The purpose of the Working Group is to revise the monograph allocation formula. The current allocation formula was last modified in 2012 and therefore is outdated. In November 2023, the Library Committee resolved to create an Allocation Working Group to address the need for a new allocation formula.
The Working Group has met three times: spring 2024, fall 2024 and spring 2025. Discussions about the formula were candid and the effort was consultative and collaborative. Working Group members represent the academic departments and Milne Library. The membership of the group includes Keith Brunstad, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences; Summer Cunningham, Communications & Media; Yuriy Malikov, History; Darren Chase, Dean of the Library; Michelle Hendley, Head of Collection Development, Research Management & Sharing; and Adam Wood, Acting Acquisitions Assistant.
At the first meeting in the spring 2024 semester, the group agreed to review the following elements for inclusion in the new formula:
Ten different allocation formula scenarios were created using these elements. The first five were shared at the group's meeting in the fall 2024 semester. After discussion, suggestions for improvements were made including changing the method used to count e-book usage and adjusting the percentages: student FTE count, number of majors, and course count. At the meeting held in fall 2025, five new scenarios were conveyed to the Working Group. The new scenarios incorporated the recommendations from the previous meeting. The group recommended scenario number 6 as the best option as it was believed to be the most equitable of the options.
Current Elements Compared to Proposed Elements
|
Current |
Proposed |
Components of Proposed Element |
|
Fixed ratio 15% |
Fixed ratio 10% |
Fixed ratio provides every department with a base allocation. |
|
Circulation 40% |
Circulation 35% |
Circulation of physical material includes both in-house use and checked out data from January 2021 to June 2024. Library of Congress call numbers are assigned to each department. Library of Congress call numbers assignment is based on the call number of the physical items the department purchased. |
|
Course count 15% |
Course count 15% |
Course count includes all courses and sections taught during the 2023-24 academic year. Includes graduate courses. |
|
Student FTE count 30% |
Student FTE count 15% |
Student FTE count includes the number of students enrolled in each course taught during the 2023-24 academic year. Includes graduate students. |
|
4-year average book price 5% |
This is a new element of the formula. Includes the average of book price for each department based on the average cost of books the department purchased between 2021 and 2024. |
|
|
4-year average spend 15% |
This is a new element of the formula. Includes the average amount each department spent of its allocated funds between 2021 and 2024. |
|
|
Number of majors 5% |
This is a new element of the formula. It includes the number of majors in each department. |
Answer: The Working Group prioritized creating an equitable formula that accounted for differences in department size, courses offered, and student enrollment while recognizing variance in book prices across disciplines and departments and departmental allocation spend. The inclusion of the new elements and re-weighting of the current elements was an attempt to account for these considerations in an equitable manner.
Why is the Working Group recommending scenario 6?
Answer: Scenario 6 appears to be the most conservative of the 10 scenarios in terms of change in allocation across departments.
What other recommendations is the Working Group making to Library Committee?
Answer: The Working Group recommends that the formula be reviewed every three years to ensure that scenario 6 remains the most equitable of the 10 scenarios; however, it is also recommended that an adjustment of the percentage spend occur every year to reflect that year's actual spend. Additionally, adjusting the percentage spend gives department the opportunity to increase their allocation in the upcoming year by spending more of their budget in the previous year.