Are We Spending Too Much on Print STEM Monographs? A Method and Analysis for Improving Monograph Allocations Based on Circulation Statistics

Circulation studies provide evidence of demand for monographs, but it is necessary to determine the goal of any analysis in order to select which statistics will be used. The goal of this analysis was to determine the appropriateness of expenditures on monographs within the STEM fields at Morris Library over a ten-year period. Percentage of unique title circulation and average circulation per title are best suited for this purpose. Results show variation among discplines, but over-expenditure in all. Analysis of disciplines can aid in determining appropriate allocations for monographs, and analysis of subdisciplines can aid in targeting monograph acquisitions within any discipline

What\u27s Next for Collection Management and Managers? Changing the Organization of Collection Development

There have been considerable changes in publishing and information dissemination over the last decade. However, the structure and process of collection development at many libraries have not kept pace. In 2006, Morris Library at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC) undertook a restructuring, in order to address the changing nature of collection development. This resulted in the creation of three new positions, more opportunities for planning and analysis, and new roles for liaisons. While there are drawbacks, the new structure has provided clear benefits, and may serve as a model for other academic libraries

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF SHALE-DRILLING FLUID INTERACTION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON DRILLING EFFICIENCY

The United States (US) energy consumption is growing at an amazing rate. The high demand in oil and gas has created a surge in shale exploration, drilling, and production. Shale formations have become a source of attraction because of their huge potential. Some major shale plays such as the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) have reserve estimated to be more than seven (7) billion barrels. Despite their huge potential, shale formations present major drilling concerns for drilling operators due to their high rate of alteration and incompatibility when exposed to inappropriate drilling or completion fluid systems. Shale instability and low drilling rate represent some of primary drilling concerns encountered in most shale formations. Wellbore instability is caused by the radical change in the mechanical strength as well as chemical and physical alterations when exposed to drilling fluids. A set of unexpected events associated with wellbore instability in shales account for more than 10% of drilling cost, which is estimated to one billion dollars per annum. Understanding shale-drilling fluid interaction plays a key role in minimizing drilling problems in unconventional resources. Drilling operators are moving away from conventional water-based mud systems because of the concerns associated with it. Therefore, the need for an alternative drilling fluid system for drilling operations in unconventional resources is growing. Oil-based mud systems have been widely used, but stringent environmental regulations and cost limit their effectiveness, therefore the introduction of inhibitive mud systems for shale operations. The introduction of inhibitive mud systems in shale drilling provide a means of controlling instability and improving drilling efficiency. The shale fluid interaction is mainly influenced by both the shale properties (mineralogy, shale strength, porosity, and permeability), and the drilling fluid properties (rheology, cutting removal abilities, and drilling effectiveness). The novelty in this research includes the use of an innovative high-pressure high-temperature drilling simulator set up to investigate both the drilling performance and the compatibility of a set of inhibitive mud systems used in shale drilling. The effectiveness of these inhibitive mud systems in improve shale drilling operation was investigating in the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS). The tested mud systems included KCl based fluid, formate brine, and conventional water-based mud (WBM). Cylindrical cores, used to mimic vertical wellbore, were drilled and drilling parameters such as torque, friction factor, rate of penetration (ROP), and mechanical specific energy (MSE) were recorded and analyzed

Leaving the “Big Deal” … Five Years Later

Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) and the University of Oregon each withdrew from several Big Deals with major commercial journal publishers from 2008 to 2010. Analysis of the impact of these decisions was originally conducted and reported in 2011 and 2012. This article provides updated analysis based on interlibrary loan statistics, financial savings, and impact on the collections. Results show that interlibrary loan of lost content still represents a small fraction of prior use, savings have been considerable, and the libraries have been able to address other needs in their collections because of the decision to withdraw

Dissertation Citations in Organismal Biology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale: Implications for Collection Development

We report on a citation analysis of PhD dissertations in Plant Biology and Zoology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, undertaken to test the common assumption that scientists favor current research to such an extent that journal backfiles can be de-emphasized in academic library collections. Results demonstrate otherwise. The study is reproducible for any institution, and can help to evaluate 1) the value of electronic journal backfiles and 2) the need to maintain print backfiles

Leaving the Big Deal: Consequences and Next Steps

Many libraries are facing difficult fiscal climates with serials inflation, budget cutbacks, and reductions in allocations requiring difficult collection management decisions. Libraries may find their flexibility to plan and react unduly restricted due to being contracted to one or more Big Deals, in which they are obligated to buy large, inflexible title lists from big publishers for a set price. This presentation discusses the experience of Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the University of Oregon in leaving Big Deals, provides data on impacts on interlibrary loans, community response, and collection budgets, details the steps required before and after the decision, and describes the benefits that other libraries could achieve by following the example of these two members of the Association of Research Libraries