2017 Charleston Library Conference

The rapid advancement of information technology and the proliferation of online information resources in recent decades have significantly changed both the role of traditional library reference resources and the ways in which they are used. To facilitate discovery, libraries have traditionally subscribed to many specialized subject abstracting & indexing databases (A&I), and also often aggregator packages with A&I function and full-text content. What is the role of A&I databases and aggregator packages in today’s world when discovery technology is relatively mature and widely adopted in academic libraries, and libraries license much full-text content directly from publishers? To what degree do these products overlap in coverage? What products continue to serve the needs of faculty and students? Library collection staff must continue to demonstrate effective and responsible stewardship of the library's acquisitions budget by using evidence to inform collection development decisions.
This session will present a review project of dozens of A&I databases and aggregator packages at the University of Toronto Libraries. We will discuss the context of the project and how it fits into collection building and decisions, the processes of engaging staff in many areas of the library, and methodologies used. This project is ongoing and results so far have led to changes in our library’s subscriptions and have informed acquisition decisions.
Attendees will learn about our processes, methodologies, ways to manage a large and complex project of this scale, and impact on library collections and user services, and challenges encountered.