Patron Driven Acquisitions? Patrons’ preferences and patterns of use

Abstract

In spring 2016, a small scale experiment with unmediated PDA was set at the University Library of Southern Denmark. Certain subject categories were found to be relatively popular/unpopular by patrons. We saw a clear preference for download over reading online, and also some printing activity. More than half of the activity did not trigger any costs.The price model in the PDA experiment would favour purchase over STL rent for titles used more than 3-4 times in total. Usage data from existing e-book and print book collections were used for a comparative evaluation of the PDA experiment. The overall book usage is extensive and varies with subject domains. For print collections, the overall median age of books in use is 9 years, and the most recent books (py 2014-2016) meet only 10% of patron demand, but usage patterns vary considerably between subject domains. We also found that utilization rates for digital and print book collections were comparable, with much variation between subject domains. We conclude that a PDA profile with a realistic budget can supply only a small fraction of books in demand, and may give preferential treatment to certain patron populations.