Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

Utah State Library Collection Assessment Kristen Stehel & Ashley Swan Emporia State University LI855XI May 5, 2013

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

Introduction
The Utah State Library has been in existence for over 50 years, serving the need to enhance collection development for rural libraries and for providing special needs collections to the impaired and disabled across the state. This collection development assessment seeks to examine the current policies in place for the Utah State Library and changes that will need to be made in order to combat a permanent 15% reduction to the fiscal budget in the immediate coming years. Our final recommendations have been made in light of this budget situation and with a new collection policy that will be released in August of 2013.

Utah State Library (USL)

The Utah State Library (USL) is a unique entity within State government. It is a State agency with responsibility for fulfilling statutory regulation regarding the needs of rural, local libraries within their communities. It is also a library in its own right that directly serves a broad array of special Utahns' information needs. Utah State Library supports statewide library services by providing critical funding, training and consulting to Utah's library community. Community Library Enhancement Funds provide mission essential additions to traditionally inadequate local public library budgets, reward those libraries that meet established service requirements, and demonstrate a strong local financial commitment. Lender Support funding helps promote libraries lending their resources to other libraries across the State. Through the InterLibrary Loan Program local libraries share their resources with other libraries across the State and nation that would not otherwise be available to their local customers. USL administers special grant programs that provide funding for valuable partnership projects that encourage technology advancements in services. Training programs provided by USL offer professional development opportunities that include training opportunities in management, preservation, technology, cataloging and other libraryrelated work for public library directors and key staff of all libraries in Utah. All public libraries receive the benefits of expert consulting in all areas of public library operations, to include training for Boards of Trustees. Utah State Library is a library. It is the library for blind and reading disabled users in Utah and other states. It is the library for users of State government publications seeking easily searchable, Internet accessible information. It is the library for users of digital resources, including downloadable audiobooks, and a wide variety of knowledge databases. USL is the library that serves rural Utah, in cooperation with 14 local county governments, through nine Mobile Libraries providing materials and services to residents without easily available library access. (Utah State Library strategic plan 2013-2015, p.1)

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

History
A law establishing the Utah State Library as a department was passed by the 1957 Legislature; the law became effective July 1, 1957. Utah was the last state in the nation to establish a state library. The main impetus to the State Library was the enactment of the Library Services Act which made available matching state and federal funds to provide library service where facilities and services are lacking or inadequate. The State Library Commission established a policy that all state funds would be used to match federal funds for the promotion of rural public library service in Utah. The first bookmobile was delivered in June 1958 and used for demonstration throughout the state for a period of six months. It then served Wayne, Sevier, Kane, Garfield and Piute Counties. Presently the bookmobiles serve 19 counties with 14 vehicles. In 1961 the Legislature gave the State Library the responsibility of providing services to blind residents of Utah and Wyoming. In 1966 Idaho was added for service and today, 21 states receive Braille and full service contracts from the Utah State Library. The service had previously been provided by the Salt Lake City Public Library. Today USL houses the worlds largest Braille collection with over 400,000 books on tape titles. State library headquarter building locations: Directors: Russell Davis, 1957-1987 Amy Owen, 1987-2004 Donna Jones Morris, 2004 - present Governors Mansion Coach House 1958-1967 Freeway Plaza Headquarters 1967-1998 Airport East Campus, 1999 -present

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

Facilities
The State Library moved into a brand new building in 1999 on Airport East Campus in Salt Lake City, Utah. Space is shared with State Mail, Commission on Volunteers, Office of Education, Library of the Blind and Multi-Center for the Blind. Total building space equals about 800 square feet. The building is currently fairly full. However, between the State Library, Library of the Blind, and the Multi-Center for the Blind, there is enough weeding to providing continual shelving space for new library materials.

Collection Overview
State Library collections are not open for public perusal. Collections discussed in this assessment are all obtained for Utah patrons via InterLibrary Loan. If requests are not in USLs collection, materials are then considered for purchase or requested via outside lenders. The tangible nonfiction collection, the focus of this assessment, includes the following formats: Book Audio CD Playaway DVD VHS

*Total number of print nonfiction is roughly 30,000.

