A study of Nigerian university libraries revealed that government funds allocated to purchasing books were doubled following accreditation. Several thousand books and hundreds of journal titles were added to each library. Appendixes contain a list of Nigerian universities and a copy of the questionnaire used in the study. (PEN)

In February 1993, the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) conducted a survey of its members to compile information on cooperative collection development programs for the acquisition of foreign materials in ARL libraries. Responses were received from 86 of the 119 libraries surveyed. Twenty-five respondents report that they participate in…

Summarizes three Ph.D. dissertations that concern school libraries: the first examines patterns of acquisition and use of microcomputer software in high school media centers; the second reviews the development of public school library programs in Puerto Rico; and the third identifies librarians who have significantly influenced library work with…

Describes a study of 10 academic libraries in Nigeria that investigated collection size and devices employed in collection-building, particularly gifts and exchanges. Concludes that gifts and exchanges are only palliatives, not a panacea for the paucity of academic library collections. (Author/LRW)

The records in "Population Bibliography," a database developed by the Library of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, were analyzed to determine the degree to which library policies and practices affected its international development, and to assess the degree to which the database…

This report presents the results of a study the objective of which was to determine how widespread automated acquisitions systems are in North Texas' Association of Higher Education (AHE) libraries and what the characteristics of these systems are. The paper is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the paper and an…

Reviews some of the materials in the LEXIS and WESTLAW databases and the findings of a survey on the impact of technology on information publication, and discusses the possibility of using online databases as substitutes for the acquisition of new law library materials. (CLB)

Research was undertaken to determine if the growth of academic library holdings was exponential, as reported by previous studies. Statistical analysis showed the growth rate of the Association of Research Libraries member libraries to be arithmetical, rather than exponential, taking into account library size and inflation. (CDD)

Describes the use of loglinear statistical models in the field of informetrics, especially for the analysis of information systems. A detailed example is given of developing a model based on loglinear analysis to determine book acquisition patterns in libraries, including mathematical considerations and algorithms. (19 references) (LRW)

Examines the 80/20 rule that relates to productive sources in a bibliography. Highlights include applications in library acquisition policies, library circulation and weeding policies, science policy studies, information science, and econometrics; formulae of Burrell and of Egghe; probabilistic proofs; geometric distributions; Lotka distribution;…

Discusses selection policies for library acquisitions and describes a quantitative model that explains variations in expenditures by subject that was developed at Arizona State University. The link between policy and selection practice is discussed, allocation formulas are examined, and further research topics are suggested. (57 references) (LRW)

Noting that librarians have long debated whether specific library functions may, or should, be scientifically examined, or whether they constitute an art not susceptible to scientific study, this paper reviews and critiques attempts to develop models of library material selection using the theories and methods of scientific investigation. First,…

A survey of 29 medium-sized academic libraries gathered data on collection development methods in foreign literatures including the language and academic background of the bibliographer; bases of selection decisions; acquisition rates for French, German, and Spanish literature as compared to English/American literature; acquisition practices; and…

In 1995, a questionnaire was sent to Tennessee public and academic libraries with book collections of more than 5,000 volumes. The response rate was 48% and the sample included 44 public, 23 four-year academic and 7 community college libraries. Forty-three (56%) of these libraries collect local government publications. While, the earliest…

Describes a study that established criteria for judging the scholarly value of dissertations and disproved the assumption that good dissertations will be published. Bibliographic access to dissertations is reviewed, and the need for librarians to reevaluate their attitudes toward policies governing dissertation acquisition is discussed. (27…