Discusses the practice of purchasing paperback books for small college libraries. Price, availability, and shelf life are considered, and it is concluded that budget-conscious collection development librarians should adopt the practice if they have not already. (Author/LRW)

The first article describes effects of the devaluation of the dollar on American libraries that purchase scientific, technical and medical serials published in Europe, and the responses of libraries and library associations. The second presents reasons for increased serial prices from the perspective of the publishing industry. (15…

First published in 1944, this article predicts unprecedented growth for American university libraries, and examines the underlying causes of this growth. The use of microforms and cooperative cataloging to control library costs is recommended. A brief introduction to the article is included. (CLB)

Discusses the need for school librarians to use multiple selection tools in building suitable library collections and suggests cost effective methods for gaining access to selection tools. Selection aids discussed include bibliographies, book reviews, and catalogs of remainder houses. (CLB)

Discusses libraries' participation in consortia, cooperatives, or networks to help cope with the financial pressures created by more available materials and less money. Reasons for participating are examined, factors to determine the value of belonging are suggested, cost factors are considered, and cooperative collection development is described.…

Examines the cost effectiveness of using CD-ROM encyclopedias in school libraries; finds print encyclopedias to be cheaper, but advocates the use of both. Sidebars include price comparisons of popular print and CD-ROM encyclopedias. (AEF)

The first of five sections in this final report for the College Cost Containment Project describes the organizational structure and purposes of the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) and identifies the cost containment issues addressed by the project. The remaining sections describe the programs developed by the WRLC as appropriate…

Describes measures of cost effectiveness that are useful for academic library collections, based on experiences at the Louisiana State University libraries. Highlights include circulation analysis of newly cataloged books; current periodical use compared to cost; faculty ranking of journals; and circulation patterns (i.e., use versus cost and…

Using data on the cost of interlibrary loan, journal prices, and journal use, this article presents an economic analysis of the SUNY (State University of New York) Express consortium and the potential savings from consortium delivery of scholarly articles and joint collections development. Concludes that while considerable savings are possible…

Discusses trends in the future of higher education and considers the possible resulting challenges for libraries, particularly the development of special collections. Topics discussed include management, developing cost-benefit measures, considering possible new users, inter-library cooperation, developing quality by communicating standards and…

Describes a project at the library of the Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) at Johns Hopkins University that developed an expert system to conserve professional staff time and reduce processing costs by allowing gifts, or donations, to be processed by support staff. Decision-making factors are explained, and performance statistics are discussed.…

In response to serious concerns about the dramatic increases in college and university costs, the Department of Education solicited proposals in May 1987 for innovative projects to explore means of cost reduction or containment which promise significant cost savings, whether accrued in the short- or long-term. The solicitation for cost containment…