Resource Sharing
InterLibrary loan is a valuable service provided by the State Library. The program services about 60 rural libraries, a few school libraries and all state agencies in Utah. The service also extends out to libraries across the nation in reciprocity of receiving materials in return. Utah State Library has consortial agreements with local universities, county and city libraries for InterLibrary Loan. All of these libraries receive monies because they lend their materials for free to Utah libraries; whereas, most libraries in the consortium charge fees for borrowers outside of Utah.

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT Book Buzz is a reading and discussion program that lends books to groups, libraries, organizations, schools, community centers and/or book clubs meeting at home. The Utah Humanities Council began working with the State Library to house book sets for book groups. Two-hundred and seventy sets originally resided at the council until April 2012 when the collection was transferred to the State Library. The collection has been growing ever since, including purchases and donations. Both entities work together to advocate and supply resources to the community. Book groups can view the book set titles and submit requests online. This collection, in conjunction with the rest of USLs library materials is available for InterLibrary Loan.

Current Collection Development Budget

2012-2013 (print and electronic resources) Collections Databases E-books & E-audiobooks Print Periodicals McNaughton Contract Print Nonfiction, Book Buzz collection (book sets/book groups), Books on CD Bookmobile Grant (JV and YA books) 400,000 287,000 3,000 3,000 20,000 Cost $

10,000

Collection Development Staff

Colleen Eggett, Training Coordinator (Nonfiction/Professional Development) Craig Nelson, Library Resources Program Manager (Databases, e-books & e-audiobooks) Kristen Stehel, Resource Sharing Coordinator (Periodicals, McNaughton fiction, Nonfiction, Book Buzz, Books on CD) Matt McLain, Youth Services Coordinator (Juvenile and young adult books for bookmobiles)

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

SWOT Analysis
Strengths USLs main focus is to help rural libraries Acquisitions are heavily patron driven Collection contains unique library material Opportunities LSTA monies Collection donations Products/services Weaknesses Total circulation is low Particular sections rarely checkout Weeding is infrequent As a whole, collection is not current

Threats Budget cuts Technology Institution infrastructure

Strengths The Utah State Librarys library collection is centered around a policy that is tailored to the needs of rural libraries in Utah. Purchasing decisions are contingent on current day by day requests from rural libraries along with a comprehensive understanding of new materials reviewed by prominent resources such as Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Baker & Taylor, Amazon, etc. The collection development team aims to join continuing education of collection development juxtaposed with the needs of the community. Often times, rural library requests are not obtainable via InterLibrary Loan. As a result, USL purchases many of said materials which contribute to a unique assortment of materials. Because these unique materials are not readily available nationwide, USL receives many requests from libraries in other states. Strong areas of circulation include: Book Buzz, Cooking, Health, Biography, Religion and History. Weaknesses As a whole, the nonfiction collection does not have high circulation. Based on statistics, many areas do not circulate frequently such as: Computer Science, Professional Development, Science, Art and Literature. USL has attempted to update material in these sections, yet materials have yet to gain circulation. Weeding only occurs every three years by one staff member and the average turnover rate of 0.1 has not increased as one would expect.

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT Opportunities Above all, LSTA grants fund several staff salaries and many library services. Libraries nationwide annually depend on this money, in that the amount of money can severely impact proposed plans for the future. Collection donations, especially book sets, can potentially build the collection without affecting the collection development budget. With the advancements of technology, USL hopes to adopt a more user-friendly cataloging system that integrates discovery layers to advance accessibility. Threats Nationwide, libraries are facing massive budget cuts reflecting the negative aspects of our economy. Technology is paving way to provide services that have the potential to replace and automate many library services. With more automated library services, the traditional layout of a library has been changing as less staff is necessary to perform some tasks. For instance, fewer staff are needed to perform circulation and reference tasks due to technological advancements, such as self-checkout and virtual reference. Particularly at the State Library, several staff members retired or took other library positions, and the responsibilities they had were distributed among current staff, rather than re-filling the positions. This has resulted in the breakdown of cubicle space, which opens up the possibility for another state agency to share office space in the USLs building.

