Using Penn State as a case study, this presentation focuses on the development of a formula for use in allocating the collections budget and the questions that arose during the process. The Associate Dean for Collections, Information, and Access Services charged a Collections Allocation Team to examine the development and use of a collections allocation formula. The team used a variety of methods to guide the development of the formula including a literature review, a survey of ARL Chief Collection Development Officers, and discussions with fellow selectors within the University Libraries. In addition, the Team developed other recommendations related to the allocation of the collections budget, especially focusing on the process of collection development, the purchases of large packages that limit individual selector flexibility, the impact of PDA and ebook purchases, duplication of materials across the University Libraries, and the rewriting of collection development policies. Of primary concern, however, has been changing the attitudes and philosophy about collections among the librarians who are the primary selectors of materials, whether in the subject libraries or in the campus libraries. The objective of the session is to share our experiences in devising this formula and in attempting to instill a broader view of collections among our colleagues. It is hoped that attendees can learn more about the application of allocation formulas to their own institutions, but we also hope to learn from their experiences and their observations. Thus, this session seems well fit to a Lively Lunch Discussion so that the maximum audience participation can be encouraged.
