Collection Analysis

The WEST collection analysis process begins with a call for all members’ unarchived print journal holdings that are then fed into AGUA, the WEST decision support service (DSS) tool. Archiving proposals are made by AGUA, taking into account the risk level AGUA calculates for the journal, the institutions that hold the journal and the depths of their backfiles, and the facilities available to those institutions. Information about the proposed archiver’s holdings as well as the holdings available at other WEST institutions is shared with members via reports produced in and available through AGUA.

WEST performs collection analysis every two years, starting with a request for member institutions to submit their unarchived holdings to AGUA. Archiving proposals are made and committed to within AGUA. Retention disclosures are submitted by the archiving institution to AGUA and the Print Archives and Preservation Registry (PAPR) hosted by CRL. Members are also encouraged to disclose their retention commitments and any gaps in their holdings in the Journal Retention and Needs Listing (JRNL) tool hosted by the University of Florida, and to participate in gap-filling activities there. Finally, the WEST project team produces Collection Comparison reports in AGUA for Full Members that facilitate local collection analysis and can be used in support of local deselection projects.