Provides an overview of the College of Charleston's faculty/library liaison system and describes library and faculty efforts to maintain the computer science and English collections. Concludes that a liaison system can provide better coverage and higher quality than any other means available to small and medium-sized college libraries. (PEN)

Explains President Clinton's donation of books about the United States to the Peking University Library and compares it to a donation of Chinese books from the Peking University library to the library of Kapiolani Community College (Hawaii). Suggests appropriate directions for U.S.-China academic library cooperation and for international academic…

This study uses the list of periodicals indexed by "Alternative Press Index" to examine the holdings rates of alternative press titles in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. Results by subject clusters show low holdings rates. The impact on scholars, students, and library collections is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Describes results of two collection condition surveys conducted at the University of Kansas libraries, one of which examined materials returning from circulation and the other which examined the general collection. Paper condition, text block condition, binding, and mutilation are discussed, and the impact on long-term preservation planning is…

In 1990, George Mason University (Virginia) proposed building a combined library/student center. Examines the processes, policies, and procedures used to develop a new library collection combining multiculturalism, diversity, and core texts. Discusses the collection development plan, strategies, and policy; faculty involvement; key series and sets…

This study conducted at the State University of New York at Albany compares methods of providing access to diverse points of view as represented by journals indexed in "Alternative Press Index." Examines local subscriptions, resource-sharing consortia that include expedited interlibrary loan systems, and four electronic full-text…

A selection of academic libraries was studied to examine ownership of best-sellers from 1940 to 1990. The trend is to keep a higher percentage of older best-sellers in fiction than newer ones. Nonfiction appears to be more sporadic but still follows this trend. Findings indicate new collection development policies may be needed to protect…

The university and its library are signs of advancement, yet they can also project an alien, elitist, and forbidden goal to minorities. Libraries should insure that collection policies reflect minority presence. Increasing staff diversity and developing the potential for minorities to excel within this key traditional symbol of the university…

Discusses the use of academic library circulation statistics to assess whether user needs are being met and describes a study at Stetson University that investigated collection development practices by comparing circulation statistics for books selected by faculty in support of departmental curricula with those of librarian selections. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of evaluating academic journals for collection management decisions focuses on a methodological framework for evaluating journals not ranked by impact factors in Journal Citation Reports. Compares nonranked journals with ranked journals and then applies this framework to a case study in the field of medical science. (LRW)

Continues a longitudinal study begun in 1993 of serial cancellations at five midwestern academic research libraries. Discusses cancellation overlap, titles at risk for cancellation, science versus humanities titles, rate of cancellations, serial orders versus cancellations, and language and place of publication. (LRW)

Applies content analysis to compare assessments of 153 titles in U.S. history, each reviewed in "Choice,""American Historical Review," and "Journal of American History" between 1988 and 1995. A numerical rating system is used to quantify reviewers' overall opinions and their use of specific evaluative criteria. (Author/LRW)

Presents a 1992 study which discovered and investigated collection development bias in academic and public libraries in California. The investigation was carried out in five stages: (1) selected a controversial topic; (2) identified representative works; (3) ranked works by qualified judges; (4) measured holdings via library online computer…

Collection development policies as traditionally conceived are of little practical utility. Research librarians will better serve themselves and their users by devising flexible guides to information associated with particular fields of study. Resource maps using electronic technology could accommodate different kinds of inquiries. (Author/AEF)

Restructuring serials management along access-versus-ownership lines doesn't solve the serials crisis, but it alleviates inflationary pressures and has other significant economic, service, and political outcomes. This new series model is illustrated at three institutional libraries. ((Author/AEF)