Thesis

“Know what you have and where to find it” : managing rare books collections to meet information needs of multiple user groups

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Awarding institution
  • University of Strathclyde
Date of award
  • 2026
Thesis identifier
  • T17976
Person Identifier (Local)
  • 202270278
Qualification Level
Qualification Name
Department, School or Faculty
Abstract
  • Managing a library’s collections is a difficult enough process on its own; this difficulty increases significantly when that collection is one of rare or special books. Special collections librarians have to consider both the nature and needs of the items under their purview as well as the information-seeking behaviours and information needs of the internal users they serve. This leaves them with three questions this doctoral thesis aims to answer: 1) what key features uniquely define a “rare books and special collections” item and how they are captured in current metadata standards, 2) the potential user groups and their information-seeking behaviours (ISBs) and information needs when accessing these collections, and 3) collection management theories and how they lay the groundwork for combining the key features and metadata standards with the identified user needs in order to effectively meet those needs and promote access to these types of collections. Under the umbrella of interpretivist philosophy, this thesis uses a case study strategy paired with a user-centred design method to examine these research questions. Following both in vivo and literature-based coding of interviews conducted with members of two selected user groups from the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, personas representing both user groups were used to test two sample collections over multiple scenarios, with the conclusion that special collections items require a much higher level of detail in their metadata to adequately meet the needs of both user groups than items published currently. Alongside this conclusion, this research also provides special collections librarians with a methodology they can follow to identify the needs of their particular users and tailor their bibliographic records to more appropriately meet the needs of their users.
Advisor / supervisor
  • Ruthven, Ian, 1968-
  • Chowdhury, G. G. (Gobinda G.)
Resource Type
DOI

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