National Library of Australia


Collection assessment: tools and references

The aim of this section is to provide a list of tools and references useful for undertaking an assessment of your library's collection.

If you know of any other tools or references that you have found useful and you feel should be included in this list, please contact ALG Administration. Refer also to our Bibliographies and indexes for use in list checking in collection assessment and list of Australian librarians who have assessed their collections.

BLAKE, Virgil L.P. and TJOUMAS, Renee 'The Conspectus Approach to Collection Evaluation : Panacea or False Prophet?' in Collection management, vol. 18, nos. 3/4, 1994, p.1-32.

BOND, Maggie. Embracing electronic access: renovating Conspectus for the digital era. Paper presented at the 9th Biennial VALA Conference. January 28-30, 1998, Melbourne Convention Centre, Australia.

BURKE, Jess. Embracing electronic assess: renovating Conspectus for the digital era: applied at Queensland University of Technology. Paper presented at the 9th Biennial VALA.

Collection Assessment / Collection Development Training for Arizona Public Libraries

Collection Assessment / University of Wyoming Libraries

Conspectus Software. Windows 6.0 and Macintosh versions of the WLN Conspectus Software (Australian version) were released 1 June 1996.

CUNNINGHAM, Adrian Beneficial alliances (Canberra, ACT : National Library of Australia, 1997)

GABRIEL, Michael R. Collection Development and Collection Evaluation : a Sourcebook (Metuchen, NJ : Scarecrow Press, 1995)

GASKELL, Carolyn 'Applying Conspectus at Queensland University of Technology Library' / from a presentation at the 1995 ALIA State Conference in Rockhampton, Australia. WLN Participant vol. 15, no. 5, Fall 1996, p11-13.

GORMAN, G.E. 'African Studies, Australian Conspectus and Cooperative Acquisitions' in Australian Library Review, vol. 11, no. 4, p. 465-475.

GORMAN, G.E. Collection Development for Australian Libraries, 2nd edition (Wagga Wagga, NSW : Centre for Information Studies, Charles Sturt University, 1992) Includes chapter and readings on Conspectus.

GOTTLIEB, Jane (ed.) Collection Assessment in Music Libraries (Canton, Mass. : Music Library Association, 1993 [1994]). MLA Technical Report.

A Guide to the Collection Assessment Process. This is an revised version of the chapter on assessment in the Australian Collection Assessment Manual: a collection assessment guide, compiled by Margaret Henty, National Library of Australia, 1992.

HEIDENWOLF, Terese. 'Evaluating an Interdisciplinary Research Collection' in Collection Management, vol.18, nos. 3/4, 1994, p 33-48.

JAKIMOW, Rachel. 'Sharing Resources Nationally : Some Practical Strategies' in Australian and New Zealand Theological Library Association Newsletter, no.28, April 1996, p11-17.

KACHEL, Debra E. Collection Assessment and Management for School Libraries: Preparing for Cooperative Collection Development [available on order]

LOCKETT, Barbara (ed.) for the Subcommittee on Guidelines for Collection Development, Collection Management and Development Committee, Resources Section, Resources and Technical Services Division, American Library Association Guide to the Evaluation of Library Collections (Chicago : American Library Association, c1989)

McFADDEN ALLEN, Barbara and OLSON, Georgine N. (eds.) Cooperative Collection Management : the Conspectus Approach (New York; London : Neal-Schuman Publishers Inc., 1994)

NISONGER, Thomas E. Collection Evaluation in Academic Libraries : a Literature Guide and Annotated Bibliography (Englewood, Colo : Libraries Unlimited, 1992)

PINNELL-STEPHENS, June. 'Communicating Information About Libraries : the Conspectus Visits the Russian Far East' in WLN Participant, Summer 1995, vol. 14, no. 3, p11-13. Includes poster on the Conspectus approach to collection assessment and management.

ROUTH, Spencer. Conspectus at the University of Queensland. Paper presented at the ALIA State Conference, Rockhampton, QLD, July 1995.

SMITH, Elizabeth W. 'Using WLN Conspectus Software to Prepare a Collection Development Policy' in WLN Participant, Summer 1995, vol. 14, no. 3.

State Library of South Australia Conspectus Project 1991-1992 : Final Report (Adelaide : The Library, 1992)

STROHL, Bonnie. 'Beyond Resource Sharing: Using Conspectus' a report from the ALA Conference, June 1998 in OCLC/WLN Pacific Northwest Service Center Newsletter, vol.1, no. 1, March/April 1999, p 13.

SULLIVAN, Shirley, University of Melbourne Travails of a Conspectus Officer

Using the Conspectus Method: A Collection Assessment Handbook / Mary Bushing, Burns Davis and Nancy Powell (Lacey, WA [USA]: WLN, 1997).

WHITE, Howard D. Brief Tests of Collection Strength : a Methodology for All Types of Libraries (Westport, Conn.; London : Greenwood Press, 1995). Contributions in librarianship and information science.

Collection Assessment : a Look at the RLG Conspectus / edited by Richard J. WOOD and Katina STRAUCH (New York : Haworth Press, c1991)

ZWECK, Trevor. 'Collection Evaluation for Theological Libraries : Planning and Implementation' in Australian and New Zealand Theological Library Association Newsletter, no.28, April 1996, p18-29.

Last modified: October 07 2009.