SFU Library Collections Management

Faculty and students at SFU have access to over 2.5 million print and microform volumes and 2.9 million online items, including:

• 1,350,000 books and 170,000 ebooks
• 6,000 print and 61,000 ejournal subscriptions
• 500 databases (new databases)
• plus maps, data sets, slides, online images, films, DVDs and sound recordings.

Book selection and collection building is done primarily by the Liaison Librarians but coordination for the building of the collection is the responsibility of the Collections Management Division.

CONTENTS:

• Budget information
• Collections policies for SFU departments
  
• Migration to electronic-only journals
• New serials subscriptions | Serials costs for specific SFU departments
• E-book collection information
• Journal usage study
• Scholarly communication
• Canadian Research Knowledge Network
• Guides to specific SFU Library collections
• Collections Management monthly reports
• Collection Allocation Task Group
• Library Course Assessments
• Contact Collections Management staff

Budget Information

The SFU Library Materials Budget for 2009/2010 is available here. 

Library collections were reviewed to avoid a budget shortfall in 2009/10.  A proposed list of subscription cancellations was compiled and posted to the web for review.  Decisions on these titles was made in September 2009.  For updated information, please contact your liaison librarian or the Collections Management office.

 The Library Materials Budgets from previous years are also available:

• 2008/2009
• 2007/2008
• 2006/2007
• 2005/2006
• 2004/2005
• 2003/2004
• 2002/2003
• 2001/2002
• 2000/2001

You can also look at the SFU Library Total Collection Expenditures 1999-2000 and the historical data for 1993/94-1999/2000.

Migration to Electronic-only Journals

The SFU Library now receives a significant portion of journal literature in both print and digital formats, and pays for both. The Library has been undertaking a process in consultation with faculty, to review these dual subscriptions and migrate to electronic-only journals when possible. This has been a significant Collections project since 2003. For details, please see our list of Criteria and Timeline.

Details about the financial implications of these changes iin the library materials budget are also provided:

• 2008/2009 migrations
• 2007/2008 migrations
• 2006/2007 migrations
• 2002/2003 migrations

New Serials Subscriptions

Proposals for new journal subscriptions must come to the liaison librarian from the departmental library representative, because of the ongoing commitment of the library budget for that department.  Often the acquisition of a new subscription requires that another subscription of equivalent value be cancelled.  Check out the list of SFU Library Serials Costs for each department.

E-book Collection Information

The SFU Library has an array of e-books available on various platforms. These e-books are either leased on a subscription basis with content changing constantly or else the Library owns the content outright. Check here for further information on the various SFU Library E-book Collections.

Electronic Journal Usage Statistics

Print Journal Usage Statistics

Reviews of print journal usage have been undertaken during selected periods beginning in March 2000. The usage statistics are listed in Excel files (.xls) on the following web page: http://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/collections/journalusage/index.htm

Scholarly Communication

We provide information for authors, editors, and librarians to support scholarly publishing activities.

The Library is active in supporting Open Access in a variety of ways.  Please see our report Removing barriers: Open Access strategy at the SFU Library from January 2010 for details.

Join us in recognizing Open Access Week, October 19-23, 2009.
The slides from one of these talks, "Tools and Support for Open Access Publishing" are now available.

From time to time, campus events are also planned and will be listed here. Recent events:

May 16, 2008 Is Open Access Publishing for You? presentations by guest speakers Gavin Yamey (PLoS) and Anita Palepu (Open Medicine)
December 6, 2007 Building on experience: Continuing the scholarly communication conversation
October 9, 2007 "OJS in a Day" workshop
June 11 & 12, 2007 Workshop on scholarly communication for librarians *some resources from this workshop are available in the SFU Institutional Repository
May 14, 2007 SFU campus forum for Journal Editors

Canadian Research Knowledge Network

The Canadian Research Knowledge Network is a national consortium of 72 Canadian universities. It is a digital library initiative established by the Canadian research library community to increase the capacity for research and innovation in Canada. Its mission is to expand the universe of digital information to Canada's academic researchers through the co-ordinated services and expertise of academic libraries. This is done primarily through national licensing of electronic information resources for the research community. It has grown out of, and continues the work of, the Canadian National Site Licensing Project. SFU is a charter member and participates in most of the licenses offered by this consortium.

SFU has now rolled out the resources licensed by CRKN as part of its CFI-funded Digital Content Infrastructure for the Human and Social Sciences project. CRKN provides information about the project, including the resources selected

Collection Allocation Task Group

The Library Collection Budget Allocation Task Group (reporting to the Senate Library Committee) was struck in 1999 to address issues of equity between departmental budget allocations.  At its June 26, 2000 meeting the Senate Library Committee recommended the acceptance of the Report of the Collection Allocation Task Group.

See also the March 2005 update to this report.

Collections Management Contact Information

Gwen Bird, Associate University Librarian, Collections Services (gbird@sfu.ca ; 778.782.3263)
Megan Crouch, Collections Librarian and Liaison Librarian for Health Sciences (mcrouch@sfu.ca ; 778.782.4962)
Sandra Wong, Electronic Resources Librarian (swongj@sfu.ca ; 778.782.4930)
Christine Manzer, Collections Management Assistant (cmcconne@sfu.ca ; 778.782.6896)
Liaison Librarians