Two librarians at Western Oregon State College, a small liberal arts institution serving 4,000 students, rebuilt the library's test collection in 1990 and, in the process, broadened it beyond its traditional education and psychology emphasis into an interdisciplinary collection. At the outset, the project received generous funding and an annual…

Examines the 80/20 rule that relates to productive sources in a bibliography. Highlights include applications in library acquisition policies, library circulation and weeding policies, science policy studies, information science, and econometrics; formulae of Burrell and of Egghe; probabilistic proofs; geometric distributions; Lotka distribution;…

To improve its service, the Offa (Nigeria) township library conducted a user study. The investigation found that 51% of users were students ages 19 and below and that 78% were males. Most users wanted extended hours, improved newspaper collections, more accurate shelving, and a consistent lending policy for all materials and users. (PEN)

Describes results of two collection condition surveys conducted at the University of Kansas libraries, one of which examined materials returning from circulation and the other which examined the general collection. Paper condition, text block condition, binding, and mutilation are discussed, and the impact on long-term preservation planning is…

Discusses the use of academic library circulation statistics to assess whether user needs are being met and describes a study at Stetson University that investigated collection development practices by comparing circulation statistics for books selected by faculty in support of departmental curricula with those of librarian selections. (Author/LRW)

Describes one library's development of a CD-ROM lending collection. Topics include survey results, policies, procedures, troubleshooting, and promotion. A sidebar contains a brief bibliography of journals which review CD-ROMs and publishers who provide CD samplers. (AEF)

Provides a description and assessment of the merger of the government publications division and the maps division at the San Diego State University (California) library that was necessitated by budgetary constraints. The impact on patrons is discussed, including reference assistance, arrangement of materials, reference and circulation policies,…

Articles from "Library Talk" and "The Book Report" on school library management about setting goals, long-range planning, and the day-to-day operation of a school library are collected in looseleaf notebook format for the convenience of the librarian. Each section begins with a general discussion of the topic, followed by selected articles.…

Examines questions of censorship based on a study of the novel "American Psycho" and a survey of Canadian public libraries that investigated selection policies and the circulation of controversial titles. Highlights include previous research, Canadian laws regarding freedom of information, role of the chief librarian, and the role of…

This 5-year plan for the improvement of library service in Louisiana identifies specific existing inadequacies and presents specific goals and objectives as part of an overall plan to overcome barriers to the best possible library service in the state. It is noted that, in Louisiana, the State Library does not have administrative authority over…