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Enhancing Collection Management: Strategies and Insights from the University of Manchester

In this engaging talk, Sandra Bracegirdle, Head of Collection Management at the University of Manchester, shares practical examples of effective collection management in an academic library setting. She highlights successful strategies for acquiring materials, managing cataloguing costs, and implementing shelf-ready collection practices. While recognizing ongoing challenges like financial pressures and established processes, she emphasizes the necessity of re-evaluating workflows, particularly in the shift from print to electronic resources. By focusing on lifecycle costs and prioritizing high-quality donations, libraries can enhance their collection management practices.

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Enhancing Collection Management: Strategies and Insights from the University of Manchester

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  1. Reviewing Processes in Collection Management Sandra Bracegirdle Head of Collection Management University of Manchester

  2. What this talk can’t do:

  3. Not the silver bullet

  4. Nor the Holy Grail….

  5. Not even a magic wand:

  6. What this talk can do: • Focus on three examples of what has worked for one academic library in the area of Collection Management: • Acquiring material • Cataloguing costs • Shelf-ready

  7. Collection Management at Manchester • Acquisition • Cataloguing • Processing and Transportation • Stock and Logistics • Conservation and Bindery • Document Supply

  8. Impetus for change • Merger of Victoria University of Manchester and UMIST – 2004 • Co-location of processes - 2007 • Restructure of Library – 2008/09 • New staff • Staff in different posts • Clearer structures • New Library strategy • Financial Pressures - ongoing

  9. Barriers to change • Low turnover of staff, although conversely this means we have experienced and dedicated teams • Long established ways of doing things • Print dominating processes • Dewey schemes and individual shelfmarks • Transportation

  10. The beginning of the process – acquiring material • Purchasing • Budgets • Financial control • ASPI

  11. The beginning of the process – acquiring material • Purchasing • Budgets • Financial control • ASPI • Reflecting the switch from print to electronic in our workflows • Replicating print • LMS • ERM

  12. The beginning of the process – acquiring material • Purchasing • Budgets • Financial control • ASPI • Reflecting the switch from print to electronic in our workflows • Replicating print • LMS • ERM • Still not right – so what’s next?

  13. More work • LEAN • Budget analysis • Value for money • Changing mindsets • Continuous review

  14. Acquiring by donation – the bane of a librarian’s life

  15. Donations • The out of date textbooks

  16. Donations • The out of date textbooks • The weird and wonderful gifts

  17. Donations • The out of date textbooks • The weird and wonderful gifts • The “amazing collection” which turns out to be glass lantern slides, newspaper cuttings, Zoroastrian books in Pahlavi script…

  18. Donations • The out of date textbooks • The weird and wonderful gifts • The “amazing collection” which turns out to be glass lantern slides, newspaper cuttings, Zoroastrian books in Pahlavi script… • Books stored in a damp basement / garage / shed

  19. Donations – the impact • Assessment

  20. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue

  21. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue • Cleaning and conservation work

  22. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue • Cleaning and conservation work • Storage

  23. Donations – the impact • Assessment • Jumping the cataloguing queue • Cleaning and conservation work • Storage • More stock is no longer a sign of status

  24. Getting the message across that “free to give” isn’t “free to acquire”

  25. Using lifecycle costs • Using the principles established by Helen Shenton of the British Library on lifecycle costs • Shenton, H. “Life cycle collection management”. Liber quarterly, 13 (2003) p.254-272

  26. Using lifecycle costs • Lifecycle costs at Manchester: • £23.02 per book based on a 10 year provision.

  27. Using lifecycle costs • Lifecycle costs at Manchester: • £23.02 per book based on a 10 year provision. • Cost breakdown: • Selection/Assessment: £3.20 • Acquisition processing: £2.57 • Cataloguing: £7.29 • Collection care: £1.57 (or £6.89 if repair required) • Storage: £7.90 (based on 10 years) • Average transport costs: £0.49

  28. Using lifecycle costs The question is therefore reframed as “Is this collection of 500 books worth £11,535 to the Library?”

  29. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no

  30. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent

  31. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent • Controllable workflows and ability to prioritise the important, rather than the recently arrived

  32. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent • Controllable workflows and ability to prioritise the important, rather than the recently arrived • Drop in the number and increase in the quality of donations received

  33. Using lifecycle costs • Gives library staff the language to say no • Makes asking for cataloguing funding and conservation costs more transparent • Controllable workflows and ability to prioritise the important, rather than the recently arrived • Drop in the number and increase in the quality of donations received • Donations have fallen by 60% in 3 years

  34. Example 2: Cataloguing costs

  35. Moving from perfection to efficiency without losing quality

  36. Cataloguing costs • Since 2006 cataloguing staffing costs have reduced by a third • Moving work down the grades • Doing more with less staff as record quality improves • Over 90% of our records for standard material are derived from other sources – Talisbase, RLUK database, OCLC • Early Retirement/Voluntary Severance scheme • Not replacing posts or replacing at a lower grade

  37. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough

  38. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough • Moved staff to work on the rare and unique • cataloguing of special collections has doubled over the last 3 years

  39. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough • Moved staff to work on the rare and unique • cataloguing of special collections has doubled over the last 3 years • Graded uncatalogued collections • Clarity on what we have the capacity to catalogue

  40. Changes in direction • Good enough is good enough • Moved staff to work on the rare and unique • cataloguing of special collections has doubled over the last 3 years • Graded uncatalogued collections • Clarity on what we have the capacity to catalogue • RLUK shared cataloguing report due to report shortly

  41. Issues still facing • Classification and shelf-listing • Poor quality of metadata for electronic material, particularly e-books • Uncatalogued collections

  42. Example 3: Shelf-ready

  43. Shelf-ready pilot • Pilot project carried out for Business and Management stock going to the Business Library

  44. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

  45. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

  46. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

  47. Shelf-ready pilot • Tested three assumptions: • Faster supply time order to receipt • Free up staff for other work • May not deliver sufficient benefits to be worthwhile (we were sceptical)

  48. Setting up shelf-ready • We hugely underestimated the complications of setting up the shelf-ready pilot

  49. Setting up shelf-ready • We hugely underestimated the complications of setting up the shelf-ready pilot • Data flows - Liaising between our book supplier (Dawsons), the LMS (Talis), and our own IT support team

  50. Setting up shelf-ready • We hugely underestimated the complications of setting up the shelf-ready pilot • Data flows - Liaising between our book supplier (Dawsons), the LMS (Talis), and our own IT support team • New workflows

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