Collections Development Policy -- Mount Allison University Libraries

COLLECTION ASSESSMENT

Methods of Analysis

A major consideration in building a good collection is understanding the foundation on which it is based.

Statistical information on the present collection will be gathered on the basis of the same subject divisions which are used for budget allocation purposes.  Categories of analysis will include the numbers of titles held in each subject area, titles used in the Library, titles borrowed for home use, titles mended, titles withdrawn, titles for which we have machine-readable cataloguing records, titles catalogued in each area each year, the material acquired through Interlibrary Loans and other document delivery systems.

At this point (1996) approximately 40% of the titles of our collections are in the DRA database, while the remainder are accessed through the card catalogue, making complete analyses difficult.

Detailed study of the physical condition and subject content of the collection will be done as time and funds permit.  This includes activities such as checking holdings against standard lists on the subject, studying the range of imprint dates represented in the collection, surveying the physical condition of materials.

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