COLLECTION ASSESSMENT REPORT: SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO (SAIC), JOHN M.

FLAXMAN LIBRARY

Prepared for Dr. Janet Capps SLIM Instructor, LI855XS Emporia State University

Submitted by Sameer Alqahtani Christina Magnifico Joanna Marsh SLIM Students Emporia State University December 8, 2013

Abstract

This collection assessment provides an overview of the John M. Flaxman Library at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) and proposes an action plan for a 15% reduction in the library budget. After carefully considering the unique needs of the librarys patrons, as well as SAIC curriculum, several suggestions are posed for cutting expenditures. Among these suggestions are a 10% reduction in the monographs/serials budget in favor of high-quality, electronic art resources, substantial reductions in the DVD collection, the reevaluation of subscription packages and a possible partnership with the Chicago Public Library. These actions are intended to streamline the library collection while protecting its vital role within the SAIC community.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Figures...................................................................................................... ii Executive summary ............................................................................................ iii Introduction: About SAIC....................................................................................1 Summary of collection development policy..................................................1 Scope and subjects ....................................................................................1 Formats ......................................................................................................2 Selection ....................................................................................................2 Needs of relevant patron group ................................................................2 Current state of the collection ..............................................................................4 eResources ......................................................................................................4 Budget cuts and action plan .................................................................................5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................6 References ............................................................................................................7 Appendix A: Scope of collection .........................................................................8

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LIST OF FIGURES

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1. Scope of coverage ....................................................................................8

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Collection Assessment Report: School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), John M. Flaxman Library The John M. Flaxman library is an academic art and art history library that serves the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A review of the Library policy, state of the collection, and current scope of coverage revealed several key areas for a 15% budget reduction. We suggest the following actions to decrease spending: Prioritize the addition of electronic resources that contain high-quality color images of artwork, which would replace more expensive monographs. The continued acquisition of monographs is expensive and unnecessary. As students transition to working in a digital environment, the Library should follow suit by decreasing the print monograph budget and acquiring resources in digital formats. The library currently spends a mere $67,452 on electronic serials, while serial backfiles and books cost $205,328. Reducing the book budget by 10% and relying on digital, high-quality color images of artwork is a less expensive option. Reduce the DVD acquisition budget by 15-20%, and include only educational materials. Have students utilize the public library or interlibrary loan for popular requests. The library spent close to $30,000 on audiovisual materials in FY2013. Decreasing the budget by 15-20% and only purchasing educational materials not available through interlibrary loan or at the Chicago Public Library would save around $25,000. The purchasing of popular DVDs should stay within the public libraries domain. Cancel several of the subscription databases, serial subscriptions, or consider new packages. This decision should be based on an overlap analysis of existing eResources. The John M. Flaxman Library shares databases with two other libraries, Ryerson & Burnham. The databases list is extensive and utilizing an overlap analysis will show which databases contain unique resources, while those databases with few unique resources could be cancelled. Partner with the Chicago Public Library to see what general databases they can provide students, while the John M. Flaxman Library focuses on specific databases. Consider creating a consortial agreement with local public libraries that already carry many of the more general databases. Databases like ERIC, Mango Languages, and GreenFILE are just a few of the overlapping databases that could be discontinued.

About School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) Established in 1866, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is among the oldest accredited art and design schools in the United States. SAIC also boasts the largest schoolmuseum campus in the country (About: history and quick facts, 2013). Total enrollment for 2012 was 3,245, 70% of which were female students (About: enrollment, 2013). SAIC stresses an open curriculum that supports interdisciplinary art education. This interdisciplinary approach is reflected in SAICs numerous academic departments and degree programs. SAICs top graduate programs include the Master of Fine Arts in Studio, Writing, Art Therapy, Architecture and Art Education (About: enrollment, 2013). Other degree programs include the Bachelor of Arts in Visual and Critical Studies, Master of Arts in New Arts Journalism, Historic Preservation, and Arts Administration (Departments and areas of study, 2013). Curriculum is flexible, diverse, and faculty-driven. This diversity is prized as a core value for SAIC, which aspires to equip its students to be an artist, writer, designer, scholar, educator, creative leader, or a unique combination of each (Departments and areas of study, 2013, para. 1). Summary of collection development policy As an academic library, collection development within the John M. Flaxman Library is discussed in terms of the schools curriculum, degree programs, and unique patron needs. Due to the inherent diversity of SAICs curriculum and community, the librarys collection development policy outlines a wide range of subjects and formats necessary for the collection. Scope and subjects SAIC offers a total of 20 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Curriculum for these programs is spread across many subject areas, 45 of which are listed as subjects of emphasis for future library acquisitions (Collection development policy, 2012). Therefore, it is

