Updating the Content Management Mission is a 2013-2014 Departmental Goal.

Content Management- Collection Development and Acquisitions  Mission

The mission of the Collection Development unit is to oversee the growth of the library’s collections through wise selection, judicious de-selection, and continuous evaluation. The acquisitions function produces orders, receives material, and processes invoices for all library material in all formats when it is a one-time expense.  Both members of the unit continually strive to perform their duties using the best combination of accuracy, cost-effectiveness and timeliness.  The unit also maintains financial records of transactions for all library materials in an accurate and thorough manner.

Content Management-Electronic Resources and Serials  Mission

The Electronic Resources and Serials Department serves the Furman University Library and the university community by placing orders, receiving and processing material, and processing invoices for all electronic and serial materials.   The department is also responsible for the activation and set up of all electronic resources and management of the library’s OpenURL link resolver, A to Z list, discovery service, and Electronic Resources Management System.   The Department also maintains financial records of all electronic resources transactions in an accurate and thorough manner.

• Assess bindery practices; codify binder policy for all currently subscribed print journals and streamline work-flow.
• Investigate new EBSCO modules relating to subscription management and collection assessment.
• Work with Discovery Department to ensure optimal customer access to electronic acquisitions in all forms and formats.
• Update gifts process.
• Codify video acquisitions practice and continue VHS replacement/deselection project.

Over the last five years the Furman University Library has evolved from binding over 1,000 journals per year to binding less than 350. During 2012-2013 we shifted bound music journals from the Music Library to the Main Library and integrated them into our existing bound collection. All of our existing bound collection was measured, counted, assessed and shifted. JSTOR Arts & Sciences XI Archive Collection was acquired and in 2013-2014 more bound journals will be reviewed for deselection. 

In spring 2013 we began negotiation for a purchase of EBSCONET Usage Consolidation. This product allows us to compile and analyze journal usage. This is our first step in a comprehensive review of electronic journal subscriptions.

About EBSCONET Usage Consolidation

EBSCONET Usage Consolidation is a  tool for collecting, consolidating, and reporting on the usage of online resources. Usage Consolidation allows us to see how our resources are being utilized and provides valuable information that enables us to develop a collection to empowers our users.

With Usage Consolidation we can …

• Report on usage data related to our online collection
• Manage usage for all our resources, regardless of vendor, via a single interface
• Identify our most- and least-used resources
• Access instant cost-per-use analysis
• Report on usage of titles (summarized by title, publisher, or platform) and databases
• Export usage data to other systems for additional analysis

During 2013-2014 we will learn how to best analyze, interpret and apply such data.

During 2012-2013 Content Management updated and streamlined our process for acquiring and facilitating access to electronic resources.

We updated and streamlined our  workflow for acquiring and facilitating access to electronic resources.  Working with Outreach and Discovery services we created a process so that both old and newly aquired electronic reference sources are available in both the Reference Tools LibGuide and the catalog. It is our hope that, with our new catalog and discovery service, we will no longer have to maintain these separate lists.

We acquire Springer eBooks each year through a PASCAL consortial purchase.  EBL was also adding new Springer publications to our catalog as a part of our EBL Patron-Driven Acquisition program. In 2012-2013 we worked with our EBL support staff to have Springer Books suppressed from the catalog. From this point forward Springer books will no longer come in the EBL Patron-Driven Acquisition program. Additionally, we’ve established a workflow so that eBook received from other sources are suppressed in our EBL PDA as well. In this way we avoid duplicate spending. eBook deselection is a growing trend in academic libraries –

Moroni, A. E. (2012). Weeding in a digital age: shelf clutter can be a problem for ebooks as well. Library Journal, 137(15), 26+.

We have established processes that will facilitate the deselection of eBooks from our collection as necessary. This includes adding a note to Millennium records for books we have rented and/or purchased through our EBL DDA.

In 2012-2013 a Gifts Libguide was created. This guide includes an online gifts donation form.

In coordination with Liaison Librarians we worked on streamlining the gift evaluation process. Content Management also worked with Ann Bryant to assume the responsibility for printing gift plates for individual gifts.

The Furman University Library accepted 2,815 gifts in 2012-2013; 566 for Special Collections and 2,249 for the General Collection. Significant contributions included the following:

• Contributions from alumni- Mark Kellogg ('67), Jimmy Quinn ('03), Michael Barnett ('70) former trustee, and Mary Frances Davis Jones ('44) & Jack Jones in honor of their daughter Decie Anna Jones ('74).
• Sports titles from Lynda L. Bisher in memory of J. Furman Bisher, Class of '38.
• Dr. David Morgan posthumously contributed 8 musical scores and 5 books relating to music.
• The Counseling Center requested 52 of their books be housed in the Library

Additional donations were from the Philosophy and Sociology departments, Dr. John Shelley, Dr. Albert Blackwell, Dr. Carolyn Watson, Dr. Brian Siegel, Dr. Timothy Wardle, EROS, ETV, and library faculty and staff DebbieLee Landi, Jenny Colvin, Robyn Andrews.

Thirty-two boxes of books were sent to Better World Books and 1,950 books were donated to the Greenville Literacy Association including 1,463 juvenile books.

In March 2013 the Information Technology Services Department announced that classroom VHS players would no longer be replaced or supported. Based on this decision the library created a Acquisition of Video practice:

Upon faculty request, the Furman University Libraries will acquire videos in DVD format in support of the curriculum.

• If a video is only available via streaming, the library will make every attempt to acquire an IP authenticated, multiple-user, streaming license.
• If a video is only available in VHS format, the library will consider those requests on a case-by-case basis and reserves the right to decline the request.
• Requested DVDs must be either Region 1 (US, Canada, Bermuda, US territories) or playable via the VLC Media Player.

For information on NON-region 1 DVDs, please see our Playing a DVD on a Campus Computer or Workstation Guide

Additionally, a final pass was made on the VHS collection in the Main Library.  Items that have had no use in 4 years were withdrawn.  Items that have circulated were replaced with DVD editions, wherever possible. However, if no replacement was available, the item was retained.  From an original collection of over 1200 titles, only 112 titles remain.  This same process is being applied to the Music Library VHS Collection.