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Managing Resources BIM
Assignment 2: Collection Evaluation Project
Kerrin White
Lecturer: Annette Mills
12 May 2013
Word Count: 2073

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Executive Summary
This report, intended for the collection development librarian, will evaluate the Barr
Smith Library’s Australian Drama collection in terms of supporting the university’s
curriculum and research.
Techniques used in this evaluation include: analysis of the 822A catalogue listings,
physical examination, quantitative and qualitative comparison with another university
library, list checking, professional subject area knowledge and conspectus.
The collection was found to be in reasonably good physical condition with some
signs of deterioration through age. The collection is a mixture of hardcopy books
(plays, reference works, theatre programmes and dissertations) and e-journals.
The collection’s strengths are its broad range of works from the 1950s to the 1980s
and its collection of first edition radio plays from the 1940s and 1950s. The
collection’s weaknesses are its lack of current materials including women’s,
indigenous and GLBT writing. It is concluded that the collection is uneven in its
content, relevance, scope and currency. A conspectus level of 3b has been
assigned.
It is recommended that block book sets are de-selected, older but valuable works be
put into storage or placed in the Rare Books and Special Collections Theatre, current
e-journals continue to be purchased and that the acquisition of modern writing
becomes a focus.

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Table of Contents
Glossary 4
Introduction 5
Evaluation Techniques 5
Summary of the Australian Drama Collection 6
Condition 7
Collection Description 7
Collection Strengths 8
Collection Weaknesses 9
Conclusion 11
Recommendations 12
References 15

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Glossary
GLBT: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender.
IFLA: International Federation of Library Associations.
NLA: National Library of Australia.
UniSA: University of South Australia.

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Introduction
The Barr Smith is an academic library providing information and resources for the
University of Adelaide. This report will look specifically at the Barr Smith’s collection
of Australian Drama at Dewey Decimal number 822A. This collection services the
needs of students undertaking Arts and Social Science subjects within graduate and
postgraduate degrees and scholars of Australian theatre.
This report, intended for the collection development librarian, will assess the quality
and quantity of the Barr Smith’s Australian Drama collection in terms of supporting
the university’s curriculum and as a resource for research.
Evaluation Techniques
Methods used to evaluate the Barr Smith’s Australian Drama collection include:
- Analysis of the catalogue listings for 822A.
- A shelf scan and physical examination of the collection.
- Quantitative and qualitative comparison of the collection with the University of
South Australia - a comparative university library.

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- Checking of bibliographic lists on the subject using the NLA’s AustLit e-
resource.
- Professional knowledge of the subject area.
- Conspectus collection depth indicators.
Other statistical data including borrowing records for 822A was sought to provide
another method of evaluation. Unfortunately the library system at the Barr Smith
is unable to track records for a particular Dewey decimal number. Consequently
this report is unable to make any conclusions or recommendations based on
client usage.
This report will provide a summary of the nature of the collection, its strengths
and weaknesses, describe the techniques used for evaluation and offer
conclusions and recommendations to the collection development librarian in
terms of the currency and scope of the collection, preservation issues and any
de-selection that may be required. Finally a conspectus level will be assigned to
the collection.
Summaryof the Australian Drama Collection
For the purpose of this evaluation, Australian Drama will constitute any resource
dealing with Australian performers, Australian theatrical or radio play scripts,
Australian playwrights, Australian theatre programmes and critical and scholarly
writing concerning these subjects. These resources are found at 822A on level 2 of
the library. A search of the library catalogue resulted in 386 items that included

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monographs, serials, theatre programmes and dissertations in both print and digital
formats.
Condition
A shelf scan and physical examination of the collection found that in general the
resources are in good condition. A handful of print monographs have damaged and
peeling spines and older books show yellowing of the pages and some dog-ears.
Light dust was found on the tops of the books but nothing to indicate neglect. There
was no evidence of significant preservation issues such as missing or loose pages,
defacement or mould damage.
Collection Description
The resources found at 822A include the following subjects: theatrical play scripts,
radio play scripts, theatrical programmes, critical and scholarly writing about
playwrights, plays, radio plays and the history and trends of Australian Drama. The
oldest print book in the collection dates back to 1923 (found in the Rare Books and
Special Collections Theatre) whilst the most recent acquisition is from 2013. The
majority of the print resources deal with Australian Drama from the 1950s to the
1980s. There is a good selection of first edition books on Australian radio drama of
the 1940s and 1950s which is something of a niche within this subject area.
Journals within this subject area are all in a digital format. Current serials such as
Australian Drama Studies are purchased as e-journals whilst older resources have

