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Collecting Ourselves: an Analysis of Holdings in North Carolina Libraries of Selected Categories from the “North Carolina Bibliography”

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Collecting Ourselves: an Analysis of Holdings in North Carolina Libraries of Selected Categories from the “North Carolina Bibliography” Collecting Ourselves: An analysis of holdings in North Carolina libraries of selected categories from the “North Carolina Bibliography” Lisa Sheets Barricella, Matthew Reynolds Abstract Despite the Electronic Age’s impact on libraries, blurring the lines between brick and mortar and the Web, the value of collecting locally and regionally focused works remains high. Of equal importance is a deeper understanding of the choices which local and regional institutions make when collecting information about their geographical areas. As the use of bibliographies is critical to identifying resources for acquisition, this initial study was accomplished by compiling holdings information in OCLC’s WorldCat for titles listed in three sections of the “North Carolina Bibliography” to gain insight into how North Carolina libraries are collecting both North Carolina authors and state focused materials. This comparison will ascertain how widely held the titles are by both academic and public libraries from across the state and worldwide. Background and Intent Despite the Electronic Age’s impact on libraries, blurring the lines between brick and mortar and the Web, the value of collecting locally and regionally focused works remains high. Researchers continue to shift from studies of the overarching themes of history and science in the United States and the world into how those themes play out on the local and regional level. This makes the study of regional collections and how they are developed increasingly important to librarians. Of equal importance is a deeper understanding of the choices which local and regional institutions make when collecting information about their geographical areas. The purpose of this study is to gain insight into how North Carolina libraries are collecting both North Carolina authors and state focused materials. he value of local and regional collecting Powell’s Encyclopedia of North Carolina and the state and worldwide. While we were is well established. In her book Local Jones’s North Carolina History: An Annotated compiling the holdings information, we also History Collections in Libraries, Bibliography. Second, identifying titles that are decided to harvest additional data from the TFaye Phillips discusses the blossoming of held by several in-state libraries would allow OCLC records, including LC class descriptor area studies in the 1960s saying that “many for local collection development librarians to and vendor information, in the hopes that this historians, perhaps as a reaction to changes in choose not to acquire the work and instead added information would be useful in making society, predicted that an exploration of local rely on interlibrary loan to help fulfill patron acquisition and collection development history would broaden the concept of national needs. decisions. history” and that “local history collections, organized properly, facilitate research at all As the use of bibliographies is critical to Methodology levels.”1 Further, an effective local collection identifying resources for acquisition, this initial Anthony’s bibliography includes author, title, should contain more than just research study was accomplished by compiling holdings publisher, place and date of publication, and materials for historians. Alice Lynes suggests information in OCLC’s WorldCat for titles number of pages. The criteria for inclusion are in her book How to Organize a Local Collection listed in three sections of the “North Carolina explained in the footnote on the first page of that “the local collection should aim to Bibliography”. The bibliography, published each bibliography. He makes no distinction provide in a specialized way as wide a subject annually since 1952 in the North Carolina between titles dealing with a North Carolina coverage as does the general library.”2 She goes Historical Review, is currently compiled by subject, and those merely authored by a on to say that the subjects collected as part of Curator of the North Carolina Collection at North Carolinian. Each of his bibliographies maintaining regional collections in addition the University of North Carolina at Chapel includes the monographs that were published to history should include philosophy, religion, Hill, Robert G. Anthony, Jr. It was chosen as a between July and June of the years prior to the social sciences, pure sciences, technology, springboard for the review due to its longevity release of the bibliography; so for example, the literature and the arts, and geography. and the comprehensive nature of the work, bibliography that appears in the April 2004 which includes all of the subjects suggested by North Carolina Historical Review is comprised The authors hope that this study will identify Lynes. The sections chosen for this study are of titles published between July 1, 2002 and relevant trends in purchasing behavior and “Social Sciences, Education, Folklore, Race, June 30, 2003. In designing this study, we