StThomas_Quantitative



Be warned, it's a bit of a beast. (file containing quantitative data, some pie charts, etc.)


 * Rough draft - Quantitative Analysis (KL)**

Page allocation: 1.5 pages Currently: 1.25 pages, size 12 font, generous margins (I feel we can manipulate this quite a bit) Concerns: 1.25 really is not much space at all! Not sure how to proceed. Would like to include a paragraph on publishers (big vs. small). Would also like input on what stats you guys would like to see in this section. --- Mel: for your concern about length for this section, the guidelines in the syllabus are MINIMUM lengths for the sections... so it's ok if it's over Please feel free to edit, make changes, comments, etc. within the text below.

At the St. Thomas Public Library, the 610s encompass 610-618.9777 (619 is currently not in use). Searching this range in St. Thomas’s online catalogue yields approximately 2,400 results. For the purpose of this quantitative analysis, a weighted stratified random sample was taken in order for this analysis to be more manageable. Each of 610, 611, 612, and so on, up to 618, was treated as an individual stratum, and approximately every eighth record was selected within the strata to make up the sample to be analyzed. This resulted in a sample of 300 unique book titles to be included in the quantitative analysis. All available information in the online catalogue was transferred to an Excel spreadsheet and broken down into individual components. This allowed for the data to be sorted and analyzed in a number of ways, such as: Examination of Dewey number; average year of publication; publisher, and; average page length. What follows are some of the key statistics located in our representative sample, several of which were fundamental in the activities of recommendation and deselection.

Average year of publication: 2000 Percentage of books published prior to 2000: 38% Percentage of books published prior to 2005: 65% Percentage of books published after 2005: 35% Average page length: 272 pages

Most prominent Dewey number: 616 (Diseases) Least prominent Dewey number: 611 (Human anatomy, cytology, histology) Most frequently used subject headings: Nutrition; Health; Physical fitness; Reducing diets; Exercise

Most prominent publishers: Penguin Group; Random House; Harper Collins Percentage of books from major publishers: 55% Percentage of books from small/independent publishers: 45%

Percentage of books checked out at the time of this analysis: 7.67% Percentage of books checked in at the time of this analysis: 92.33%

A number of assessments can be made based on these statistics. For example, almost 40% of the representative sample was published prior to the year 2000; 22% of these titles were published in the 1970s or 1980s. Regardless of the subject matter, this is indicative of a rather dated collection. However, considering that the most prominent subject headings deal with diet, exercise, and fitness, this datedness is rather unacceptable. The field of nutrition, diet, and exercise, and its associated literature, is a rapidly changing landscape thanks to continuing research in the health and nutritional sciences, trends in popular culture, and celebrity endorsements. By extension, these circumstances should require St. Thomas’s collection to be updated to reflect current knowledge and trends in this field.

Furthermore, after comprehensive environmental scanning of St. Thomas’s community, it is apparent that residents are in a health rut. Incidence rates for smoking and obesity are higher than the provincial average. Additionally, as noted in the community profile, these incidence rates are more pronounced for males, yet after conducting this quantitative analysis, it is apparent that health-related literature for males is greatly lacking, in comparison to the material related to female health and body issues. Taken together, these facts point to an imperative need for St. Thomas’s collection to be updated in order to better reflect these circumstances in the community.

In terms of publishers, it is apparent that the St. Thomas collection relies heavily on materials published by big-budget, mainstream publishing companies such as Penguin, Random House, and Harper Collins. The presence of titles from smaller, alternative, or independent publishers is noticeably lacking, yet the inclusion of titles from these types of publishers can be considered highly beneficial. Smaller, independent publishers are more willing to publish material containing topics contrary to mainstream and popular thought, and these materials are important to include in order to have well-balanced and rounded collection.

Finally, while this particular statistic is merely a snapshot of a particular point in time, the proportion of materials checked in versus those checked out is rather dismal. It is the aim of St. Thomas Public Library to offer an updated, interesting, and relevant selection of materials to the St. Thomas community, and it is apparent that residents are not making use of the collection as it currently exists. This proposal to update and market a new and improved collection aims to remedy this situation.


 * Pie Charts, Stats, Wordle, etc.**

(Updated Saturday morning)

Note: These aren't set in stone; can easily change font, colours, layout, etc. for the final. Just wanted to give you guys an idea of what the numbers were looking like.