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G2S Project Code: 2022-AR-91251
State: Arkansas
Fiscal Year: 2022

Grantee
Arkansas State Library

Project Director
Director Name: Sarah Lipsey
Director Phone: 501-682-2862
Director Email: sarah.lipsey@ade.arkansas.gov

General Information
Title: Collection Management
State Project Code: 06
Start Date: 10/01/2022
End Date: 09/30/2023
Abstract: The Collection Management division used funds to acquire, process, catalog, and deliver tangible and digital resources for the State Library’s General Non-Fiction, Reference, Library Science, Patent & Trademark, Periodical and State Employee Digital Resource collections, as well as for the depository Arkansas Collection. Visibility and access to the collections were provided via the library's online catalog, OCLC WorldCat, and the statewide ShareIt platform Mockingbird. Remote access to digital subscription collection was provided via the library's website. These activities were supported through the maintenance and administration of the library's ILS, authentication service, cataloging platforms and website. Cataloging staff began a joint project with the Digital Services unit to update bibliographic records as a result of migrating to a new digital repository platform. The Acquisitions unit suffered from multiple vacancies due to a statewide hiring freeze over the majority of the reporting period. Other units in the division were similarly impacted by staff vacancy, which prohibited the ability for those other units to cover gaps in the workload. While the purchase of new materials was prioritized, special projects and routine collection maintenance activities like weeding were suspended by necessity. Rising resource costs from inflation coupled with a stagnant budget necessitated some cuts to state employees' digital collections.
State Goal: Enhance Access to Information for Lifelong Learning

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$134,955.00

$303,042.00

$0.00

$437,997.00

Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
General (select only for electronic databases or other data sources)
Collection Development & Management

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Resource Description
Narrative: All materials acquired by the Arkansas State Library for inclusion in the Arkansas, Arkansas Documents, Arkansas Rules, Federal Documents, Library Science, Patent, Periodicals and Reference collections were fully cataloged. Original and copy cataloging was conducted, and bibliographic records for federal documents imported directly from Marcive's subscription service. Cataloging was conducted in OCLC Connexion client, and resulting records imported into the SirsiDynix ILS, with all the library's current holdings updated for WorldCat. Bibliographic records were made available from the library's online catalog and OCLC WorldCat.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Description
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Number of items made discoverable to the public: 18,389
Number of collections made discoverable to the public: 10
Number of metadata plans/frameworks produced/updated: 0

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: No
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Resource Acquisition
Narrative: Tangible and digital resources were acquired for these non-government documents collections: General Non-fiction, Reference, Library Science, and Arkansas. Public visibility for materials within the collections was provided through the library's online catalog and OCLC WorldCat. Access to databases, online periodicals and other digital resources was maintained from the library's website and authentication service.
Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Combined physical & digital

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 64
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 3,095
Number of electronic materials acquired: 0
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 0
Academic Libraries: 0
SLAA: 1
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 0
School Libraries: 0
Other: 0

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Excluding state and federal documents, a total of 146 books were added to the Arkansas and Library Science collections. 2,949 serial publications comprising 127 titles were added to the tangible periodical collections this year. The library maintained 44 active database and 20 online serial subscriptions. Among the 18389 bibliographic records added to the library's collections over this period, 1921 new title records were created via original cataloging for new unique items acquired for the Arkansas Documents collection. Despite the staff shortages across the Collection Management area, shifting projects were completed early in the reporting period that relocated the Circulating Non-Fiction collection to provide needed space for the Arkansas Documents and Arkansas Rules depository collections. Materials were removed from both the top and bottom shelves, to promote physical accessibility to the collections for both staff and patrons. The end result is a more intuitive footprint that enhances browsability and resource retrieval within all three tangible collections while preserving room for growth. Initiating the collaborative bibliographic project between the Cataloging and Digital Services unit exposed a number of issues with the digital repository migration, digital asset management, and WorldCat records in general. The latter involved the discovery of OCLC's recent "quality efforts to enhance" millions of records with foreign language and unsourced subject headings. While the Digital Services unit have implemented procedural changes to the address the first two issues, the latter necessitated a change to the library's copy cataloging procedures across the Collection Management area to ensure all staff can identify and remove bloat and unauthorized headings when importing records from WorldCat.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
The necessary change to Collection Management's copy cataloging procedures due to OCLC's records enhancement project has increased the workload and level of training required for area staff. With further changes to the OCLC cataloging client forthcoming that will subsequently affect workflow, there is a need to reassess the library's current cataloging procedures and reliance on OCLC as a whole. Over the next reporting period, unit heads will assess alternatives to an OCLC cataloging subscription, including weighing the value of remaining a WorldCat member library against the current cost of the subscription.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:

Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
No
Explain:

Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:

Exemplary: No
Exemplary Narrative

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