Current Selection Policy

The current collection development policy was adopted in 2010 by the Utah State Library Board. They review their policies every three years, so it will be up for review again in August 2013. The intended collection audience is patrons of public libraries that serve fewer than 50,000 people in Utah. Any material requests beyond the scope of the collection are processed by InterLibrary Loan (such as Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James). The intended purpose of the collection is to bridge the gap in the collections and collection budgets of smaller libraries that cannot easily obtain these materials. Over a 50 year span, approximately 47,000 items have been collected in the general collection. This collection consists of the following collection groups: general fiction, general nonfiction, online resources repository (Pioneer), Utah collection, Library Professional Development collection and the Special collection. The general fiction and nonfiction collections contain items requested specifically by the smaller libraries the Utah State Library serves. Titles are selected based on subject forecasted demand, via usage statistics. As budget allows, other materials are purchased that cannot be

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT borrowed via ILL because of high demand, currency or frequency of request (Collection development policy, 2010). Weeding is done based on time-sensitivity of materials (health, social science), and then as shelf space needs come into play. A collection development staff member is responsible for both acquisition and weeding of the collection. The USL also has an online library, named Pioneer, which houses audiobooks, ebooks, newspapers, magazines and other resources. It is available to all Utah residents. Materials are chosen with the input from local public libraries and schools. The Utah collection contains history, geology and cultural materials, all related to Utah. It contains approximately 32,000 print items issued by state agencies between 1979 and today, and 22,000 digital state publications dating from 1996 to present. Some of the items in the print collection are being digitized into USLs digital library, ArchivalWare. Items are collected from all state agency departments, offices, boards, commissions, public universities and colleges, and political subdivisions (Collection development policy, 2010). Political subdivisions include local governments (i.e. school districts, cities, counties, public transit districts, etc.). A handful of Federal agency publications related to the state of Utah are also included in the digital library online. The Library Professional Development collection contains current materials to support continuing education for library staff. The collection has a selection of materials about the library profession. The collection development staff directs all purchases. The collection is only lightly weeded in order to maintain a comprehensive selection and to remove duplications and create shelf space when needed. Materials are selected by relevance and usefulness by Utah State Library staff. The Special Collection is for legacy items that are classic or enduring in nature. Items may not be current with the existing collection policies and reside within a closed stack, where circulation exceptions are made depending on the condition of the material. Articles that are removed from the collection are deaccessioned in accordance with rules for the Surplus Property Program, Utah Code Ann. 63A-9-801 et seq (Collection development policy, 2010). The General USL Collection & Pioneer (Online Collection) Selection Criteria For the Pioneer online collection, local libraries are consulted for help in selecting materials to complement and augment their local collections for their communities. The following questions are selection criteria used to determine if items should be acquired for the General Collection and Pioneer: Does the item meet existing and forecasted patron needs and interests? How was the item rated by professional reviewers?

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT How up to date and accurate is the content of the item? What are the qualifications and/or reputation of the author/artist/publisher of the item? Does the item contribute to the diversity of the entire collection and is it related to other materials on the subject? Does the item embody a unique or controversial point of view? Has the item received any nominations or win any major prizes or awards? Has there been a public request for the item? Is the item affordable?

There is a formal request form patrons can fill out and mail in if they would like to specifically request the inclusion or removal of any items. Reconsiderations are reviewed by a panel of three librarians (appointed by the State Library Director) who will provide recommendations to the Director, who will then make the final decision and write up a final response. Final appeals go to the Utah State Library Board of Trustees, who undergo a similar review process and response. The USL State Documents Collection Selection Criteria The USL is mandated by the state of Utah to collect state government publications and to make them available to the public online, and to manage a network of state depository libraries for the preservation, distribution, and exchange of state publications (Collection development policy, 2010). Some documents are submitted to the USL, and others are pulled from state agency websites and are hosted in a web archives, ArchivalWare. Library for the Blind and Disabled Selection Criteria This collection provides materials for recreation and information to those with physical and visual disabilities and learning impairments. Items are in Braille, large print or audio recorded media. The collection tries to focus on local or regional materials of interest, books written by local authors, or published by local publishers that are not in the collection of the National Library Service. Books are also considered in relation to the other materials in the collection. State documents, forms, and explanatory information necessary to the well-being of Utah citizens will be recorded and/or brailled (Collection development policy, 2010). Responsibility for acquisition of these materials falls with the Library for the Blind Program Manager.

