The Utah Newspaper Project was completed in two phases: the planning phase which sponsored a conference and compiled a preliminary checklist from secondary sources; and the bibliographic control phase which inventoried in-state and out-of-state newspaper holdings. The public provided many missing issues. (Author/EM)

Proposes a model based on mechanical selection for core collection development that is appropriate for large and medium-size academic research libraries. Statistics that show a large percent of desirable books are published by a small percent of publishers are presented, and titles published by university presses and by commercial presses are…

This paper examines specific issues in the administration of serials (publications issued in successive parts and intended to be continued indefinitely) as they have been addressed by a small academic library with budget constraints and limited personnel. Highlights include collection development, bibliographic control, acquisition, automation,…

A survey of academic libraries which were members of the Association of Research Libraries in 1983-84 studies the organizational patterns that exist for collection development. Findings reveal that, although a variety of patterns exist, the one outstanding development has been the upgrading of the unit responsible for collection development.…

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…

A study at the Emory University School of Business Administration library compared the effectiveness of faculty members and librarians as book selectors. Effectiveness was measured by comparing selected titles with the Baker list published by the Harvard Business School and with business periodical reviews, and by examining circulation records.…

Describes study that was conducted using the "Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) Journal Citation Reports" to identify data sources used in the journals with the greatest impact factor in finance and financial accounting research. Results are reported that indicate heavy use of computer databases, government publications, and serials.…

Describes a study that compared the performance of two general approval plan vendors with that of two science and technology (sci/tech) specialty vendors in identifying sci/tech titles that matched a library profile. The areas discussed include overall coverage by vendors, representation of non-trade publishers, and difficulties in using approval…

Describes a project that examined a random sample of 5 percent of a shelflist to provide detailed information about the distribution of imprints according to age and language, percentage of duplication, and distribution of serial and monographic formats. It is concluded that the resulting collection profile provides a multidimensional, quantified…

Reviews the influences of organizational evolution and intentional change, library posture toward collection development, personnel management, and human perspectives on the establishment of an administrative framework for achieving collection development goals. (Author/EM)

Two articles describe National Shelflist Count project organized 13 years ago under auspices of American Library Association's Resources and Technical Services Division to collect and publish comparative data about strengths and growth of major North American research collections. History, limitations, usefulness, and recommendations of 1983 task…

A study of position announcements for collection development and management librarians found in "College and Research Library News" is reported. Data are presented on mean salaries, required skills and experiences, desired skills and experiences, and responsibilities. Areas for further research are suggested. (15 references) (EA)

Describes two surveys of libraries by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) that were conducted to compare approval plans and to determine alternative acquisitions methods for materials in philosophy and political science. Time spent by selectors is examined, collection evaluation activities are described, and implications for resource…

Discussion of cooperative activities among libraries focuses on cataloging of Latin American materials among research libraries. Differences in motivation for cooperation in acquisitions and in cataloging are discussed; and a study is described that examined which libraries were providing online cataloging, and differences between OCLC and RLIN…

Defines mechanical and expert selection of library materials and investigates the usefulness of mechanical selection in three test cases involving popular novels, German literature, and contemporary poetry. The cost of mechanical selection is examined and more quantification in selection practice is recommended. Data are presented in eight tables,…