ASU Gap Filling Pilot

Introduction

The problem space: despite actively seeking volumes to fill gaps in WEST medium and high risk archives, many journal runs remain incomplete.

• The challenge of incomplete holdings in the WEST archives is a result of a number of factors:

• Completeness of the local holdings at the time the retention commitment was made
• Archive Type and holdings consolidation requirements for retention
• Willingness and ability of WEST members to participate in holdings consolidation by the Archive Builders and the working definition of ‘backfile’ at the time the commitment was made

Current WEST archiving standards require Archive Builders to actively seek contributions to fill gaps in the medium and high risk level titles they archive, but WEST also bounds this work, limiting gap filling activities to ensure Builders have sufficient time to complete their archiving work on all committed titles. To date, WEST has neither required nor encouraged Archive Builders to revisit their legacy archived titles to fill persistent gaps or to extend the archived holdings with local collections.

This pilot project is intended to both increase the completeness of select medium and high risk level (formerly referred to as Silver and Gold) archived titles at ASU through backfile extension and additional gap filling, and gain insight into key questions about the overall value and viability of a dedicated gap-filling project in WEST.

Benefits

• Enhances the integrity of the WEST medium and high risk level archived titles by redirecting archiving capacity to fill gaps and extend backfiles
• Expands reliable access to print backfiles by increasing the completeness of retained holdings
• Aligns with Rosemont Alliance strategic priority to establish basic expectations and guidelines for filling gaps, but also positions WEST at the cutting edge of the work
• Leverages anticipated ASU capacity in Cycles 12&13 to enhance completeness of legacy medium and high risk level archived titles
• Leverages ASU expertise to investigate research questions regarding the value of conducting dedicated gap filling projects

Current Work and Future Milestones

Participating Institutions

History

In August 2021, the WEST project team presented a proposal to the OCC for a large project dedicated to gap filling in Cycle 13, involving all four eligible Archive Builder institutions. After discussion with the OCC and WEST Executive Committee, the project team reworked the original proposal into this more narrowly scoped plan for a pilot project to be conducted by a single Archive Builder. This will help WEST gather information about backfile extension and gap filling efforts, which may inform future, expanded projects.

Timeline

• March 2022 – WEST Executive Committee endorsed a pilot project dedicated to filling gaps in and extending archived backfiles of legacy Silver and Gold titles at Arizona State University
• Summer 2022 – OCC defined final criteria for titles to be eligible for inclusion in this pilot project and which key metrics ASU will be asked to track during this pilot
• Fall 2022 – ASU began the process of engaging in backfile extension, validation, and calls for holdings work
• Spring 2023 – ASU and WEST jointly agreed to extend the duration of the pilot project through Cycle 14

Deliverables and Additional Resources

ASU Gap Filling Pilot project tracking and data reporting

Mid-point Analyses