Collections Stewardship Projects

In 2009, the E.H. Little Library decided to convert its library holdings from Dewey Decimal classification to Library of Congress (LC) classification. The Dewey Circulating collection--some 600,000 monographs--was partially converted from Dewey to LC. Criteria for the initial conversion included:

• All books in the 000s-200s published since 1990;
• All books in the 300s-900s that had been checked out at least once since 1992;
• All oversize/folio books (stored separately in the LC Oversize Collection);
• All standing orders (monographic series);
• Previously standalone collections, including Davidson's fiction collection and books integrated from the former Chemistry and Mathematics libraries.

Since 2009, all newly acquired books were classified as LC and relocated to the collection on the lower level of E.H. Little Library.  Additionally, any book checked out from Dewey since the beginning of the project was reclassified as LC on return.

The remaining Dewey circulating collection, therefore, represents the remainder of a lengthy evaluation and conversion project begun in 2009. Circulation tracking tells us that the bulk of the 174,000 volumes upstairs have not circulated in nearly 15 years – and almost half of that collection has zero record of circulation since our records began in 1993.

This is not to say the collection is not useful: on the contrary, we expect there are resources of value in the collection that are highly relevant to classes and research. However, as a whole the collection could use a revitalization. We want to make sure we are retaining materials of enduring value while relying on our partners in resource sharing to provide access to materials used infrequently as needed. 

To ensure that our collection remains vibrant and responsive, we will conduct—with substantial input from faculty—a thorough collection review of our physical resources, starting with the legacy Dewey collection on the 2nd floor of the E.H. Little Library. Evaluative criteria to be used are described in "About the Projects" above, and selection processes will be described in sections below. 

Faculty Input

The Library's Collections team will provide campus access to collection spreadsheets starting March 2024. We see this as the broadest opportunity for collective input. From March to June 2024 we will focus on one section, the Dewey 800s (“Literature & Rhetoric”), to test our processes and input mechanisms. We will work specifically with departments potentially impacted by retention decisions, including (but not limited to) English, Languages, and International & Area studies departments. All faculty are invited to review the attached spreadsheets and make recommendations of material for retention. Alternately, Library staff can work with departments and individual faculty to generate curated collection lists based on topics / subjects / authors of interest. We invite you to contact us to discuss your specific needs. 

Beginning in the summer and lasting through December 2024, we will open up the rest of the Dewey collection (174,000 volumes) for input. While we invite faculty to browse the stacks on the 2nd floor, we ask that any retention decisions be communicated utilizing the shared spreadsheets to minimize duplication.

If you’d like the Library team to visit your department to discuss specific needs, let us know and we’d be happy to join a future meeting or schedule another time. We will also hold events this fall to bring community members together around the collection and share more specific plans for the library. We will send out additional updates in April and May, along with reminder calls for participation.

Special evaluative criteria to be used in Dewey Circulating Collection assessment

• Relevance to course / research : These materials appear relevant to current teaching and research underway by students, faculty, and/or staff. 
• Foundational works : collection resources that represent key publications in their field, highly cited works, and "evergreen" research resources. These should be kept despite their lack of circulation. 
• Special Collections : collection resources that represent unique, valuable, singular, or exemplary resources that should be retained for their evidentiary value. Relevance to strengths in Davidson's Special Collections (e.g. artists' books, children's literature, special / independent press, first editions of notable works; local interest).
• Diversity & Inclusion: resources that highlight diverse perspectives and under-represented voices in traditional collections.