Conducting institution-wide inventories can be a challenging adventure. The size and scope of such a project, the unexpected roadblocks, and the surprising finds are sure to keep things interesting. This session will describe how three institutions tackled these challenges, including lessons learned and tips for anyone interested in embarking on their own journey.
Come hear how staff at Wayne State University systematically inventoried its 75,000-linear-foot collection, dealing with physical challenges, staying flexible, and grappling with legacy record-keeping practices; how the University of Wisconsin-Madison is surveying over 28,000 linear feet of collections to identify shelf locations, collection size, physical condition, materials types, un-accessioned collections, and undocumented digital materials; and how the University of Minnesota has used a digital inventory to track 350 TB of digital materials across multiple collecting areas for the past 10 years. We are confident these shared processes are scalable to institutions of various sizes and hope to encourage you to dive in and see what you can find in your institution!
Speakers Stefanie Caloia, Wayne State University Elizabeth Clemens, Wayne State University Carol Kussmann, University of Minnesota Mackenzie Ryan, University of Wisconsin-Madison
