Updated WEST Policies – Access Policy, Disclosure Policy, and Validation Standards
In 2020 the WEST governance committees charged two working groups to review and, as necessary, revise key WEST policies. That work is now complete and the updated documents have been posted to the WEST website:
What are the big changes?
The changes made to each of these policy and standards documents reflect the current infrastructure supporting shared print in these areas and meet member needs for clear and comprehensive documentation.
- WEST Access Policy
- Added section on the Rosemont Shared Print Alliance
- Amended section on resource sharing statistics to be more “evergreen” and reflect an evolving landscape
- Please note: With the decision to migrate away from the OCLC Shared Print Second Symbol, WEST is deferring the gathering of resource sharing statistics from members until infrastructure has been set up to effectively facilitate that process. It is anticipated that OCLC will incorporate the new shared print flag into resource sharing tools like Tipasa, ILLiad, and OCLC Resource Sharing in 2022.
- Added “Appendix A: Tools and Resources to Support Discovery and Access” to reflect current technical capabilities
- Merged previously standalone borrowing and lending instructions into the Access Policy document (Appendix B), streamlining and simplifying documentation for members
- WEST Disclosure Policy
- New section on disclosing “Materials contributed to the Archives by other institutions”
- New section on “Disclosing revalidation activities and outcomes”
- Updated description of OCLC Groups to reflect current language as well as uses and limitations of Profiled Groups
- WEST Standards for Issue and Volume Level Validation
- Incorporated good/better/best framework for action where appropriate
- Clarified areas of ambiguity, especially around volume level validation for completeness
- New section detailing when revalidation should occur
- Acknowledgement and encouragement of voluntary validation activities, including validation of Bronze
- Updated the language of some actions in the Decision Matrix to give Archivers more agency to use local practices
What does my institution need to do?
All WEST members should familiarize themselves with the updated WEST Access Policy to ensure that local practices are in alignment with WEST policy and that they are fully leveraging the resource sharing tools in place to connect members to the WEST Archives.
No immediate actions are necessary regarding the updated WEST Validation Standards or the WEST Disclosure Policy. The updates do not change any existing requirements for validation or disclosure, but do provide some additional guidance for future reference (i.e. recording voluntary validation). Archive Holders and Builders are encouraged to provide feedback to the Project Team when they are using the documents during normal archiving workflows.
What was the process for making these updates?
Per 2019 Strategic Recommendations, the Resource Sharing Working Group (RS WG) and the Disclosure and Validation Standards Working Group (DVS WG) were charged and convened in 2020 by the Operations and Collections Council (OCC) to review and revise key WEST policies and documentation. The RS WG solicited feedback on the updated Access Policy from WEST member representatives who volunteered to act as consultants to the group. The DVS WG solicited input from the Archive Builders on the Validation Standards.
As you are able to review and digest the new policies, WEST is very interested in hearing your feedback. Members are encouraged to use the WEST feedback form to provide comments and suggestions as you engage with these new policies.
How will this help WEST and shared print?
Periodically reviewing and updating our policies and standards documents ensures that WEST maintains practices that respond to member needs and align with community standards and norms, especially as the infrastructure supporting shared print evolves. These updates also clarify requirements and streamline policy documentation, making it easier and simpler for members to find the information they need to support WEST operations.
I still have questions.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the WEST project team! You may submit feedback through the new WEST feedback form, or email Anna Striker directly at anna.striker@ucop.edu.
Many thanks to the working group members who dedicated considerable time and effort to reviewing and updating these policies and standards!
Disclosure and Validation Standards Working Group
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- Anna Striker, WEST project team
- Corrie Hutchinson, University of Missouri
- Debra Spidal, Washington State University
- Tim Converse, UC NRLF
- Tory Sours (consultant), UC NRLF
- Cathy Martyniak (2020-2021), UC SRLF
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Resource Sharing Working Group
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- Alison Wohlers, WEST project team
- Anna Striker, WEST project team
- John de la Fontaine, SCELC
- Tim Converse, UC NRLF
- Ellen Dario (consultant), UC NRLF
- Mary Plummer (consultant), Arizona State University
- Debra Spidal (2020-2021), Washington State University
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