C
Questionnaire
Please note that we aim to ask a uniform set of questions of all facilities. The use of the word “thing” is one attempt to make the list of questions universally applicable!
-
Size.
-
How many [things] are in the collection? (Whatever unit of measurement you use: perhaps number, volume, area, etc).
-
How do you evaluate your holdings?
-
How fast is the collection growing?
-
How much more space is available? How much total space existed in the first place?
-
Have you lost any holdings due to disasters (i.e. flooding, fire, etc)?
-
-
Usage.
-
What sorts of people use the [things] in a given period of time? What for?
-
How many people use the [things] in a given period of time?
For example, How many people used the catalog?
How many people used specimens?
How many people requested data?
-
What is the long-term trend in usage of your holdings, and does this differ between individual data types?
-
Can you provide any notable examples of people using your holdings for purposes other than those they were initially collected for?
-
What might encourage greater use of your holdings?
-
-
Accessibility.
-
Are all of the [things] accessible at any given point in time?
-
How do patrons get access to your data?
-
Could you provide sample catalog entries for your specimens and for your data.
-
How do you prioritize your cataloging?
-
-
Data Management.
-
What transcription programs do you have for your data at present?
For example: Digitizing hardcopy records:
Copying from one electronic medium to another:
Re-formatting data:
-
-
Accession/de-accession.
-
Who is giving you material?
-
What are your accession/de-accession protocols?
-
What data standards (of any kind) do you use?
-
Do you de-accession? How much? How many things have you de-accessioned in the past 12 months?
-
Do you consider PR issues when material is discarded? How do you protect yourself?
-
-
Costs.
-
How much does it cost to maintain the collection and keep it accessible?
-
What are the cost drivers in your environment?
-
What criteria would you use to evaluate “scientific” or “commercial” value of data you hold or data that is offered to you?
-
User fees: are they employed, or considered? If not, why not?
-
-
Managerial/Budgetary Issues.
-
What are the main managerial/budgetary issues?
-
How is success/failure defined with regards to managerial and budgetary issues?
-
-
Control of Holdings.
-
Would you want to maintain control of your [things],
-
-
or would you be willing to have them managed by others (i.e. externally)? Why or why not?
-
Please outline any collaborations that have worked well with other institutions/agencies?
-
Questions for State Geological Surveys only.
-
How does your state benefit from your holdings? Can you give a specific example or anecdote?
-
How would your state benefit from holdings you would like to have?
-
Are there economic opportunities lost or public safety risks where data would have been useful?
-
Thank you.