Discusses the development and current decline of public libraries in Egypt based on a study of international influences which helped shape national discourses about development and provided the context for policymaking and resource allocation in Egypt. The role of UNESCO is examined, and further research is suggested. (LRW)

Reports on Bill and Melinda Gates's tour of Alabama, the first state to be wired to the Internet by the nonprofit Gates Library Foundation, and the model for connecting 1000 more libraries this year. Mutual appreciation between Alabama librarians and the Gateses resulted. An interview with Bill Gates focuses on challenges libraries face in…

This paper provides background on The National Library of Estonia (NLE), discusses a fellowship project for developing the National Library, and presents the impressions of the author, an Estonian American, who traveled to Estonia. The NLE looks to the West for automation, information, and institutional modeling. The NLE is Estonia's equivalent of…

Three papers on library budget priorities for the 1990s discuss (1) reallocating the budget to spend less on staff and more on collections and access; (2) budget concerns of public libraries, emphasizing the future role of libraries; and (3) the academic library perspective, including assumptions, evaluation, and new paradigms related to library…

Considers 10 areas of internal operations in which the Research Libraries Group/North American Collection Inventory Project (RLF/NCIP) Conspectus can be used as a management aid: collection priorities, collection management, space utilization, preservation programs, staffing allocations, material fund requests, accreditation, materials selection,…

Discusses issues involved in the allocation of book funds in academic libraries. The topics covered include faculty versus librarian control of book budgets, evaluation criteria and measurement techniques that have been used to determine allocations, and the problems with rigid mathematical approaches to allocations. (35 notes with references)…

Discusses library collection development, comparing the good old days of volume counts, Association of Research Libraries (ARL)/Research Libraries Group (RLG) Conspectus, and fund allocation with the present of document delivery, consortia, electronic access to full text journals. Contends that the electronic world is not supplanting the paper…

Examines the elements required to ensure the operation and use of special collections within an austerity context in order to develop a rationale for their continued support. Strategies for support are discussed, including the establishment of a strong rationale, the development of external funding sources, and models for cooperative efforts.…

Discusses how archives and library administrators' perceptions of each other's operations and administration may lead to conflicts, and how better understanding of the distinctiveness of an archive as opposed to a library may improve relations. (CLB)

Reviews the historical record of cooperative collection development activities and identifies fundamental problems that have hampered these activities. An argument is made for the need to implement a resource network approach which emphasizes short term need and resources as opposed to long range planning. (20 references) (CLB)

This final report of the University of Wyoming's Collection Analysis Project, which was undertaken to analyze strengths and weaknesses of the library's existing collection development program, presents recommendations on several facets of the collection development process. These recommendations cover: (1) organizational placement of the…

Suggests school library media specialists should be responsible for promoting the integration of technology into education. Topics include resource allocation in the past; school library funding; the political climate and educational planning; technology teachers; library policies; and librarian and teacher cooperation. Provides a list of…

Discusses the changing environment of the academic library, highlighting the role of collection development librarians and listing issues for collection development officers: ownership/access, consortia, collections analysis, intellectual property/fair use, public relations, allocation formulas, library research, collection balance, rising costs,…

This task force report examines the University of Wyoming's current allocation practices, the allocations themselves, and the expenditure process according to how effectively they support the university library's collection development goals. Individual aspects of the current allocation process are reviewed, including the university budget…

This interim report of the University of Wyoming's Collection Analysis Project, whose purpose is to examine the university library's collection development process and make workable recommendations for process improvement, consists of a brief history of the library's collection, including a review of the evolution of the collection development…