imperative that the library provides a wide variety of scholarly resources to support the numerous subject areas. The scope of the librarys collection is narrowed to mostly 20th-21st century materials, yet still must focus on fine and visual arts, design, architecture, criticism, theory, and philosophy contemporary and historical social issues, business, education, the sciences, and technology (Collection development policy, 2012, p. 3). The open curriculum and patron needs have given rise to collection in these subject areas, as well as the acquisition of special collections, which include a digital image database, art archives and a fashion resource center, among several others (Collection development policy, 2012). Formats The John M. Flaxman Library collection is also diverse in terms of acceptable formats. In addition to standard published monographs, periodicals, serials, graphic novels, films, and music recordings, the library also collects exhibition catalogs, art objects, print media and photographs (Collection development policy, 2012). The librarys special, archival collections also include nearly every format imaginable, from original drawings and diaries to furniture and textiles (Collection development policy, 2012). Selection Although a portion of the Librarys budget is dedicated to patron-driven acquisitions, the policy states that if budgetary constraints arise, priority will be given to materials requested by SAIC faculty and staff for their instructional needs (Collection development policy, 2012, p. 10). Once again, it is clear that school curriculum is tightly linked to collection development, especially regarding the selection of library materials. Needs of relevant patron group

The John M. Flaxman Librarys collection is very direct in defining the librarys relevant patron group. The library not only serves SAIC students and faculty, but also school staff members, visiting artists, and curators from the Art Institute, who are particularly drawn to the librarys special collections (Collection development policy, 2012). The schools student demographics are fairly diverse, with an international student population of 22% spanning 68 countries in 2012 (About: enrollment, 2013). While the library does not circulate materials to those outside of the SAIC community, outside researchers occasionally schedule appointments to view materials in the library (Collection development policy, 2012). Because the library serves a creative and relatively diverse community, special attention must be paid to the users unique information needs during collection development. Given SAICs variety of academic programs, the collection must be quite broad, but also highly specialized within the art disciplines. Art library users in general have a wide range of information needs and tend to be visually-oriented learners who often prefer to browse the shelves (Cripps, 2011; Ferrari, 1999). Thus, a large physical collection with high-quality, color reproductions of artworkas well as actual art objectsis essential for meeting the needs SAIC library users. A variety of audiovisual materials in many formats are also necessary for the SAIC students and faculty, who not only study studio arts, but also new media disciplines including animation, digital fabrication, art and technology studies, sound, and visual communication design (Collection development policy, 2012). Likewise, those studying writing, art criticism, politics and activism, art theory, journalism, or art history must have access to a large book, e-book and academic journal collection, as well as the copiesor even originalsof the relevant art objects (Collection development policy, 2012).

Current State of the Collection The John M. Flaxman library collection development policy (2012) states that the collection contains around 120,000 items with a focus on 20th-21st century fine and visual arts, design, architecture, criticism, theory, and philosophy. Within the John M. Flaxman library, there are also several special collections, which house an array of materials including film study resources, fashion publications and artists books. Though the library does have extensive digital collections, the vast majority of their collections are print and physical media. The John M. Flaxman library, like many libraries facing an increasingly shrinking budget, has focused more attention on the possibility of including additional digital resources to their collection, while still supporting the need for physical and print media. The scope of the John M. Flaxman collection (see Appendix A) supports the needs of the SAIC community by focusing on resources that align with the current curriculum. The collection is constantly evaluated using a variety of methods of assessment, including circulation statistics, WorldCat collection analysis, digital transaction logs, collection mapping, and user surveys (Dineen, 2012). These evaluation tools allow the Library staff to, as Dineen (2012) states, assess the [overall] effectiveness of a [the] collection and the manner in which it addresses the information needs of library patrons. E-resources SAIC has E-resources under a section called Electronic Formats. The collection policy focuses on their patronsthe faculty, students, and staff of SAICthus the eResources meet the requirements of the school curriculum. The John M Flaxman Library has developed plans to increase their digital collections over the next several years. As stated in the collection development policy, In an effort to make our collection more accessible to our patrons the John

