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Is your institution's library bursting at the seams with books that have not been touched for decades, microfilm that nobody uses, and print journals that have been superseded by electronic access? Have you wondered how best to identify what physical material to retain and what to withdraw to maintain an inviting collection of relevant material for your users? Then it's time to rightsize! Ward identifies the challenges and proposes solutions to shaping physical collections for today's academic library. Filled with sage advice and ready-to-implement guidance, this book Introduces the concept of rightsizing, a strategic and largely automated approach that uses continuous assessment to identify the no- and low-use materials in the collection Walks you through crafting a rightsizing plan, from developing withdrawal criteria and creating discard lists to managing workflow and disposing of withdrawn materials Shows how to identify stakeholders, plus strategies for winning them over Offers tips for working with consortial partners on collaborative print retention projects Discusses how growing electronic collections can enhance legacy print collections Advises what to do with print journals after your library licenses perpetual access rights to the electronic equivalent Looks ahead to the future of physical collections in academic librariesBy learning how to rightsize, you will ensure that your institution's collection meets the needs of your library's users.

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Library Journal Review

Starred Review. Libraries, like the times, are a-changin'. Faced with decreased shelf and remote storage space along with a lack of funding or interest in adding more, format obsolescence, as well as unused and duplicate resources, the need to do something fundamental about collection size is critical in building and sustaining the academic library of the future. Ward (Purdue Univ.; A Guide to Implementing and Managing Patron-Driven Acquisitions) makes a solid case for collections that are based not on outdated "just in case'" models and large numbers of titles but actual demand and use. She advocates for the creation of collections that with deliberate selection and deselection criteria can be made into the right size for the institutions and populations the library supports. As a recognized leader in the area of collection management, Ward provides both strategic and practical advice for developing and implementing data-driven, rules-based projects that include print and electronic formats. The final chapter on the future of physical collections in academic libraries is especially thought provoking. VERDICT Recommended reading for all academic librarians and library managers.-Linda Frederiksen, Washington State Univ. Lib., Vancouver (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

University administrators looking for new office space, meeting space, and classroom space--without wanting to face the cost of new construction--are converging on academic libraries with hungry eyes. Wholesale downsizing of the collection of printed books and journals is the new educational mantra. Ward (Purdue Univ.), a leader in collection management, takes a more positive view by dubbing it "rightsizing" and advocating for selection and deselection criteria that create the "right size" collection for the population that a library supports. She exempts top research institution libraries and national libraries from this approach, since they function as lenders of last resort; smaller academic libraries, particularly those that have avoided systematic weeding in the past, are her target audience. Chapter 4, "Project Management," contains the practical elements of weeding both book and journal collections, and the final chapter, "The Future of Physical Collections in Academic Libraries," is thought-provoking. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and researchers/faculty; professional librarians and library administrators. --Margaret Sylvia, St. Mary's University

Booklist Review

There is a dirty little secret in many academic libraries: the librarians are throwing away books! News such as this can be scandalous and create a controversy on any college campus, yet discarding books that are no longer needed or useful should be part of what every academic library is doing on a routine basis. Very few academic libraries really need the 1968 accounting textbook, the 1975 book on nursing practice, or the 1985 psychology directory that are part of their current collections. Many academic libraries choose to hang on to exactly those types of materials rather than to take the effort to keep the collection current. The problem is that when students look for current books, it is precisely these older volumes that they find on the shelves, leaving them with the impression that the library is old and out of date. This excellent work tackles that problem head-on and presents academic libraries with rationales, methodologies, and criteria for withdrawing materials from the print collections. It suggests procedures that will allow academic libraries to confidently downsize their collections, including comparing print and electronic collections, examining usage patterns, and scrutinizing broader consortial holdings. This work will help many academic librarians study their local collections and withdraw or weed materials that are no longer useful or that can be quickly obtained elsewhere. If academic librarians are willing to follow the ideas published here, they will indeed end up rightsizing their currently bloated print collections.--Tyckoson, David Copyright 2016 Booklist