OLA 2011: Buy Request: Just in Time v. Just in Case at OSU Libraries

Libraries have long encouraged patron involvement in collection development with “Suggest a Purchase” or other just-in-time purchase options. Even so, most collection development purchasing is of the just in case variety. Oregon State University Libraries utilized interlibrary loan requests to identify materials for just in time purchase on demand. The successful pilot program met researchers‟ point-of-need material requests while enhancing the value of the collection, no small feat in a world of static or shrinking collection budgets. Patron feedback provided one measure of program success, helped pave the way for permanent adoption, and led to the pursuit of program improvements.

Presentation at the Oregon Library Association Conference in Salem, Oregon on April 7, 2011 (OLA 2011).