Demand driven acquisitions in academic libraries: A scoping review

Abstract

Demand driven acquisitions (DDA) have become commonplace in academic libraries, but little is known about how they are assessed. This scoping review provides a comprehensive study of print and electronic monographic DDA programs at academic libraries. The review includes an examination of the definition of DDA programs, methodological approaches, and the impact of DDA programs on established library collections. The research team's goals include outlining the current discourse on DDA and identifying gaps in the existing literature, as well as examining the potential for standardization within the profession regarding DDA terminology and definitions. Of 1758 records, 48 publications were identified for inclusion. Analysis of the included publications revealed most studies examined electronic DDA programs that were considered pilots. Overwhelmingly, the literature studied aspects of return on investment, circulation, and use. More subject points of investigation such as evaluation of materials, satisfaction of users or librarians, and quality were less studied. Further research on aspects of print DDA, how the COVID-19 Pandemic affected DDA, and more recently growing acquisition methods such as evidence-based acquisitions are needed.