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been scanned and now exist in a virtual form. The oldest journal article dates from
1951 with the most recent being 2012.
Collection Strengths
The strengths of this Australian drama collection are the wealth of resources it holds
from the 1950s to the 1980s. All major playwrights of this period are more than
adequately represented and there are contemporary reviews and reference works for
this era. In particular the 1960s and 1970s, at 127 holdings, were clearly the era
when the library saw Australian Drama as an important area for acquisition – indeed
it is 33% of the collection. Playwrights such as David Williamson and Jack Hibberd
feature heavily both in the titles represented as well as the number of copies
available. In some cases there are block book sets that can be used for classroom
teaching. The holdings of the plays and playwrights from this period are virtually
complete which is supported by the listings on AustLit.
The UniSA collection, while covering this period in some detail lacks the depth or
quantity of the Barr Smith’s collection. The UniSA library in general owns more
current 21st century editions of these older plays and writings.
As previously mentioned, Australian radio drama of the 1940s and 1950s is a ‘niche
within a niche’ and as such is unusual amongst Adelaide academic collections and
provides a point of difference for the Barr Smith. There is nothing comparable to
these works to be found in the UniSA or Flinders University collections.

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Collection Weaknesses
At 386 items, the Barr Smith is a small collection. A quantitative comparison with
UniSA illustrates this with their holdings numbering 1009. However Johnson (2009,
p. 244) does warn that ‘numerical counts do not measure quality’, while Kennedy
(2006, p. 96) notes that ‘size and costliness does not necessarily tell us anything
about how useful the collection is’. These are valid points in terms of currency and
relevance; however this method does raise issues about the scope of this collection.
While the collection’s strength is clearly its 1960s and 1970s holdings, where this
collection is lacking is in new plays and new scholarly writing about Australian
Drama. From the late 1990s it is clear that Australian Drama acquisition was no
longer a priority for the library. The closure of the Drama Department in the 1990s is
reflected in fewer acquisitions of Australian Drama resources from this time onwards.
With Drama no longer represented through a Performing Arts course, subjects within
the English faculty continue to use the collection. The faculty website notes
Contemporary Australian Culture and Wild Places/City Spaces: Environmental
Writing as two of a number of Australian-focussed literature subjects. It goes on to
list staff research interests relevant to the collection including Australian Literature,
Indigenous Writing, Gender Studies and Women’s Writing.
UniSA’s collection covers virtually the same breadth of material as the Barr Smith.
Plays from the 1920s to 2013 are present in its collection as are reference works
from the 1940s to the present day. Where UniSA’s collection is superior to the Barr
Smith’s is in the balance of its collection. There are no obvious areas of

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concentrated collecting and acquisition has continued steadily until the present day.
Their collection provides a clearer overview of the subject without bias towards any
particular era, style or perspective.
At Adelaide, women’s writing, with only 21 playwrights and 45 titles, is under-
represented – 12% of the collection. AusLit identifies 100 Australian female
playwrights from the 1920s to the present day – the Barr Smith only represents one
fifth of female writers in this country.
Major playwrights such as Dorothy Hewett and Joanna Murray-Smith are held in the
collection in multiple copies. However there are considerably fewer less well-known
female playwrights at Adelaide than at UniSA. This is due to the lack of currency in
the collection. The increase in the number of female playwrights from the mid-1980s
onwards, as evidenced in AusLit, is not represented in a meaningful way as there
are far fewer resources of any kind from the 1990s to the present day. The UniSA
library with its more rounded and current collection is far more representative of
Australian women writers in Drama.
Indigenous drama, at 26 titles, is inadequately represented – 6% of the collection.
Only the best known work of major indigenous playwrights such as Jack Davis (No
Sugar) and Jimmy Chi (Bran Nue Dae) are available. AusLit references 217 plays
by indigenous playwrights. However there is adequate current scholarly writing to be
found mainly in journals. The UniSA collection covers the major writers but collects
more of their work. It also holds titles by lesser known playwrights and is
considerably more current in its acquisitions than the Barr Smith.
GBLT writers or plays dealing with these experiences are almost completely absent
from the collection with Nick Enright and Patrick White being the most significant

