Stewarding the Collective Collection: An Analysis of Print Retention Data in the US and Canada

OCLC and the Partnership for Shared Book Collections collaborated to produce a data analysis of monograph print retentions registered in OCLC WorldCat. This research examines the impact of shared print over the past decade and helps identify priorities for moving forward.  

Stewarding the Collective Collection: An Analysis of Print Retention Data in the US and Canada analyzes over 100 million bibliographic records and 30 million retention commitment records in libraries across the United States and Canada to inform future collection development decision-making. Key findings reveal that the majority of titles represented in WorldCat lack retention commitments, with significant gaps in redundancy and subject area inclusivity. Additionally, millions of items face imminent expiration of their retention periods, underscoring the need for renewed commitments and improved data quality.

The analysis maps the current state of the shared print ecosystem and illuminates risks and opportunities to provide essential baseline operational information to the field. This research highlights the successes of shared print and can help libraries identify opportunities for strategic growth, improve metadata quality, and ensure the sustainability of shared print initiatives.

Download US Letter .pdf

Download A4 .pdf

Quick Links

• Short URL: oc.lc/scc-data-report
• DOI (US letter): https://doi.org/10.25333/11f9-rw57
• DOI: (A4): https://doi.org/10.25333/k00v-z913

Related Pages & Projects

• Stewarding the Collective Collection
  
• Stewarding the Collective Collection - Data Analysis