NASIG 2016

New collection development models, such as patron and demand driven acquisition (PDA and DDA), have augmented the tools available to librarians to build user-focused collections. After implementing two successful PDA programs at our library, two technical services librarians at a small, regional Midwestern university began to discuss additional ways to identify high-demand materials for student coursework. The librarians identified course syllabi as a potential gold mine for their task: All faculty provide syllabi for their courses, and both required and recommended readings are regular components of these syllabi. Syllabi, then, are a prime source for identifying potential library resources.

To further improve our collection development strategies, we set out to answer three initial research questions: 1) Does the library already have access to all required and supplemental resources mentioned in syllabi?; 2) If access is available, do we own the materials, or are they leased?; and 3) Which resource formats – e.g. books, articles, and videos – are represented in syllabi? To answer these questions, we collected syllabi from multiple academic departments, including humanities, business, sciences, and social sciences. The syllabi were used to compare curricular needs with our existing library collection. When available, we reviewed usage statistics for listed resources, and we tracked the percentage of faculty that specifically mentioned the library within their syllabi.

In this session, we will present strategies for retrieving and analyzing syllabi, as well as how to interpret library use across the curriculum. We will share the lessons we learned regarding the current status of our collection, how we plan to direct our collection development efforts going forward, and how course syllabi may reveal the integration of library services across the academy.