have a two-fold impact on how collection and Institutional History”, “Science, Nature, decided to analyze the 2004-20053 and 2005- development decisions are made in North and Environmental Studies”, and “History, 20064 bibliographies rather than focus on Carolina libraries. First, the information Description, and Travel”. We selected these the more current 2006-2007 bibliography in provided would be used to help identify sections as they reflect the broadest areas for order to take into account that some selectors monographs that should be held by most local and regional research. This comparison may have waited until the publication of the libraries in the state. These titles would be will ascertain how widely held the items are by bibliography in April 2008 to make purchasing considered go-to reference works such as both academic and public libraries from across decisions. This would ensure that enough time 10 North Carolina Libraries Volume 67, Fall / Winter 2009 had passed for the titles to be purchased and acquisitions of the North Carolina Collection Observations processed at institutions and be represented in at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Overall, 333 titles WorldCat. Hill. No distinction was made between • 30% are Social Science, Education, types of public libraries other than that if the Folklore, Race, and Institutional History In regards to eschewing older bibliographies, book was held by the State Library of North titles a stated intent of our study is to identify Carolina it was noted as Y or N in the “Held at • 15% are Science, Nature, and monographs that should be held by most State Library” column and not counted in the Environmental Studies titles libraries in the state; however, older number reflected in the “NC Public” column. • 55% are History, Description, and Travel monographs can be a challenge to acquire Indications of holdings at the State Library are titles since titles go out of print and aftermarket important as a point for analysis to identify . North Carolina Holdings sellers charge more than the original list price. possible correlations between their holdings o 81% held by at least one public There was also some concern that for the older and holdings at other libraries. library bibliographies, the holdings data might not o 93% held by academic libraries reflect titles that had been purchased but then Holdings for North Carolina military libraries (excluding the 25 titles that are subsequently lost, withdrawn, damaged, or were excluded as these types of libraries tend held only by the University of North weeded. to operate in a hybrid capacity, serving both Carolina at Chapel Hill) the research needs of the military personnel . Worldwide Holdings Selected titles were searched in OCLC’s and the community needs of military families. o 16% held by fewer than ten WorldCat using FirstSearch via NC Live, Any holdings shown for North Carolina libraries adding author last name if necessary to limit libraries other than academic or public, such o 40% held by 11-100 libraries results. Possibly due to the fact that so many of as K-12 or Health Science libraries, were also o 44% more than 100 libraries (this the titles examined were of a highly localized excluded. It is worth noting that there were so figure would suggest that North nature or printed by small presses, often only few examples of these types of holdings that it Carolina authored and regionally one record, a record for a printed book, was is believed they would have little or no impact focused works are popular outside of returned and the data was collected from that on our results. the state) record. Records for audio, electronic, or large print formats were excluded. However, there In regards to the aforementioned harvesting were some instances of multiple records for of additional data, we collected information Social Sciences, printed titles, and in those cases the record for about the titles beyond the state and Education, Folklore, the most widely-held printed book matching worldwide holdings information. Because Race, and Institutional History the publication information included in the sections chosen for the study represent Of the 100 titles in this category 74% are the bibliography was used. When necessary, fairly broad disciplines, a way to help identify held by one or more public libraries and 90% ISBN numbers, place and date of publication, the specific subject of the book was achieved are held by two or more academic libraries. number of pages, size, and edition statements by collecting the LC class descriptor from Worldwide, 17% of the titles are held by were compared looking for differences the WorldCat record and putting it into the fewer than ten libraries, 23% held by 11-100 between seemingly duplicate records. In a “Class Descriptor” column of the spreadsheet. libraries, and 59% are held by more than 100 few cases, duplicate records did seem to be If Dewey was the only number available, that libraries. This is the highest percentage of titles “accidental” and were each describing the was used instead. Another piece of value- held by more than 100 libraries worldwide same book from Anthony’s bibliography, so added information includes the indication of among the three categories.
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