Registration Cost: $150
Podcast with Session PreviewThis practical workshop is geared primarily toward librarians who are looking for ways to optimize their limited collection development budgets and/or are revisiting their allocation procedures with an eye toward distributing funds to their various academic disciplines or departments in a more equitable and justifiable way.
Bailey, Creibaum, and Holloway will address the process of creating a weighted allocation formula similar to the one used for over 15 years at Arkansas State University. The presenters will introduce attendees to the skills and resources needed to manage their own Excel spreadsheet-based allocation formula.
The use of weights applied to each factor is a central feature of this formula. Potential factors may include the number of degrees awarded in each program, departmental semester credit hour production, the number of faculty in each department, and the average cost of resources in each discipline, among others.
Participants who bring their tablets or laptops will be able to download and work with a fully functioning simplified version of the Excel formula during the session.
The presenters will discuss various reasons an allocation formula might need to be changed and demonstrate how their basic formula can be modified to utilize the criteria relevant to other institutions. Real-time examples will be used to show how seemingly small changes in the formula can produce major changes in results.
