Note: This Best Practice uses the Good, Better, Best, Aspirational terminology
Introduction
Shared Print is a relatively new concept and requires a shift in thinking about library collections. For these reasons, it is important to educate the various stakeholders associated with member libraries as to its importance. While some library staff and library administrators/directors will immediately understand the importance of a shared print collection as a way to preserve the scholarly record, college/university administrators and central finance officers will often be more concerned with what financial benefits their institutions will reap to justify membership fees; some library staff will be concerned with what benefits their library (or their department) will get from the extra work they are asked to do, while others may be confused about why they are prohibited from weeding materials that are no longer relevant to their user community. At academic institutions, teaching faculty will be concerned with how a shared print collection will affect their teaching and research and with how long they may need to wait to obtain a book that was once readily available on the shelf. DEIJ officers, diversity committees, and collection development librarians tasked with diversifying collections may be concerned with how shared print agreements affect DEIJ concerns for their libraries.
Education and awareness documents should address these concerns by accomplishing the following:
- anticipating various stakeholder concerns and address them directly
- Stating clearly how shared print programs provide opportunities to avoid costs or to reallocate campus space for other uses, while simultaneously ensuring that researchers can readily discover and access shared print collections
- pointing out that shared print programs can facilitate collaborative, holistic collection development planning.
The following document articulates best practices for Education and Awareness by breaking it into smaller types of informative documents: Mission Statements, Explanatory (Definition) Information, MOUs, and Information Aimed at Targeted Audiences. These best practices take into account the concept that well-structured education will involve the use of various formats for information. The activities described here will increase the chances of buy-in by the various stakeholders needed to make shared print programs successful.
NOTE: Each level listed (Good, Better, Best, Aspirational) presumes all recommendations for any/all preceding levels, as noted. An easy-to-read table is located after the bulleted lists of criteria for each category.
Best Practices for Shared Print Programs
Programs should supply….
Good
- easy-to-find informational content (i.e., information about the program) on the shared print program website
- easy-to-find on-boarding documentation
- accessible informative materials that explain shared print
- accessible general marketing materials that explain the importance of shared print programs
- a Mission Statement that mentions shared print or contains a discussion of sharing/collaboration
- a website that is updated as needed
Better - a website that is dynamic and regularly updated (i.e., scheduled updates)
- downloadable PDFs of informative and marketing materials
Best - multimedia outreach and marketing materials designed for use by libraries currently participating or considering participation
- a website that is dynamic and regularly updated and reviewed for outdated material
- an Ad Hoc communications entity that could create a communications plan for the program
- information that is targeted to specific audiences (e.g., deans/directors, university administrators, faculty, library staff)
Aspirational - ROI information, including downloadable PDF
- communication documents that can be downloaded and used by member libraries, tailored to different audiences
- a dedicated communications entity and a clear, dynamic, constantly updated communications plan
- messaging and/or toolkits for member libraries to aid in their talking with library patrons about the benefits of a shared print program
| Shared print programs should supply… | Good | Better | Best | Aspirational |
| easy-to-find informational content (i.e., information about the program) on the shared print program website | x | |||
| easy-to-find on-boarding documentation | x | |||
| accessible informative materials that explain shared print | x | |||
| accessible general marketing materials that explain the importance of shared print programs | x | |||
| a Mission Statement that mentions shared print or contains a discussion of sharing/collaboration | x | |||
| a website that is updated as needed | x | |||
| a website that is dynamic and regularly updated (i.e., scheduled updates) | x | |||
| downloadable PDFs of informative and marketing materials | x | |||
| multimedia outreach and marketing materials designed for use by libraries currently participating or considering participation | x | |||
| a website that is dynamic and regularly updated and reviewed for outdated material constantly updated | x | |||
| An Ad Hoc communications entity that could create a communications plan | x | |||
| information that is targeted to specific audiences (e.g., deans/directors, university administrators, faculty, library staff) | x | |||
| ROI information, including downloadable PDFs | x | |||
| communication documents that can be downloaded and used by member libraries, tailored to different audiences | x | |||
| a dedicated communications entity and a clear, dynamic, constantly updated communications plan | x | |||
| messaging and/or toolkits for member libraries to aid in their talking with library patrons about the benefits of a shared print program | x |
Best Practices for Member Libraries
Member libraries should supply…
Good
- easy-to-find informational content (i.e., information about the program) on the library website
- easy-to-find on-boarding documentation for staff to access
- accessible informative materials that explain shared print
- accessible general marketing materials that explain the importance of the library’s shared print programs
- a Mission Statement that mentions shared print or contains a discussion of sharing/collaboration
Better - downloadable PDFs of informative and marketing materials
Best - an Ad Hoc communications entity that could create a communications plan for the library
- information that is targeted to specific audiences (e.g., deans/directors, university administrators, faculty, library staff)
- a process for disclosure in the public interface of the fact that materials are being retained
| Good | Better | Best | |
| easy-to-find informational content (i.e., information about the program) on the library website | x | ||
| easy-to-find on-boarding documentation for staff to access | x | ||
| accessible informative materials that explain shared print | x | ||
| accessible general marketing materials that explain the importance of the library’s shared print programs | x | ||
| a Mission Statement that mentions shared print or contains a discussion of sharing/collaboration | x | ||
| downloadable PDFs of informative and marketing materials | x | ||
| an Ad Hoc communications entity that could create a communications plan for the library | x | ||
| information that is targeted to specific audiences (e.g., deans/directors, university administrators, faculty, library staff) | x | ||
| a process for disclosure in the public interface of the fact that materials are being retained | x |
Helpful Resources
“Collective Collection.” Wikipedia.
Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust. “Why EAST Continues to Offer Value to Its Member Libraries.” Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust, 2023.
Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust. “Onboarding New Staff at EAST Member Institutions.” Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust, 2023.
Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust. “Onboarding Documentation (for Administrators, Collection Managers, Resource Sharing Librarians, Tech Services Librarians, EAST Voting Members (welcome letter), and EAST Operational Contacts (welcome letter).” Eastern Academic Scholars’ Trust, 2023.
Maiorana, Zachary, et al. “Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost: Preservation in the Age of Shared Print and Withdrawal Projects.” College and Research Libraries, 2019.
The Partnership for Shared Book Collections. “Shared Print.” “Glossary.” The Partnership for Shared Book Collections, 2022.
Revitt, Matthew, Susan Stearns, and Kirsten Leonard. “Taking Shared Print Print to the Next Level: The Partnership for Shared Book Collections.” The Journal of Library Administration, 2020.
The Rosemont Shared Print Alliance and the Partnership for Shared Print Book Collections. “The Value of Shared Print”. Youtube, 2020.
Stearns, Susan, and Alison Wohlers. “Shared Print on the Threshold: Looking Back and Forging the Future.” Collaborative Librarianship, 2020.
Value of Shared Print Task Force. “Investigating the Cost and Value of Shared Print (ROI).” The Partnership for Shared Book Collections, 2022.
Weltin, Heather. “Orientation Documents (for Technical Services Staff, Storage Shelving Facility Staff, Interested Members, Collection Managers, and Administration and Directors.” HathiTrust, 2020.
Western Regional Storage Trust. “The Value of Membership in the Western Regional Storage Trust.” Western Regional Storage Trust, 2021.
Last Updated October 2023