Open AccessOversized and Underused: Size Matters in Academic Libraries
Author(s) -
D. Yvonne Jones
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
college and research libraries/college and research libraries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2150-6701
pISSN - 0010-0870
DOI - 10.5860/crl.67.4.325
Subject(s) - circulation (fluid dynamics) , data collection , academic library , collection development , library circulation , significant difference , medicine , library science , statistics , computer science , mathematics , library automation , engineering , aerospace engineering
Data on the collection size, shelving, and usage of oversize books in the general library collection was requested using an e-mail survey targeted at fifty U.S. liberal arts college libraries. Typical size of oversize collections ranged from a few hundred to almost 200,000 volumes, with a median collection size of 6,359 and median percentage oversize of 1.6 percent. When the percentage circulation within the oversize collection was compared with the percentage circulation within the general collection, statistically significantly lower circulation was evident for oversize volumes (one-sided P=0.02), with a surprisingly small median difference of 3 percent.