Library book vendors are facing new realities in the 21st century. Changes in continuations, firm order placement, value-added services, approval plans, retrospective collection development, and database creation and maintenance are being effected in an effort to keep current customers and attract new ones. Those changes and the subsequent shift…

As electronic objects challenge categorical distinctions central to library organization, efforts are being made to integrate these hybrids and new forms into traditional library systems and to recreate the stability of the print environment. Explores conceptual and theoretical issues raised by the proliferation of electronic objects and suggests…

Discusses changes taking place in the library systems of Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Topics reviewed include the influence of Soviet Russian library theory and practices; decentralization of library administration; library finances; library education; library employment; library technology; and censorship and collection policies.…

Library literature from the late 19th century to the present offers numerous guides to materials selection. Yet, collection development policies and lists of selection criteria are inadequate for humanities electronic texts. Libraries, humanities disciplines, and electronic texts are too complex for any rigid approach to acquisition. To meet goals…

As the purchase of virtual resources accelerates, particularly through consortial agreements, the autonomy of the local library will fade and the roles of librarians will change drastically. This rapid transformation is illustrated by a discussion of OhioLINK and its positive and negative effects on one member library. (Contains 21 references.)…

Over the past 20 years, academic collection development specialists have dealt with changes, brought about by decreasing purchasing power and the growing importance of electronic resources. Throughout, collection managers have rethought their efforts and revised criteria for selection of materials in new formats while maintaining traditional…

Discusses some of the people and events that influenced academic journal publishing in the past 30-40 years and how this may affect the future. Topics considered include changes in printing technology, automation of accounting and subscriber information, economic considerations, library collection development and funding, and electronic journals.…

Argues that obstacles exist in the Public Library Association (PLA) planning process that can be resolved by developing relationships between materials in the collection and PLA roles. Proposes changes to help reduce conflict in the PLA planning process and discusses process obstacles, relationships as the key providing better service, and…

Anne Carroll Moore, who introduced children's services at the New York Public Library, a Newbery-winning author discusses libraries, collection development, book costs, the publishing industry, fear of change, oral and print tradition, writing for children, the impact and shortcomings of technology, books going out of print, and the need for…

Discusses acquisitions budgets, price increases, and their effect on academic library collections, based on the broader economic situation. Topics addressed include changes in the publishing industry; the increasing numbers of publications; the role of technology; ineffective responses of libraries; and the need for libraries to change their…

Compares and analyzes two collection development courses for undergraduates offered through distance education, one at the University of Wales Aberystwyth (United Kingdom) and one at Charles Sturt University (Australia). Discusses the changes that electronic technology are bringing to collection development and to distance learning. (LRW)

Discussion of monographic acquisitions in academic research libraries focuses on a study that employed descriptive methodology to analyze changes in collecting patterns between 1985 and 1989 in the aggregated resources base of 72 Association of Research Libraries members. Recommendations for further research are suggested. (Author/LRW)

Government agencies are adopting electronic-information-dissemination strategies which both challenge established dissemination structures and offer new access opportunities for all libraries. This article explores the implications of this change and describes the initiative of one medium-sized, non-depository library to become a government…

Examines bibliographers and collection development in terms of seven sometimes overlapping contexts in order to gauge how and why their roles have changed in the past and to speculate about the future. Dimensions examined include the system of scholarly communication; information marketplace; library and university as organization; technological…

Highlights major trends in information technology and speculates on their impact for library services in the future. Bibliographic accessibility and the role of the librarian in information management in tomorrow's libraries are discussed. (EM)