NASIG 2025

Having visualizations to quickly intake various inter-related data points can help with decision-making and communicating value to stakeholders move more smoothly. While there are several applications that can be used for visualization purposes, not every library has the staff capacity or software resources to develop or license a robust visualization tool. Utilizing a common application such as Microsoft Excel can provide a low barrier entry point and serve as a good foundation to expanding one’s knowledge and comfort in developing formatted tables, charts, and filters using slicers. This session intends to show how to set up a master data table in Excel, create PivotTables and PivotCharts, as well as several slicers to isolate resources by cost, percent changes, usage, fund source, subject area, and LC class to monitor trends over multiple years. Use cases will also be shared on how this dashboard has helped view trends on the increase of open access usage in comparison to controlled usage, communicate cost trends to executive leadership, and provide Acquisitions staff a better view on struggling resources to keep a closer eye on. Additionally, this topic can aid newcomers to learn how to manage and maintain data regarding the library’s continuing resources and databases.

Learning Outcomes
This presentation benefits library staff who need to collect and share resource information in a visualized manner without access to or experience with other tools such as Tableau or PowerBI.

Attendees will be able to organize their database renewal data and create tables and charts using Excel for collection assessment purposes. They will learn how to build formatted tables, PivotTables, PivotCharts, and multiple slicers within Microsoft Excel. Attendees will also receive a step-by-step handout and practice data to readily apply the concepts presented.

This presentation will cover the journey of a novel ERM implementation in FOLIO, an ERM system new to the ILS landscape. Library and vendor partnered to implement EBSCO FOLIO as a free-standing ERM module, utilizing an intentional & principled approach that went beyond just data migration to include both workflow considerations and the library’s unique staffing and collection needs.

Outcomes of the project included developing new migration tools for transferring ERM data, integrating multiple existing data sources, configuring the system to provide efficient methods of tracking renewals and perpetual access, creating foundational collection assessment cycle data, categorizing resources by subject and content type, as well other ERM lifecycle information important to the library.

We will highlight in detail the outcomes of the project, the challenges of implementing a standalone ERM in a time of staffing and future ILS uncertainty, as well as the benefits of implementation using a consultative partnership approach between library and vendor.

Learning Outcomes
Participants will gain an increased understanding of:

1. ERM functionality in FOLIO, an emerging system in the ILS landscape.
2. What factors to consider when choosing a new ERM system.
3. Ways to utilize an ERM to lay the foundation for a collection assessment cycle.
4. When partnership with a vendor can be beneficial to ERM implementation.
5. What sources of data to include in an ERMS migration.

Electronic resource management in knowledgebases regularly encounters challenges of incomplete or incorrect metadata, evaluating packages for activation, and troubleshooting holdings information. Many decisions about e-resource inventory are driven by the need to provide immediate access to our collection, and considerations of metadata quality are usually secondary. The bibliographic rank is a value in Alma which indicates the overall quality of a record through an evaluation of completeness and richness. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of how the bibliographic rank score was collected and assessed to evaluate the quality of the library’s electronic resource records. The scores were assessed by overall category of score values, content format, provider, and subject areas. Our findings from the analysis were used to determine opportunities for adjusting our e-resource workflows, advocating for improved records with content providers, and notifying service providers of errors or required corrections.  

Learning Outcomes

1. Attendees will learn how to collect and analyze the bibliographic rank score in Alma to identify the quality of e-resource records.
2. Attendees will identify common record quality issues according to material type, subject area, and content providers.
3. Attendees will be able to identify different methods for improving e-resource records for their library through advocating with stakeholders and developing workflows.

Increasing budgetary pressures, rapidly evolving new technologies, shifting user behaviour and needs in combination with significant sector and institutional changes required Deakin Library to reconsider our approach to collection assessment and development.

Over the last couple of years, Deakin Library has developed a fundamentally different approach to collection evaluation to ensure that our resources meet the evolving needs of our communities while aligning and advancing with the University’s strategic direction and vision of creating a vibrant, rich and inclusive ideas eco-system and contributing to the creation of a more informed, progressive and socially-just society globally.

We found that with many of the traditional approaches to collection assessment which often rely on quantitative metrics and scorecard approaches, such methods often lack the nuance required to address diverse collection formats and do not adapt well to niche subjects and multi-disciplinary areas or worked only for certain types of collections (i.e. electronic collections but not physical). These concerns were exacerbated due to our previous decision-making over-relying
on measures such as cost-per-use and year-on-year cost increases.

Our new Collection Governance Framework is now providing a values-based approach which was developed in close collaboration across all library teams, ensuring inclusivity, transparency and a feeling of ownership throughout the whole process. It reflects core library values and the values and vision of the University, and is supported by practical principles and a holistic and comprehensive collection evaluation rubric.

The rubric utilises a narrative-based approach that reflects the diversity of perspectives and insights contributed by all areas of Deakin Library, including the Strategic Leadership Team, Collections, Metadata & Discovery, Scholarly Communications and Research Outputs, Scholarly Services, Experience Design, Copyright, and Client Experiences in consultation with key
contacts across the University including Strategic Procurement, Office of General Counsel and others.

To ensure a streamlined and effective process, the Collection Governance Framework is supported by extensive documentation including process maps, work instructions and best practice guidelines. The whole process is facilitated through Jira, an agile project management tool that functions as a single source of truth for not only collection assessment but also approval workflows.

The information gathered through the evaluation process on Jira integrates both quantitative and qualitative insights and is analysed and visualised through a Tableau dashboard, allowing for benchmarking against various measures and identifying collection strengths and gaps.

The implementation of the Collection Governance Framework has been immensely successful and has provided a catalyst to address some of the fundamental questions about the future of scholarly communications, the role of vendors and suppliers regarding advancing our strategic goals and supporting our communities and considering the future shape and purpose of our collections. It has also strengthened our negotiating position with positive outcomes in both
budgetary terms and value alignment.

In our presentation, we will share the journey of developing the Collection Governance Framework, creating a rubric for collection assessment, and our key learnings. We will focus on the practical implementation of the collection evaluation process and application of the outcomes.

Learning Outcomes

1. Understand how narrative value-based rubrics can be used for collaborative collection assessment and ethical decision-making. 
2. Understand how to elicit input and collaboration from subject matter experts through a centralised platform. 
3. Understand how collection assessment can be seamlessly integrated into collection management workflows, supported by effective automation to reduce manual work. 
4. Understand basic data visualisation concepts to support collection assessment, benchmarking, as well as informing vendor relationships and negotiations.