Goal 3: Provide strong research collections that support and strengthen academic programs and the research interests of faculty and preserve them for the future.

Performance Activities:

• Assistant Director for Collections will work with the bibliographers and the Library Collections Advisory Council to allocate the acquisitions budget based on potential and real demand and factors related to supply and costs of materials.
• Bibliographers in consultation with Acquisitions will review and revise library approval plans to assure that needed materials are acquired as efficiently as possible.
• Interlibrary Loan staff will assist collection development by tracking trends and demands for materials not locally held and making this information regularly available.

Performance Indicators:

• The Libraries are perceived as user-centered in their collection development activities.
• Albany’s Libraries gain recognition for the quality of collections in specific subject areas.
• Graduate students and faculty have access to the materials they need for their research either in the Libraries’ collections or through Interlibrary Loan.
• Students and faculty are satisfied with the amount of access they have to information resources in electronic format.

Methods of Assessment:

• Allocations will be informed by statistics and measures of demand from Institutional Research and the Libraries, as well as those from publishers and database vendors.
• The bibliographers and the LISC Collections Advisory Council will endorse allocations and input from teaching faculty will be positive.
• New allocations are developed and put into practice by July 1, 2005.

Use of Findings:

• Revise and improve collection decisions and allocations of funding.

Performance Activities:

• The Preservation Librarian will chair a taskforce to improve and streamline procedures for bibliographers’ review of damaged and brittle books in order to minimize the amount of time these books are inaccessible to users.
• Circulation staff will work with Collections to establish goals and targets and make shelf reading and collection inventory for the University Library a priority.
• The Assistant Director for Collections will allocate funds to replace needed lost and damaged materials.
• The Libraries will develop an easy way for users to report items missing from the Libraries’ collections.
• Circulation will improve procedures to distribute information on missing and billed materials to bibliographers.  Bibliographers will order replacements in a timely manner.
• The Libraries will explore options for integrating E-Reserves access with campus course management software.
• Interlibrary Loan staff will upgrade ILLiad and implement other useful technologies to improve the usability and timeliness of services.
• Acquisitions Services will continue to streamline ordering, receiving and processing procedures.
• Technical Services will begin using BNA’s full MARC records after migration to new system.
• Cataloging Services will keep current in cataloging of electronic resources.
• Web builders will check links on a regular basis in order to decrease the amount of time links to information resources in the Libraries’ Web site are broken.
• Circulation staff will facilitate the relocation of infrequently used library materials to CCBE to avoid overcrowded shelves and improve access.
• Circulation staff will evaluate staffing resources necessary to provide timely on-demand retrieval of library materials from storage.
• Library administration will examine University Library building security issues and practices in order to reduce collection loss.

Performance Indicators:

• Library users will be able to find needed materials in the Libraries’ collections.
• Bibliographers will make timely decisions about withdrawing and/or replacing brittle, damaged and missing materials.
• Exit control in the University Library will be improved.
• Collection density will be managed to make it easier for users to find what they are looking for on our shelves.

Methods of Assessment:

• User satisfaction surveys
• Sampling for the percentage of items found on shelf
• Preservation Department statistics
• Statistics on number of items with “missing” and “billed” statuses
• Statistics on the number of broken links
• Statistics on the number of “missing” materials requiring searches
• Shelf reading logs
• Inventory reports

Use of Findings:

• Revise policies and procedures
• Improve existing collections and services
• Initiate new services and new ways of doing things

Performance Activities:

• Special Collections faculty will review existing collections policies and opportunities for collection development and recommend needed policy changes.
• The Head of Special Collections and Assistant Director for Collections will draft a new Collection Development Policy that reflects past collection activities and sets new directions for growth of the collections.
• The Head of Special Collections will seek new collections that add depth and distinction to our holdings and support the University’s academic and research programs.

Performance Indicators:

• Albany's Libraries will gain recognition for the excellence of specific collections.
• Department’s collection policies and procedures are accurate, current and forward-looking.
• Collections are growing in number and significance.

Methods of Assessment:

• LPG approves policy changes.
• The revised policy is implemented by June 30, 2005.
• Special Collections staff are well informed about collections programs and priorities.
• Faculty, students and scholars use collections for teaching and research.

Performance Activities:

• Special Collections Librarians will set priorities for preservation treatment of audio materials based on a recent consultant’s report.
• Manuscript Archivist and Preservation Librarian will apply for NEH Grant to describe and reformat audiocassettes and audiotapes.

Performance Indicators:

• Libraries will obtain resources to preserve and make accessible audio materials.
• Audio collections will be preserved according to established standards and best practices.

Methods of Assessment:

• Feedback on grant application from NEH
• Special Collections Department statistics.

Performance Activities:

• Manuscript Archivist will work with student assistants to create new finding aids for materials.
• Department Webmaster will conduct usability studies to identify strengths and weaknesses of the Web site.
• Department Webmaster will work with faculty to address site weaknesses.
• Librarians will investigate customizable digital repository software to capture, store, index, preserve and make accessible University’s intellectual output.
• Librarians will build local databases of publications.
• The University Archivist will develop and implement a plan for collecting and preserving digital records and conduct a University-wide digital records survey.
• Staff will pursue grants to process and provide access to materials.
• The Libraries will work with SUNY and with NYSHEI on the “Making of New York” project.

Performance Indicators:

• Researchers know about Libraries’ collections and are able to locate materials they need.
• Materials in all collections are housed and described in accordance with professional standards.
• Faculty interest in special collections grows and use increases.
• Existence and use of databases.
• Increased understanding of digital repositories in all their complexities and active participation in digital repository projects.

Methods of Assessments:

• Special Collections Department statistics
• User feedback
• Grant applications

Use of Findings:

• Revise policies and procedures
• Expand and improve collections and services
• Develop digital records and collections collection.

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