The crisis in collection development afflicting most members of Association of Research Libraries since the 1970s moved Indiana University Libraries to undertake a rationalization of their budget allocation procedure in light of a comparative study of peer institutions and to draft a new policy based on regional cooperation. (6 references)…

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)…

Attribute sampling can be used to audit academic library collections, clarify cataloging and access problems, evaluate allocation strategies, and make collection development decisions. Attribute sampling involves randomly sampling the physical collection and catalog records to conduct relationship tests between them. Guidelines are provided for…

To meet budgetary constraints and the rising costs of serials, Eastern Washington University (EWU) has defined a core collection for undergraduate education by linking journal holdings to a specific set of indexes. Describes the EWU core collection, resource allocation to academic departments, and implementation of a document-delivery pilot…

Discusses the need at the University of Southern Mississippi library to review resource allocations among serials, monographs and standing orders, and to select an allocation formula. The supply and demand formula used, its implementation, and results in departmental purchasing power are described. (four references) (EA)

Survey of science faculty at Arizona State University and Washington State University on interlibrary loan (ILL) usage revealed a need for journals unavailable in the university library but a tendency to bypass ILL to obtain them. More efficient document delivery services are needed if subscriptions are canceled. (21 references) (LAE)

Reviews the literature on library acquisitions allocations and the lack of agreement on effective policies. Discussion focuses on a process developed at Western Washington University, which combines mathematical formulations of equity with the reality of campus politics, while protecting collection integrity. (44 references) (Author/CLB)