The Saint Elizabeth Hospital Medical Center School of Nursing Library has a strong collection of nursing and nursing management journals. With the rising subscription costs of periodicals, it was necessary to evaluate the collection of periodicals. This study was done to evaluate the periodicals that the library has in paper form. The study…

This analysis of the circulation records of books added to a psychiatric library from July 1983 through May 1985 reports the total number of books circulated, their number and percentage in specific subject areas, missing titles, and usage by in-house and off-site borrowers. Implications for future collection development are explained. (Author/EM)

Storage and financial considerations prompted a reshelving study of 300 scientific review titles which found that about half of all titles at Pennsylvania State University were used at least once and that periodicals were used more often than monograph series. As a result, periodical titles were incorporated into the journal collection and series…

Discusses the need for statistics for librarians to measure the performance, use, and value of electronic scholarly journals to make the best purchasing decisions for their institutions. Reports on two reporting mechanisms, one of which uses the library's log files, and describes other current projects to determine usage measures. (LRW)

Columbia-Greene Community College (Hudson, New York) takes a yearly 10% statistical sample of its entire circulating collection, noting the call number, acquisition year, and circulation record of each book, in order to determine the pattern of book use over the preceding 2.5 years, and to facilitate the development of an acquisition pattern that…

Describes a study conducted at Columbia-Greene Community College's library to determine whether a book's previous non-use is indicative of future non-use; whether books are progressively less likely to be used with time; the circulation costs of weeding previously unused books; and the circulation rates of old and new books. (DMM)

Reviews survey responses from 127 nonmedical academic libraries in Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas regarding their vertical files (e.g., acquisitions, weeding, size, nature, collection management, frequency of use, maintenance of statistics, types of users, circulation, and security), reporting that 109 had vertical files, with most emphasizing topics…

Describes two use studies of the microforms collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one conducted in 1982 and the other in 1987. Collection profiles are presented, use study methodology is discussed, and results of the two studies are analyzed and compared. (Five references) (LRW)

Thirty-one academic publishers of stand-alone software and book/disk packages were surveyed to determine whether publishers have addressed the copyright issues inherent in circulating these packages within the library environment. Twenty-two questionnaires were returned, providing a 71% return rate. There were 18 usable questionnaires. Publishers…

Discusses the concept of information value and presents major findings of user studies and collection evaluations. A case study describing the implementation of networks for information in the areas of biomedicine and agronomy in Brazil in the late 1960s is presented. (35 references) (MES)

This study examined circulation and inhouse use of 13,029 randomly selected volumes--both serials and monographs in all subject areas--in a university library over a 7-year period. Results challenged inference of internal use from circulation figures and the appropriateness of weeding based on lack of circulation alone. A 26-item chronological…

Serials collections are a costly but essential part of a library's periodicals holdings. Jacksonville State University Library's (JSUL) budgetary problems have forced librarians to examine their serials closely in terms of cost factors, indexing, expected usage, and curriculum and research support. The purpose of this project is to assess JSUL's…

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)

Proposes a model for technical journal deselection based on the Bradford law of distribution. The model's operational prescriptives, characteristics of the Bradford distribution in the field of pediatrics, and relevance to collection management are discussed. (42 references) (KRN)

An auxiliary study of the direct observation method for counting periodical usage in Evans Library at Texas A&M University found that student observations contain substantial error and that aggregation problems and cost issues are fundamental constraints to this method. Concludes direct observation may be useful in calibrating the results of…