Collections Curation Project, UCD Library: FAQs

Academic Library collections are organic, constantly growing and changing and need to be regularly reviewed and curated to maintain quality, to align with existing and emerging research and teaching requirements and to preserve important and unique materials for future consultation and research.

Removing and replacing books is a fundamental part of collection maintenance and is a key task when curating academic library collections. Libraries need to review their collections to ensure the following:

• Alignment with current teaching and research: Teaching and research do not stand still and neither do the resources that support them. The removal of out-of-date and badly damaged stock from the collection is critical to maintain a healthy, vibrant, and fresh collection that aligns with current teaching and research. The removal of books will be complemented with the acquisition of new material to support ongoing teaching and research needs; in addition, important titles will continue to be selected for purchase by librarians as they are published. This will improve and modernise the collection for UCD students and researchers. In addition, unique and distinct materials and seminal works will be retained and preserved for future use.
• Increased user satisfaction: Removing and replacing deprecated and damaged books increases browsability and can significantly improve the study environment for students.
• More user-focused services: Cleaner, less packed shelves require less time for library staff to maintain, time that can be spent on more valuable activities and services of more immediate benefit to users.
• Space: A reduction in the extent of the deprecated stock and the judicious use of local remote storage will provide additional space for the University’s growing student population.

The project will result in changes to the shape of our collections. We will be retaining and preserving titles of importance to UCD and of national importance. We will be removing outdated and damaged books and purchasing new books to fill identified gaps in the collections.

• Collections will be upgraded and revitalised
• Shelves will be less tightly packed, and the collection will be easier to browse
• Relevant material will be easier to find
• Space will be released for the University’s growing student population

We will use evidence-based decision-making and follow international best practice in the development of selection, retention and withdrawal criteria for each area of the Collection (having consulted the relevant School), making use of both quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate user behaviour, user needs, and the collections themselves.

• Usage data and use patterns across our print collections.
• An evaluation of the collection including size, age, recently added titles, growth areas and alignment with existing and emerging research programmes in each area.
• A detailed School profile to identify existing and emerging research programmes, current teaching areas, key works, current and past members of staff, etc. Use patterns will be analysed for each School.
• The uniqueness of a title unless its usefulness has ceased.
• The historical or institutional significance of a title.

No. The teaching and research needs of each School are different and the pattern of book usage in each School is unique. This will be reflected in the individually tailored School profiles that will be developed throughout this project.

Interdisciplinary subjects will be reviewed last where possible. In addition, we will maintain an annotated list of Dewey ranges with the Schools that use or have an interest in them. We can then take all interests in a subject area into consideration when the collection is reviewed.

The Library will endeavour to retain key texts and theoretical perspectives in a field. However, if a book has no usage within the agreed timeframe and is very old, it may still become a candidate for withdrawal. If a module restarts further down the line, the Library will purchase the material required to deliver the module.

There is a daily retrieval service for items requested from the closed access stores.  Material will be returned to open access shelves should subsequent demand for it show evidence of need.

We have a limited number of staff in the Collections Unit and we can engage with five Schools at one time. This is a large-scale project and it may be a few years before we review your School’s subject area. We will let you know well in advance and work with you to develop the School profile.

The Library operates a daily weekday retrieval from the Store. Material will be returned to open access shelves should subsequent demand for it show evidence of need.

Our methods of disposal include Better World Books, the Library’s Book Swap initiative which is located outside the James Joyce Library, and recycling.

The Library does not have the space to store all material indefinitely or the funding to purchase additional storage to house material that is not being used. The University’s money would be better spent on purchasing new material and providing better study and social facilities for our students.

The focus is on removing books that are unused, unwanted, and that have no teaching, research, or historical value. The criteria used to guide our decisions will be developed in conjunction with the School to avoid removing material that is important for existing teaching and research needs.

If you feel strongly about certain titles, subject areas, or the curation criteria, it is important to get involved in the development of the profile for your School and to highlight areas that you feel are of importance. We will be contacting each School over the next few years and will welcome your input.

If you feel a title was removed from the collection and should not have been, please send the details to collections@ucd.ie so we can consider repurchase.  

UCD Library’s policy prefers ebooks when purchasing new titles. Where a low or no use print title has an ebook alternative already in the library, it will become a candidate for withdrawal.

Please contact the collections team collections@ucd.ie for further information.