This document is one of ten kits distributed annually by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC), a clearinghouse operated by the Association of Research Libraries, Office of Management Studies (ARL/OMS) that provides a central source of timely information and materials on the management and operations of large academic and research…

These minutes of the October 1987 ARL (Association of Research Libraries) membership meeting include the following papers on preservation in the research library: (1) "A Challenge for Research Libraries" (David C. Weber); (2) "The Moral Imperative of Conservation" (James H. Billington); (3) "The Role of the Library…

This kit presents unedited primary source documents which illustrate a wide range of alternative approaches to document delivery systems. Selected for their value to administrators and decision-makers, these documents derive from general membership surveys and from libraries contacted directly by the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC)…

Based on data from a 1979 survey of ARL member libraries, this study by the Office of Management Studies analyzes the responses of selected libraries which had provided internal studies or planning documents on the subject of internal communication and notes the extent of resulting changes in procedures. The studies yielded information on staff…

A comparison of the statistical data presented for 1979-80 and the data for the 75 libraries that were members in 1969-70 reveals a 91 percent increase in expenditures for library materials over the decade, while the gross number of volumes added yearly decreased by 22.5 percent. Library staff size has risen slightly over the decade, while…

The focus of this survey, conducted by the Office of Management Studies, is on the seventy-eight university libraries in the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Fifty-two libraries were interviewed by telephone calls which employed a detailed interview guide and produced a profile of practices and interests. All but three of the 25…

The January, 1974, meeting of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) focused on "Changing Objectives in Research Libraries." Two speakers--Hugh Atkinson, Director of Libraries at the Ohio State University, and Richard Boxx, Director of Libraries at the University of Tennessee--discussed client definitions of library objectives,…

Considers 10 areas of internal operations in which the Research Libraries Group/North American Collection Inventory Project (RLF/NCIP) Conspectus can be used as a management aid: collection priorities, collection management, space utilization, preservation programs, staffing allocations, material fund requests, accreditation, materials selection,…

Written from perspective of the president of a graduate research-oriented university, the author explores nature of the academic library, its size and structure, retrenchment as it affects acquisitions and services, and issue of who makes decisions concerning the library. Space and budgetary problems at the University of Oregon are discussed.…

Book reviewed by Robert D. Stueart points out the need for organizational change in academic libaraies and suggests new organizational and work system designs and ways of incorporating them. Academic libraries are urged to begin thinking in terms of client needs, rather than organization of work into categories. (EJS)

ARL is the bimonthly report on research library issues and actions from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). ARL reports on current issues of interest to academic and research library administrators, staff, and users; higher education…

The rationale for using Activity-Based Costing (ABC) in a library is to allocate indirect costs to products and services based on the factors that most influence them. This paper discusses the benefits of ABC to library managers and explains the steps involved in implementing ABC in the user services area of an Australian academic library.…

Outlines an approach to budgeting in the research library. The following priorities are addressed: an adequate student labor force; adequate support staff; professional staff; education, training, and professional involvement; physical facilities and equipment; and the access--rather than collection development--budget. (EA)

Facing shifting organizational cultures, technological innovations, and the growth of digital information, administrators must consider how best to utilize the resources and staff devoted to cataloging special collections. A survey of special collections cataloging among Association of Research Libraries member institutions showed variation in…

The continuing education of library staff is the focus of this collection of papers and journal articles presented at or related to seminars sponsored by the New York Metropolitan Reference and Research Library Agency (METRO). It includes "LEX: Law Advice for Public and Academic Librarians," by Alice Norton; the Library Journal/School Library…