Managing and Analyzing Your Collection

Measure twice, cut once... If you can follow a cookbook, you can use these simple recipes - calculations, formulas, and measurements - to come up with statistics for analysis and management of your collection. Using measures of timeliness, relevancy, use percentages, user profiles, and comparisons, you can determine in quantitative ways the quality of your library's collection. From there, you can communicate its value to your customers and that's the name of the game! By gathering concrete statistical evidence, you will be in a position to weed appropriately and make decisions about future market-targeted acquisitions. An added bonus is that you can create a research-based profile of your total library - its collection and users - that you can present to budget-makers and potential funders. These time-tested, step-by-step directions show even the most math-phobic how to: * Gather and analyze data produced by automated systems * Conduct a random sampling using one of three easy-to-execute methods * Evaluate all types of information formats including books, videos, periodicals, and CD-ROMs * Provide hard evidence to decision makers * Improve collections with smart weeding to make