Three VALE member libraries, Montclair State U., William Paterson U. and Rutgers U. Libraries , volunteered in May, 2007 to identify items at risk in their circulating collections (excluding Special Collections items) that fit the criteria in VALE Last Copy Guidelines and define procedures for editing and loading the MARC records of these books into a shared virtual collection (VLCC) hosted by the New Jersey State Library JerseyCat Union Catalog.
We had 20 attendees at the VALE Conference lunchtable discussion, where Mary Mallery, Chair of the VALE Cooperative Collection Management Committee, from Montclair State U. had assistance in describing the VALE Last Copy Pilot Project and answering questions from Farideh Tehrani of Rutgers U. Libraries, Pamela Theus of William Paterson U., and Scherelene Schatz of the New Jersey State Library’s Library Development Bureau.
The VLCC pilot project participants reviewed the VALE Last Copy Guidelines, which are online at: http://blake.montclair.edu/~mallerym/VALELastCopyGuidelines.html
and the VALE Last Copy Pilot Project Report from Montclair State University Library and the VALE Last Copy Collection Procedures for Montclair State U. See linked files for the full report and procedures with VLCC screenshots.
At the close of the lunchtable discussion, the VLCC pilot project participants announced that they felt the project is ready to open up to other libraries in VALE to participate, and three libraries immediately indicated an interest in joining the VALE Last Copy Program. At its next meeting (Feb. 5th), the VALE CCM Committee will draft an invitation to the VALE membership to be distributed via the VALE listserv. The CCM Committee will set up training for VALE libraries in identifying items in circulating collections and adding them to the VALE Last Copy Collection (VLCC) on the JerseyCat Union Catalog according to the procedures defined by the pilot project participants.
Attendees also suggested that VALE might start a digitization project for the items in the VLCC and that the NJ Digital Highway project might be the host for this VALE digitization project.
The next meeting of the VALE Cooperative Collection Management Committee is Tuesday, February 5th, from 10AM to noon at Rutgers U. Alexander Library. All VALE librarians interested in cooperative collection management projects are invited to attend.
