How Leeds University Library is using the Copac Tools

Maureen PinderWesline conference2nd September 2013

What we’re trying to do at Leeds

• We’re trying to categorise our collections:–Heritage, legacy, self-renewing, finite

• Drivers:–Space/weeding decisions–Focus spending on most important areas–Prioritisation for digitisation and physical conservation–Aid decision making for collaborative collection management

Our initial approach

• Gathered expert opinion from relevant librarians and retired librarians

• Identified academics who know collections well• Created Access database to store decisions, with rationale• The downside:

–slow–subjective–no expertise in some areas

• Needed hard facts/stats on which to base decisions

Copac Tools Project• JISC funded project

–Phase 1 2010/11 –Phase 2 2011/12–Phase 3 2012/13–Current phase: tools available to all RLUK members

• Aim to develop tools to improve collection management decisions

• Partners: RLUK, MIMAS, Leeds, Sheffield, York, plus associate partners at different stages

What the Tool does

• It allows you to compare your collection with other libraries in Copac

• Different partners were using it for different purposes:–To get a profile allowing them to understand the strengths of their

collection (Leeds and York)–To know for certain which materials in a collection are common

nationally, so that they could weed safely (Sheffield and Manchester)– To get information of their collection they can use for fundraising

(UCL)

The process

• Decide which collection or bit of collection you want to examine

• Create a review file in your Library Management System• Output a list of ISBNs from this review file, and upload into

the Copac Tool: http://copac.ac.uk:8020/test/• Run the search and then export your results into Excel, and

save locally• Manipulate the data to pull out the specific information you

want

What the results look like 1: how many libraries hold titles

What the results look like 2: how many of the books are in each library

And how did we make sense of the results?

• We collected key indicators in a table, which allowed us to compare them

• We gradually worked towards a realisation that a collection meeting one of the following measures was potentially ‘heritage’/worthy of further investigation:

–15% or more of the titles are in 3 libraries or less–21% or more of the titles are in 4 libraries or less–2 or fewer libraries hold 2/3 of the titles

Conclusions so far about our collections

• Chemistry is widespread in the country, but Colour Chemistry is rare

• Transport is rare• Communications Studies is widespread, but the journalism

section is much stronger• French, German, Spanish and Portuguese seem very

strong – but we only have partial results• Icelandic is very rare – but only partial results• Health Sciences seems to be widespread

But approach with caution

• This only compares our collection with Copac libraries• If the subject might be well represented in non-Copac

libraries, the results might give a false picture, e.g. nursing• There may be uncatalogued material in the Copac libraries

which would make a significant difference to results• Poor quality catalogue records might lead to an item not

being found• No guarantee the other libraries will keep their copies, or

that they’re in good physical condition

Where we are now• The Tool only gives reliable results for items with ISBNs• So we can’t tackle our potentially most interesting collections

in Arts, Social Sciences and Science• We’re waiting for the launch of a new Copac database, which

will allow us to search on other criteria reliably – this winter?National issues:• Need agreed system for flagging physical condition and

intention to keep• Need a body to lead this – RLUK?• Jisc report on national monograph collections due Dec. 2013

Further information

For more information on all phases of the Copac Tools project go to www.copac.ac.uk, then to Innovations and then Collections Management: http://copac.ac.uk/innovations/collections-management/

Instructions on using the Tools can be found in the Sheffield and York-Leeds workflow documents under Phase 2.