M. Flaxman Library actively selects materials provided in digital formats (Collection development policy, 2012). Currently, the electronic resource collection includes electronic journal databases, digital image repositories and a large section of e-books. In order to maintain current standards in the collection, SAIC will use the same selection criteria used for print materials and current audio visual materials. The library is also taking in to account the physical space issue, and believes that increasing the electronic collection will alleviate any potential problems with space that may arise in the future. The Library is also digital archiving, instead of the continuing to incur the cost of preserving historical resources. Based on the National Center for Education Statistics (2012), SAIC spent $4,598 on Electronic Materials and it held 27,738 ebooks, 4,962 of them were added in 2012. Budget Cuts and Action Plan In order to preserve the integrity of the current collection, and to allow the Library to continue to service the needs of the university community, the proposed budget cuts and action plan have been thoughtfully prepared for consideration by the Library Board and University Faculty. A review of the Library policy, state of the collection, and current scope of coverage revealed several key areas for a 15% budget reduction. One of the first steps that the Library can take is to prioritize the addition of electronic resources that contain high-quality color images of artwork, instead of continuing to acquire expensive monographs. The Library currently spends $67, 452 on electronic serials, while $205, 328 has been spent on serial backfiles and books (NCES, 2012). A reduction in the monograph/serials acquisition budget of 10% would free up funds for electronic resources. A second step, that also reduces an acquisitions budget, would be to reduce the DVD/audiovisual budget by 15-20%.

This would mean no longer purchasing popular DVDs and only collecting educational materials, saving the library close to $25,000. Students would be directed to the Chicago Public Library in order to request popular DVDs for assignments or personal use. Students would also be directed to the Chicago Public Library for general databases, as a partnership with surrounding public libraries should be encouraged to facilitate database sharing. The Library should consider creating a consortial agreement with other libraries that already subscribe to many general databases, such as ERIC, GreenFILE, and Mango Languages. The last suggestion requires the Library to utilize an overlap analysis to show which databases contain unique resources, thus allowing The John M. Flaxman Library staff to make informed decisions about which databases could be cancelled. By cancelling databases with few unique holdings, the Library could reallocate those funds into procuring more electronic resources that more appropriately aligned with the SAIC curriculum. Conclusion While contending with budgetary constraint is often a challenge, the proposed action plan for the John M. Flaxman Library is intended to streamline the collection while simultaneously continuing to meet the information needs of SAIC students, faculty, staff and other researchers. As the Library is designed first and foremost to support the schools curriculum, providing the right resources to its unique and creative patron group will continue to be the highest priority. If executed correctly, the proposed budgetary reductions should strengthen the collection by redistributing funds spent on resources that may no longer be necessary or relevant to the SAIC community. This tightening of the collection will then allow for the acquisition of new electronic formats that reflect the flexibility and diversity inherent in SAICs curriculum and overall mission as an academic institution.

REFERENCES Cripps, J. (2011). Dewey and the visual arts: some thoughts on the scheme and its application. Art Libraries Journal, 36(4), 512. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login .aspx?direct=true&db=llf&AN=525562678&site=ehost-live Dineen, R. (2012). Collection development policy December 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2013 from http://www.racheldineen.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/CD-Policy.pdf. Ferrari, R. C. (1999). The art of classification: alternate classification systems in art libraries. Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, 28(2), 7398. doi:10.1300/J104v28n02_07 School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2013). About: enrollment. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.saic.edu/about/historyandquickfacts/enrollment/. School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2013). About: history and quick facts. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.saic.edu/about/historyandquickfacts/. School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2013). Departments and areas of study. Retrieved November 11, 2013, from http://www.saic.edu/academics/departments/.

APPENDIX A