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT Large Print Titles are usually commercial titles and do not include textbooks. The USL also has a standard set of rules in place for recording materials for library patrons. Patrons generally have to submit their own materials to be audio recorded - one at a time, and new books and government institution materials take first priority over patron requests. Textbooks are generally not audio recorded. If a volunteer cannot be found to read an item, it is returned to the patron unrecorded. Local and regional books are Brailled in relation to other items in the collection subject area and no personal items or textbooks are recorded. The local audiobook and large print collections and books from the National Library Service are weeded as needed. Materials will be reproduced in order to increase supply based on demand or to replace damaged or lost items. A digital master of audio recordings and Brailled books are stored for any locally produced titles in order to make copies as needed. Reconsideration of items for inclusion or removal follows the same procedure as in the general collection. Bookmobile Libraries and Repositories Selection Criteria Bookmobile collections make materials available to local communities that are served by a bookmobile. They are reviewed and revised on continual basis. Criteria for selecting items for the bookmobile follow the same criteria used for the general collection. Bookmobiles can include: adult materials, audio recordings, childrens books, young adult materials, government documents online, digital items available on Pioneer and visual media. Textbooks are generally not available in the bookmobiles.

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Patron Demographic Analysis

The State of Utah has a growing population from 2,763,885 in 2010 estimates to 2,855,287 in 2012 estimates increasing 3.3% (U.S. Census Bureau state and county quick facts, 2013). Utah has several large cities, but many citizens live in rural areas. Utah averages 33.6 people per square mile, as opposed to the U.S national average of 87.4 people per square mile. (U.S. Census Bureau state and county quick facts, 2013). The states frontier and rural counties cover 96% of the 84,000 square miles in the state. Some parts of Utah are among the most isolated and least populated in the United States because of the large acreage held by the Bureau of Land Management and the lands dedicated to state recreational parks, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Park Service. Fifteen of Utah's twenty-nine counties fall under the frontier designation, while ten qualify as rural, and only four are considered urban (State population estimates: Annual time series, July 1, 1990 to July 1, 1999). The USL offers Bookmobile services to thirteen rural communities. The Bookmobiles carry approximately 5,000 items and stops on average at 20-40 places in each community (Utah State Library bookmobiles, 2013).

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

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Stakeholders
There is one main group of stakeholders for the Utah State Library. The Utah State Library Board consists of ten Board of Trustees. Representatives include a Chair, Vice-Chair and seven public at large members. The additional member in this stakeholder group is the State Librarian. The board serves as the eyes and ears of the states rural libraries and brings a wide-ranging perspective to the USL.

Patron Base
Between 2004 and 2012, on average 6,128 items were circulated each year from the USL collection to other Utah libraries, which average out to be 16% of the entire print collection. In addition an average 12,916 InterLibrary Loan requests were submitted each year to outside lenders. (Utah State Library resources statistics, 2013).

