Argues that book selection is more properly and adequately done by faculty members than librarians. A model for faculty selection of library materials that formally incorporates accountability for selectors is proposed.

This guide to the acquisition and development of a collection of standardized tests in libraries and resource centers is intended to aid the librarian in meeting increasing patron demand for sample test instruments. Areas covered are (1) collection building, including the determination of potential user needs and the use of standard selection…

This paper presents a brief history of the decline in recreational reading in university libraries and provides suggestions for ways to reverse the trend. The paper argues that students' anxiety about using the university library can be reduced by incorporating library instruction into existing courses. The paper also argues that prominent,…

This second in a two-part series on resources in major university music libraries contains: "The Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library at Harvard University" (John B. Howard) and "The Research Collections of the Sibley Music Library of the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester" (Mary Wallace Davidson). (Contains 73…

Reviews the trends in scholarly publishing that are forcing many academic libraries to cancel subscriptions to high priced or seldom used titles. A strategy of librarian-faculty communications in which faculty awareness and support were enlisted during a periodicals cancellation effort at Idaho State University is described. (31 references) (CLB)

Describes a survey of academic political science librarians that assessed the overall quality of political science books published by 62 publishers, both academic and commercial. Results are reported, analyzed, and compared to a similar survey of members of the American Political Science Association. (Contains 9 references.) (Author/LRW)

This examination of the past and present states of collection development in the research library covers background information, theories, and associated problems. A historical review of methods that have been and are currently being used for collection development includes discussions of the changes imposed by World War II on the practice of…

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.…

Urges reevaluation of historical role of college faculty in responsibility for book selection in academic libraries. Changing conditions make practice of faculty control of book selection and book funds increasingly suspect and selection process must be seen as responsibility of library faculty, aided and assisted by teaching faculty. (34…

The purpose of this research was to investigate who should be responsible in the selection of library materials, and to compare the primary responsibility by country and type of library. A content analysis was used to examine 70 articles relating to selection responsibility. The articles cover the period 1950 to 1998, with a wide range of…

Investigates the effects of electronic information sources on collection development in 15 academic libraries. Areas studied included: the materials budget, collection development policies, and licenses; identifying, evaluating, selecting, and developing the electronic sources collection; training subject specialists to use electronic resource…

Discusses changes in collection development in academic libraries and in the jobs of subject specialists, or bibliographers, responsible for selecting materials. Examines new definitions and job descriptions, suggests ideas for training and mentoring, and proposes models for developing expectations and mechanisms for evaluating the work of…

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…

This master's paper examines the use, by historians and librarians, of lists of recent publications, bibliographies, and reviews appearing in selected British and European history journals. Part 1 contains: (1) an introduction; (2) background information; (3) a literature review; (4) the problem statement; (5) a definition of terms; and (6) the…

A survey of library science librarians was conducted to assess their collection development strategies in response to the changing direction of library science education. Survey results indicate that traditional library science subject areas continue to be actively collected at a high level with the greatest growth in technological areas. (11…