Introduction

This chapter will explore methods for engaging the user community and maximizing the use of library collections. It will use as a case study the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS), a partnership involving the University of Brighton, the University of Sussex and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust in the UK. Practical examples will be used to highlight where strategies have resulted in increased usage of collections and increased engagement with the user community.

A library provides services for a community of users and develops its collections and services to match the needs of those users. It does this within a budget, supporting the strategic goals of the institution. In any library the collection is its main draw, but in a global digital world where information is offered from a wide range of sources, libraries have competition. It is essential, therefore, that librarians ensure that their collections work effectively and that they match their collections to their user community's needs. To do this effectively it must not simply respond to its regular users, but be proactive in pre-empting the changing needs of its whole community; it must operate through the mantra ‘know thy user’. This is not new, of course. In his textbook on book selection published in 1930, Drury suggests ‘… the right book for the right reader at the right time’ (Drury, 1930, 1). He also states that ‘a qualified selector, acquainted with the demand from his community and knowing the book and money resources of his library, chooses the variety of books he believes will be used, applying his expert knowledge’ (Drury, 1930, 2).

Scientific publishing: a short history

To understand collection management in the subject area of medicine, it is worth briefly reviewing scientific publishing post-Gutenberg. The first printed book De Sermonum proprietate, sive Opus de universo by Rabanus Maurus was printed in 1467 – over 540 years ago. The first scientific journal, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (science being then known as natural philosophy) appeared in 1664, over 340 years ago. Scientific publishing remained the same more or less for the next 300 years.