Presents the 1997 U.S. Periodical Price Index sponsored by the Library Materials Price Index Committee of the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Finds that the average price increased 9.9%, .9% below 1996's rate. Includes seven tables, a chart, and a summary sheet. (PEN)

Describes several strategies for obtaining funding for library automation, including convincing management of the importance of automating; buying computer parts individually; upgrading gradually; subscribing to a CD-ROM service that includes equipment; identifying equipment by function (e.g., database search units); trading off less important…

Describes the services offered to librarians by book vendors and addresses the effects of increasing costs and decreasing funds on library acquisitions and publishers as well as on vendors. The costs of ordering and processing library materials are discussed, and labor-saving devices in acquisitions are suggested. (LRW)

Discusses rare books in library collections and problems that are encountered with theft and/or preservation. Highlights include the effects of online auctions on the Internet; costs of replacing lost materials; and libraries that keep valuable books in the circulating collection, stamping them and subjecting them to use that devalues them. (LRW)

The purpose of the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC) computerized regional library system is to provide an on-line system that makes available to faculty and students in individual colleges and universities the library resources throughout a region, while at the same time decelerating the rate of rise of per-student library costs. The research…

The possibility of developing an economic theory of libraries is explored. The concepts of economic theory, economic system, and economic model are discussed as potentially applicable to libraries. (Author)

Since the government supports research and publication for the benefit of the public, this information should be disseminated at a minimum cost with maximum accessibility, at no extra profit to the publisher. Fiscal implications relate higher costs of publications to library budgetary limitations as basic reasons for subscription cuts. (Author)

The Brooklyn Public Library presents information concerning its organization, goals, expenditures, utilization, services, special programs, and holdings each year in an annual report to the Mayor and City Council of New York. This collection of five reports covers the activities of the library in the fiscal years beginning in 1972, 1973, 1974,…

This paper provides background information for SUNY librarians, in particular those in the four-year colleges, concerning the budget preparation-implementation process. Included is a step-by-step summary of that process, in the form of timetables illustrating the interrelationships between the executive and legislative units of state government,…

Index values for American public library circulation and expenditures are presented in five statistical tables. The circulation index values are given for each year from 1939 through 1974, and expenditure index values are given for 1951 through 1974. These figures are then compared with figures from the "American Library Directory" and from the…

An important tool for establishing efficient total library service is contracting, which allows a unit of government or a library to obtain the use of the resources of another library according to its specific needs. A contract can cover services to be purchased, financial arrangements, administrative responsibilities, legal considerations, and…

The Biennial Reports contain sections on: (1) Nebraska Public Library Commission; (2) Physical Facilities; (3) Personnel; (4) Book and Non-Book Materials; (5) Services and Use; (6) Financial Support; (7) Union Catalog Statistics; (8) Appropriations and Expenditures; (9) Planning and Research; (10) A Survey of the Physically Handicapped of Nebraska…

A simple algebraic method of compensating for inflation while allocating the book budget by funds is presented. The results of attempts to generate library-resource unit cost figures based on internal measurement of buying patterns are described. (Author)

Citation analysis was used as an aid in collection development in the field of engineering. Results indicated books are of greater importance than journals, and reductions in the number of subscriptions released funds for purchase of books. (Author/JAB)