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)

This evaluation of the Leddy Library's experiment with separate approval plans and different vendors for political science, psychology, and economics discusses and compares their performance in profiling, discounts, delivery, response to changing needs, stock/warehousing to support shipping, communications, returns, notification slip service, and…

Examines the financing of 20 Federal University Libraries in Nigeria by the World Bank, which provides for acquisition of books, journals, and equipment based on conditions to be met by the universities. Considers socioeconomic effects and assesses the impact of the loan on selection, acquisition, and staff development. Discusses the inability of…

Describes the University of Iowa libraries' experiences in purchasing hard-to-find backfiles of Chinese periodicals directly from Chinese libraries. Reviews the libraries' collection development strategy of understanding libraries and book market conditions in a third-world country. Discusses financial benefits gained by the Chinese and University…

Discusses the development of a library acquisition allocation formula at the University of Technology, Sydney. Covers the items included, consultative process adopted, details of the formulae derived and their implementation. (Author)

Following a brief history of York University libraries, this document outlines current objectives of library operations, the problems faced in establishing future priorities, and the objectives for implementation or investigation for the next three to five years. The current mission and operating objectives in the functional areas of collecting,…

This study estimates the proportion of academic and public library acquisitions in the United Kingdom for which a UK MARC record is available at the time of cataloging. A beta-binomial model is used to attribute standard errors to each estimate and to compare differences between the two types of libraries. (Author/LRW)

Comparison of business serial subscription prices in 1975 and 1981 in three groups--U.S. and Canadian periodicals; periodicals from other countries; and reference services--examines the problem of rapid cost increase in serial renewals, its effects on library collections, and how to deal with resource allocation within the book budget. (EJS)

This paper examines the relocation of Athabasca University, an open-access, distance education institution, from Edmonton to Athabasca, Alberta, Canada, and the effect of that move on the library. Factors that helped make the move successful are discussed, including the 5-year institutional planning process; a government grant for the purchase of…

Summarizes impressions of Greek academic libraries gained through visits to several institutions of higher education. Background, Greek universities, the Aristotelean University of Thessaloniki, collection development and dispersion, bibliographic organization and union catalogs, cataloging, language distribution, and library personnel are…

The six papers compiled here cover issues related to acquisition, library cooperation, and collection development. In "The UK Serials Group: A British Success Story," David P. Woodworth describes the background and work of the Serials Group, an autonomous British organization which aims to bridge the gap between serials producers and…

Review of development of German scientific and technical information network highlights scientific and technical libraries before World War I, the 1920s, effects of National Socialist rise to power, restriction of foreign acquisitions, technological university and wartime activities at Berlin-Charlottenburg, documentation movement, German Society…

Discusses experiences and outcomes of benchmarking at the Queensland University of Technology (Australia) library that compared acquisitions, cataloging, document delivery, and research support services with those of the University of New South Wales. Highlights include results as a catalyst for change, and the use of common output and performance…

Drawing on a current study, funded by the British Library Research and Innovation Centre, the context of higher education libraries is discussed, including funding and costs and recent major official reports on education and libraries. Future trends and imperatives are outlined. Models of library purchasing consortia are presented. The operation…

This paper describes the academic library environment in Finland, discussing increases in research funding that have not been directly evident in library budgets. It then describes the FinELib program, the National Electronic Library, which has a centralized approach to joint acquisition of electronic information resources. The key issues have…