Data Warehousing: Developing a Support System Prototype

Data warehousing is a process of gathering data elements from a number of different resources to provide managers with an integrated overview of a specific subject. In the data warehouse project presented by Karen Cole and Michael Somers, Kansas State University Libraries developed a data warehouse prototype to evaluate collections based upon usage within a specific time frame such as a month or semester, and patron type by University department. Ultimately the costs of collections could be affected by eliminating overlap and collections enhanced by purchasing what patrons need.