Search and Rescue: Rebuilding a Test Collection

Evaluation instruments are a frequent adjunct to the fields of education and psychology. This paper recounts the salvaging of a moribund test collection - how the authors went about rebuilding the Western Oregon State College Library test collection. Generating faculty involvement in the enterprise, creating a database to provide bibliographic control and efficient collection maintenance, and distributing responsibility for the collection between two library departments were key elements of the procedure. Appointment of a separate line-item in the library budget for test acquisitions, rapid completion of the project (less than six months), and development of a test database were the most notable results of this project.