog. These complications were eventually overcome due to my persistent calls to several librarians at the Bryn Mawr College library. Two Bryn Mawr librarians, Mr. Patterson and Mr. Blatchley, referred me to Mr. Chamness, who was extremely helpful to me by providing me with statistical data on the library s holdings. As part of my external comparison, I researched the mission statement of the Bryn Mawr College library. I also located a useful PDF entitled, 2008 Pennsylvania Library Statistics (State, 2010). This resource not only contained figures which were identical to the NCES website, but also contained additional comparative data in its tables of Pennsylvania academic library statistics. Due to scheduling conflicts, our group chose to communicate via as opposed to using the Blackboard virtual chat-room. I engaged in extensive communication with the other two members of my group to enable us to intelligently discuss and made decisions on a collaborative basis. As a reflection I would comment that each member of our group appeared to successfully handle their assigned portion of the assignment. I feel that we operated as a cohesive unit for this group project.. 16

17 Appendix A: Collection Map Worksheet School name: Villanova University Number of students: 10,482 Total number of items in the collection: 1,097,412 Number of total collection items pr. User: Collection Segments LC classification Total General Emphasis Special Emphasis Philosophy, psychology, religion Fine Arts Ethics A General Works B Philosophy, Psychology, Religion 99,187 99, C Historical Sciences D World History 54, E United States History 22, F General American History 12, G Geography, Anthropology H Social Science 86, J Political Science 21, K Law 19, L Education 13, M Music N Fine Arts 13,726 13, P Language and literature 125, Q Science 41, R Medicine 18, S Agriculture T Technology 19, U Military Science V Naval Science 976 Z Library Science 17, Total segment 1,097,412 99,187 13,727 10,471 Items/student

18 Appendix B: Collection Map General Emphasis Areas Special Emphasis Areas Exemplary Philosophy Psychology & Religion 5.50 Exemplary 9.45 Ethics Superior Good 1.65 Fair 0.83 Fine Arts Superior 0.41 Good 0.28 Fair Total Collection Mediocre Making Good Excellent Exemplary Progress 18

19 References American Association of School Librarians. (2007). School libraries count: A national survey of school library media programs. Retrieved from Bryn Mawr College. (2011a). Bryn Mawr College library. Retrieved 3/11/2011 from: Bryn Mawr College. (2011b). Tripod: Advanced keyword search. Retrieved 3/11/2011 from: Bryn Mawr College. (2011c). Bryn Mawr College Mission Statement. Retrieved 3/9/2011 from: Gradprofiles.com. (n.d.). Bryn Mawr College. Retrieved 3/10/2011 from: Haverford College. (2010). Haverford college at a glance Retrieved from Ho, M.L., & Loertscher, D.V. (1985). Collection mapping: The research. Drexel Library Quarterly, 21(2), Library of Congress. (n.d.). Library of Congress Classification Outline. Retrieved from 19

20 Loertscher, D.V. (1985). Collection mapping: An evaluation strategy for collection development. Drexel Library Quarterly, 21(2), Murray, M., Messervey, M., Dobbs, B., & Gough, S. (1985). Collection mapping and collection development. Drexel Library Quarterly, 21(2), State Library of Pennsylvania, & State Library of Pennsylvania. (2010, April) Pennsylvania library statistics. Harrisburg, PA: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Dept. of Education, State Library of Pennsylvania. [2008 Data Set]. Retrieved March 12, 2011 from: Swarthmore College. (2010). Swarthmore at a glance. Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2006). Table 234: Number of degree-granting institutions and enrollment in these institutions, by size, type, and control of institution: Fall Retrieved from U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008a). Table 5: Number of volumes, units, and subscriptions held at the end of the Fiscal year at academic libraries, by control, level, size, and Carnegie classification of institution: Fiscal year Retrieved from 20

21 U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008b). Academic Libraries: FY2008. [Data file]. Retrieved March 5, 2011, from: Villanova University. (n.d.). Subject guides. Retrieved from Villanova University. (2009a). Falvey memorial library : Villanova university : About. Retrieved from Villanova University. (2009b). Falvey memorial library : Villanova university : Advanced search. Retrieved from: Villanova University. (2011a). Villanova university: Villanova at a glance. Retrieved from Villanova University. (2011b). Department of History. Retrieved from Villanova University. (2011c). Department of philosophy. Retrieved from Villanova University. (2011d). The ethics program. Retrieved from 21