---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 17:08:17 -0400
From: David Goodman <dgoodman@Princeton.EDU>
Subject: Re: Journal usage studies/journal allocation formulas (Stefanie
              DuBose)

Based on my experience, it is not practical in an open shelf library to get
accurate use data from unbound issues.
It is practical to get it from bound vols. if, like us, the shelving is so
short of space that no one could conveniently browse anything there. Then if
you put return boxes at the end of each range, they'll be used.
Wisconsin after an extremely elaborate study estimates their true vcalue to be
no more than double their numerical count. My branch, after a much less
careful study, estimates the factor as 2. We checked by matching it up against
the photocopy count. In a biology library, atg least 2/3 of the use is to make photocopy.
But if you have ejournal collections as I assume you do, most of your journal
use will be ejournals--possibly as high as 90%.

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 15:20:39 -0500
> From: "DuBose, Stefanie" <DUBOSES@MAIL.ECU.EDU>
> Subject: journal usage studies/journal allocation formulas
>
> Hey y'all,
>
> We're doing a journal usage study here at ECU and are finding the numbers
> surprisingly low.  Many folks are standing in the shelves and browsing
> titles and then returning the title to the shelf.  I expected somewhat low
> numbers, but not as low as they've been.  We have some signs up asking users
> not to re-shelve, but I'm wondering, what, if anything, else can be done to
> get these numbers.  How much signage do other libraries use?
>
> We're also working on our journal subject allocation formulas; as I
> mentioned in an earlier post, as soon as we finish with this I'll pass on
> the formula to whoever is interested.
>
> Regards,
>
> Stefanie
>
> Stefanie DuBose
> Assistant Collection Development Librarian
> Joyner Library
> East Carolina University
> Greenville, NC 27858
> duboses@mail.ecu.edu
> (p) 252-328-2598