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Jeff Bailey, Interim Library Dean, and Linda Creibaum, Acquisitions Librarian, recently presented “Developing a Library Allocation Formula” at the American Library Association national conference in Washington, DC. The presentation demonstrated the creation of a spreadsheet-based library collection development formula to allocate funds for library resources to academic departments or programs.

The session guided attendees through the process of creating an allocation formula similar to the one used at ASU, providing tools attendees could use to develop a formula for use at their own libraries. Central to the formula are several weighted factors, including the number of degrees awarded, semester credit hour production, graduate enrollment, and the average costs of books and journals in each discipline.

During the program Bailey and Creibaum explained how the basic formula can be individualized for use in a variety of libraries to help better manage their finan