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writers in this area. Once again, the lack of current acquisition is responsible for this
area of weakness. UniSA, again, has a larger, varied and more current selection of
GLBT writing.
Although the library still purchases the serial Australian Drama Studies in digital
form, most of its journals are pre-2000. Once again the 1960s and 1970s are
demonstrated to have been a time of intense acquisition. Contemporary reviews and
reference works about plays, playwrights and theatrical trends are of historical
interest and are still of great value. What these resources lack is a current
perspective - the arts are a changing environment and many works are re-evaluated
with the benefit of time.
UniSA purchases at least 3 e-journals dealing specifically with Australian Drama and
is therefore more current in the information and perspectives it offers.
Conclusion
Overall the Barr Smith Library’s Australian Drama collection can be seen to be
uneven in content, relevance, currency and scope. The library boasts strong
holdings from the 1950s to the 1980s (with a particular emphasis on the 1960s and
1970s) and a significant collection of ageing first edition radio plays from the 1940s
and 1950s.
While these areas of strength are important historically and culturally, the lack of
currency and the unevenness of scope are of concern. This lack of currency affects
the scope of the collection by denying clients access to modern works of indigenous,
women’s and LGBT writing and recent critical and historical perspectives.

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If a conspectus level was to be assigned to this collection it would be 3b. IFLA
describes level three as ‘Study or Instructional Support Level’ and that it provides
‘information about a subject in a systematic way, but at a level of less than research
intensity’. While there are gaps in the collection it does meet their criteria of being
‘an extensive collection of general monographs and reference works and selected
specialized monographs and reference works’. The ‘b’ indicates an intermediate
level of study as some aspects of the collection are impressive. While the collection
is better than 3a (basic study) it would not currently meet the criteria of advanced
(3c).
Recommendations
There are five key recommendations that if adopted by the collection development
librarian would greatly improve the collection in terms of currency, relevancy, scope
and preservation.
1. Considering that there are no formal drama courses at the University of
Adelaide, it is recommended that block book sets be de-selected and only a
single copy retained. In the case of significant plays such as Summer of the
Seventeenth Doll or Don’s Party, retaining two copies of the text may prove
desirable.

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2. Older works such as A History of Australian Drama provide contemporaneous
views of drama of the period – perspectives that may prove useful in research
and reappraisal for a current history of the subject. However they are not
works that are likely to be in high demand. These older works should be
retained but would be better placed into storage to make way for more current
and relevant acquisitions.
3. E-journals such as Australian Drama Studies should continue to be purchased
because they provide a current and relevant resource four times a year.
4. The first editions of collected radio plays from the 1940s and 1950s are of
historical and cultural significance. These books are amongst the resources
that were noted to be yellowing, dog-eared and slightly damaged through age.
It is recommended that these books are placed into the Rare Books and
Special Collections Theatre so they are still accessible but where a level of
preservation can be maintained.
5. The current Australian Drama collection is lacking in the areas of Indigenous,
Women’s and GLBT writings and current plays and scholarly writing. These
should become an area of focus for the acquisitions librarian to support
curriculum areas such as English and Gender Studies.
It is important to note that these recommendations are a matter of discretion for the
collection development librarian. Any decisions should be made preferably by or in
consultation with an Australian Drama specialist. As Agee (2007, p.22) notes, ‘it is

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incumbent upon the subject specialist to decide whether the book should be repaired
or withdrawn and possibly replaced.’

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References
Agee, J 2007, ‘Collection evaluation’, in Acquisitions go global: an introduction to
library collection management in the 21st
century, Chandos Publishing, Oxford, pp.
15-26.
Flinders University 2013, On-line library catalogue, Flinders University, viewed 29
April 2013, <http://catalogue.flinders.edu.au/>
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Section on
Acquisition and Collection Development 2001, Guidelines for a collection
development policy using the conspectus model, IFLA, viewed 29 April 2013,
<http://www.ifla.org/>
Johnson, P 2009, ‘Collection analysis: evaluation and assessment’, in Fundamentals
of collection development and management, 2nd edn, American Library Association
Edition, Chicago, Illinois, pp. 225-263.

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Kennedy, J 2006, ‘Evaluating the hardcopy and digital collection’, in Collection
management: a concise introduction, rev. edn, Centre for information studies,
Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, pp. 87-106.
National Library of Australia 2013, AusLit, Australian Government, viewed 6 May
2013, <http://www.austlit.edu.au.rp.nla.gov.au/>
Rees, L 1978, A history of Australian theatre, rev. edn, Currency Press, Sydney.
University of Adelaide 2013, Bachelor of arts degree, faculty of english, University of
Adelaide, viewed 30 April 2013, <http://hss.adelaide.edu.au/current-s>
University of Adelaide 2013, On-line library catalogue, University of Adelaide, viewed
29 April 2013, <http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/>
University of South Australia 2013, On-line library catalogue, University of South
Australia, viewed 29 April 2013, <http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/>