Association of Research Libraries Releases Collection Assessment Survey Results

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) recently released a "SPEC Kit" on collection assessment.

Since the early 1970s, ARL has used the SPEC survey program to bring research libraries up-to-date information on library policies and procedures from member libraries in Canada and the USA.

The collection assessment SPEC kit:

"(...) explores which collection assessment methods, measures, and practices ARL member libraries currently employ. This study gathered information on which library staff collect and analyze data, for what purposes the results are used, with whom data is shared, how well assessment questions are answered. The survey also investigated whether the available methods, data, and tools are aligned with the purposes for assessing collections."

"This SPEC Kit includes examples of job descriptions of library staff who are responsible for collection assessment, data collection and analysis policies and procedures, and examples of how collection data is used and shared with a range of constituents."