Collection Analysis
Turnover rate for the entire print collection on average is 0.1 because the collection is infrequently weeded and many Dewey sections are not updated with current materials. Average Monthly Circulation Breakdown Book Buzz Nonfiction Fiction Audio Professional Development LatAwards/Spanish Government Documents 36.12% 32.8% 22.6% 7.37% 1.75% 1.83% 0.49%

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT Nonfiction circulation (2009-2012)

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Item Type Call # BOOK 000-091 100-199 200-299 300-399 400-499 500-599 600-699 700-799 800-899 900-999 92 (BIO) 655 682 920 1274 49 169 1873 396 RG-BOOK 50 52 23 121 40 0 152 58 CD 0 67 36 16 12 0 69 5 PLAYAWAY 0 0 5 0 3 0 2 0 DVD 25 0 0 0 0 0 108 4 VHS 6 5 0 10 2 0 2 9 TOTAL

736 806 984 1421 106 169 2206 472 271 1262 1713

237 918 1287

32 281 324

0 57 99

2 2 0

0 1 0

0 3 3

Circulation by User Profile in 2012

User Profile Blind Bookmobile Colleges-Universities Other-Government Out of State Public Libraries Reading Groups School

Total 86 682 121 4 610 4259 420 72

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

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State Agencies USL Public USL Staff Total

57 28 573 6912

Patron Needs/Demand
Acquisitions of print materials rely heavily on ILL requests from Utah patrons of associated libraries. One of the collection development librarians works directly with InterLibrary Loan requests to ensure an accurate relationship between patron needs and acquisition. The McNaughton purchase plan allows for 300 books to be purchased a year and they are all selectively chosen based on patron demand. Between building the collection and providing InterLibrary Loan, USL works as a backup service to meet the needs of patrons statewide.

Action Plan
Utah State Library has been faced with the harsh reality of a permanent 15% budget cut. It is our recommendation to follow the action plan below in order to maintain the integrity of the current collection, while addressing the coming budget shortfall. 1 A one year investigation will be conducted to compare price plans with book leasing companies. Renting materials might work better for this particular type of library and the communities served. It will be important to monitor the support necessary for maintaining cyclical demand for popular books, while reducing overhead costs to obtain them. Professional Development purchases will face a cutback since circulation is low and the materials are priced high, as they are typically purchased from the American Library Association. USL will continue to work with InterLibrary Loans to access new materials for these sections. Items will not be ordered for the purpose of supplying current materials, especially in areas that have low circulation. Low circulating collections will be maintained, but USL will not invest in new materials for these sections unless the patron requests merit an investment. Since Book Buzz has the highest circulation, USL will advocate more frequently for book set donations, especially to libraries that buy a surplus of copies when a title is popular, then eventually discard many of them. In addition, acquisitions will seek less expensive used

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT copies of books for sets from vendors such as Amazon. Many groups want an older titles which open up opportunity to find used copies for cheaper. 5 More staff will be involved with collection weeding to expedite the task and develop more of a comprehensive awareness of collection needs for improvement.

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Conclusion
The goal for this assessment was to review the existing collection development policy in place against current budget plans. The Utah State Library is due for a new collection development policy review this year, as the current one expires in August. The action plan encompasses the current policy, budget and community needs to appropriately devise a future collection development plan to enhance services to Utah communities. Recommendations primarily reflect cutbacks, but also integrate the scope of the policy with the need to build high demand collections in order to fit the needs of the community and increase circulation.

Running Head: UTAH STATE LIBRARY COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

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References

State population estimates: Annual time series, July 1, 1990 to July 1, 1999. [Government publication]. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of the Census. U.S. Census Bureau state and county quick facts, 2013. 21 April 2013. Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49000.html Utah State Library Division. 21 Apil 2013. Utah State Library bookmobiles. Retrieved from http://bookmobiles.utah.gov/index.html Utah State Library Division. (2007). Bits and pieces of Utah State Library history. 8 p. [Government publication]. Utah State Library Division. (2007). Celebrating 50 years: Utah State Library. 8 p. [Government publication]. Utah State Library Division. (2010, August 18). Collection development policy. Retrieved from http://library.utah.gov/about/documents/CollectionDevelPolicy2010-FINAL.pdf Utah State Library Division. (2012, May 31). Utah State Library strategic plan 2013-2015. Retrieved from http://library.utah.gov/documents/StrategicPlan2013.pdf Utah State Library Division resources statistics. 21 April 2013. Salt Lake City, UT: Utah State Library Division. [Internal document] Utah State Library Website. Utah State Library Division. [Web]. 21 April 2013. http://library.utah.gov.