Assessment Strategies in Technical Services (An ALCTS Monograph)—eEditions e-book

Kimberley A. Edwards
Michelle Leonard

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$50.40
Price
$56.00
Item Number
9780838918845
Published
2019
Publisher
ALA Editions
Pages
272
Format
eBook
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  • Description
  • Table of Contents
  • About the authors
  • Reviews

Are you spending money wisely? If you’re a technical services manager at an academic library, an administrator, or a dean, you’re tasked with proving it. Incorporate assessment and analysis work into your library’s existing workflow with the guidance of this new collection from the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS). Contributors from several academic libraries draw from real-world practices to suggest new approaches for acquisition and collections, cataloging and metadata, digital preservation, and e-resources and serials. You’ll find advice on such topics as

  • assessing e-resource budgets, workflows, vendors, and collaborative initiatives;
  • how to use multiple data sets to assess collections across subjects, formats, or other factors;
  • working with data using common applications like Excel, Access, or MySQL;
  • four types of preservation assessment and how to structure them for actionable results;
  • ways to save on serial expenses while avoiding cancellations;
  • seven key considerations for building a data warehouse; and
  • benchmarking techniques for improving metadata processes

Exploring your options for assessment will lead you to the right balance of traditional and new metrics, and this book provides a valuable overview.

Preface

Chapter 1. Assessment of Technical Services: An Overview, by Cecilia Botero and Steven Carrico
Chapter 2. Assessing Collections Holistically: A Behind-the-Scenes Approach, by Madeline M. Kelly and Stephanie S. Smith
Chapter 3. Acquisitions and E-Resources Assessment, by Trey Shelton and Steven Carrico
Chapter 4. Serials and Continuing Resources, by Kristin Calvert and Whitney Jordan
Chapter 5. Cataloging and Metadata Assessment: An Overview, by Karl Pettitt
Chapter 6. Preservation Assessments, by Fletcher Durant
Chapter 7. The Future of Technical Services: Data Governance and Analytics, by Nina Servizzi

About the Editors and Contributors
Index

Kimberley A. Edwards

Kimberley A. Edwards is the head of database integrity and analysis at George Mason University Libraries. She received her MLIS from the University of Kentucky, and prior to her current role she worked in the circulation and technical services departments of several college and government libraries. She has presented on collection management and analysis tools and techniques at a range of national and international conferences.

Michelle Leonard

Michelle Leonard is the assistant director for education and training programs at the University of Florida, Office of Research. From 2004–2021, she was tenured faculty in the Marston Science Library at the University of Florida where she was the librarian and collections liaison to multiple departments in agriculture and natural and environmental sciences. She is an avid advocate for the inclusion of grey literature in her information literary workshops at the undergraduate level, and for scholarly research at the graduate level. Michelle coauthored the book Implementing and Assessing Use Driven Acquisitions (2016) and coedited Assessment Strategies in Technical Services (2019). She has published and presented on collection management, assessment strategies in libraries, and the responsible conduct of research at national educational, and library conferences, and international conferences.

"Readers will come away with an understanding of what can be assessed in technical services, and how such assessment will contribute holistically to a library’s mission ... The content itself is valuable, but the lengthy reference lists provide even better specific examples of various types of assessment. Although targeted toward technical services librarians, this well-written book will also benefit administrators, collection development and liaison librarians, and stacks maintenance personnel."
— CHOICE

"As the first book to address this topic, it will be of great interest to managers and administrators responsible for any aspect of technical services activities. It fills a niche and is a significant contribution to the literature on assessment. Libraries of all types and sizes will find the assessment strategies covered in this book useful."
— Technicalities

"This book does an excellent job of helping any technical services librarian develop an effective assessment strategy ... Perhaps most importantly, it has advice on how to share technical services information with the entire library in order to support the library's goals and strategic plan."
— Doody's Book Reviews

”The central chapters are designed to stand alone for the reader seeking focused knowledge in advice in a particular area, yet they work well together to form a cohesive narrative ... Since this volume transitions between various steps in the technical service life cycle and provides detailed advice at each step, this title is relevant at all levels of an organization."
— Technical Services Quarterly