Outlines the costs for self-instructional packs consisting of files of offprints, original materials, and small publications at a university library. Full details of the assumptions and the basis of the cost analysis are included, based on a limited amount of literature available (references are included) and additional proposals. (Author/JEG)

Explores conflicting views of libraries as warehouses and providers of information. Provides background, highlighting rising serial subscription costs; develops understanding of the conflict by describing libraries based solely on ownership and access; and concludes that the successful library of the future will strike a balance between materials…

Presents the 1997 U.S. Serials Services Price Index, produced by the Library Materials Price Index Committee of the American Library Association's Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. Finds a 3.9% increase over 1996. Includes eight tables covering U.S. Serial Services, business, general and humanities, law, science and…

Presents an annotated list of the best reference materials published in 2001. Discusses activity in the reference publishing industry; costs; and lists print materials, Web sites, databases, and CD-ROMs. (LRW)

Describes a study at the University of Michigan that examined the extent of serials duplication among branch and divisional libraries, the portion of the serials budget made up of duplications, and the relationship between duplication and serials characteristics. Ways to avoid serials duplication are suggested based on the findings of this study.…

Describes a study that used survey questionnaire and case study methodologies to compare proportional relationships among services to children, teenagers, and adults in California public libraries during fiscal years 1977-78 and 1982-83. It is concluded that the findings both support and refute the belief that youth services received limited…

A table ranking research libraries (both university and non-university libraries) that compares volumes in library, volumes added in 1987-88, current serials, total staff, and total expenditures is presented. (MLW)

Compares mean 1985 subscription prices and mean cents per thousand characters of scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Similar comparisons are made for journals published by associations, scholarly organizations, and commercial publishers, and the data from this study are compared with data from a study using 1973…

Describes the concept of cost effectiveness analysis, and discusses its possible application to library technical services. The steps involved in measuring costs and quantifying performance are discussed, and examples of cost and benefit analysis of technical processes are provided. (12 notes with references) (CLB)

Examines issues that librarians must address when purchasing databases on CD-ROM for networking. Highlights include network licenses; costs; restrictions on network rights; ownership of CD-ROMs; hardware requirements; fees for upgrading software; CD-ROM servers; pricing options; training materials; and disk drives. (LRW)

Reports results of a preliminary survey which examined the potential of downloading as a means of reducing the recurrent printing costs of CD-ROM database use in libraries. Highlights include (1) profile of a typical library; (2) printing availability, restrictions, and fees; and (3) downloading availability, promotion, and computer support. (MES)

Presents Library Journal's 1998 Budget Report, including the cost of linking to the Net; cost of Net maintenance; fund raising for fiscal years 1992, 1996, and 1997; projected budget changes from 1997 to 1998 and provides changes in budgets for 63 public libraries serving rural, suburban, and urban areas. (PEN)

Explores library consortia in the United States with particular focus on academic libraries. Highlights include the history of early consortia; economic issues, including sharing resources and cost savings; types of consortia, including regional, statewide, and those with a focus on automation; and groups of consortia. (Author/LRW)

Discusses issues relating to costs of library and information services in the academic library in transition, reviews the functional cost analysis method, and presents selected data gathered from a larger study on the costs and value of various library services. Applications to a digital information environment are also discussed. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study at Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg in which cost-benefit analysis (CBA) was used to examine the cost effectiveness of an electronic database. Concludes that librarians can use the results of CBA studies to justify budgets and acquisitions and to provide insight into the true costs of providing library services. (PEN)