“Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees”: Using a Data-Driven Review Process to Add New Resources With No Budget Increases

Abstract

At Drake University's Cowles Library, increasing budgetary pressures, combined with improvements in gathering and analyzing usage data, compelled the library in 2014 to reassess its collection development philosophy and approach. This new philosophy-that the value of a resource is directly related to its usage-necessitated a more systematic and analytical process. The library has developed an annual review process that uses data-driven decision making for canceling and acquiring electronic resource subscriptions.