Systemwide Library and Scholarly Information Advisory Committee

Resolution E: Collaborative Leadership and Support for the Planning and Implementation of Shared Library Collections
Resolved: Acknowledging the substantial steps that have already been taken collaboratively by the UC Libraries in planning for shared library collections, and recognizing the importance and complexity of this task, the Committee endorses the steps that the UC Libraries have taken to provide effective coordination and facilitation for the planning, development, and implementation of shared collections of print material for the University of California Libraries, and endorses the provisions proposed for the 2002-03 Resource Sharing budget to appoint a qualified individual to continue and expand these coordination and facilitation efforts.

Background:

It is the view of the Committee that further development of shared Universitywide library collections, in all formats, is an essential strategy to enhance the collections and services that each UC campus library makes available to its faculty and students, and to maintain the breadth and depth of collections needed to support the University's distinguished teaching and research programs, in the face of ongoing growth in the amount and cost of scholarly information and the limited State resources available to meet the need. This view is supported by the recommendations of the Committee's Scholarly Information Program Task Force, Committee discussion, and the actions already undertaken by the UC Libraries to implement aspects of this strategy.

As noted in the Interim Report of the Scholarly Information Program Task Force (http://www.slp.ucop.edu/consultation/slasiac/102902/SIP_Report_with_comments.pdf), "… the shared digital collection [of the California Digital Library] has been remarkably effective, and the Task Force recommends that the shared collection concept be expanded beyond the digital realm to include, on a selective basis, print collections. This overall strategy offers the best possibility to capture and leverage the benefits that lie in the interrelationship between digital and print collections, presents an opportunity to improve service by better integrating access to information regardless of format, and builds upon the collaborative relationships among the campus libraries that have been established to guide the development of the shared digital collection." Consistent with the Task Force's recommendations and the ensuing discussion at the October 29, 2002 meeting of the Committee (http://www.slp.ucop.edu/consultation/slasiac/notes_102902.html), a number of actions have been undertaken at the initiative of the UC Libraries to advance the planning and development of shared collections, including:

  • At their planning retreat in November 2002, the University Librarians developed a working definition of Shared Collections, and discussed at length the benefits and barriers of shared print collections and some candidate collections to evaluate for shared collections treatment.
  • At the initiative of the UC Libraries' Collection Development Committee, the University Librarians' Systemwide Operations and Planning Advisory Group (SOPAG) has directed the creation of a small working group to plan for the implementation of an initial shared print collection consisting of "journals that are presently available at no additional cost with the systemwide electronic license (e.g., Elsevier, ACM.)" (http://www.slp.ucop.edu/sopag/min102502.html, Item 6.0).
  • At the request of the University Librarians, this Committee's Collection Management Planning Group Steering Committee (http://www.slp.ucop.edu/consultation/cmpg/) has initiated discussions aimed at identification and assessment of candidate shared collections.
  • Pursuant to the work of the CMPG-SC and at the request of the University Librarians, Systemwide Library Planning Staff are developing a white paper setting out in greater detail the University's intent and the general characteristics of shared print collections.

A great deal has already been accomplished through the collaborative efforts of the UC Libraries, but the required planning is complex. In addition to the groups listed above, multiple constituencies at multiple campuses must be involved, including the University Librarians, SOPAG and its Collection Development Committee the Collection Management Planning Group, the Regional Library Facilities and their respective Boards, the campuses involved in processing shared print collection materials, and of course SLASIAC itself. Further, planning for print collections (in particular, for new treatments of existing campus collections) reaches deeply to the operations, service missions, and campus expectations of the libraries. This will certainly be an ongoing, multicampus, and multiyear effort. In view of these factors and the great importance of the task, this Committee believes that appointment of an individual to provide focused, dedicated and qualified coordination and facilitation will be required to set a successful course for the University in this area. The individual appointed for this effort must have excellent credentials in research library collection development, and high credibility with the UC Libraries, the faculty, and senior management.

The Committee understands that provision has been made in the proposed 2002-03 budget plan for the systemwide Resource Sharing Program to finance an appointment for this purpose. The Committee finds that this is an appropriate use of Resource Sharing funds, and endorses the proposed allocation.

Approved by the Committee February 28, 2003