Facts and Figures

Progress through July 2016

As of July 2016, WEST has archived 13,817 backfiles; this amounts to approximately 20,400 titles or 504,435 volumes. WEST’s 74 member institutions span 17 states. Currently, forty of its members, situated across the western region of the United States, serve as archive holders. While the majority of the WEST archives have some electronic availability, 41% of the archived print journals are only available in print. The potential space savings created by WEST’s almost 14,000 archived backfiles is 350,692 assignable square feet. In other words, the potential space reclamation is equal in size to almost four medium size ARL affiliate libraries. To advance print archiving work, WEST connects library staff across the region and has skilled project coordinators in all six of WEST’s storage facilities. The WEST collections analysis takes stock of holdings and duplication across the region, allowing us to strategically determine what to archive next. Our online dashboard, AGUA, provides a self-service portal for members to access reports and key analytical outputs.