This literature review focuses on methods for determining collection development requirements of a university library. Five criteria were used in the selection of titles for review: immediate relevance to university library collections and allocations; degree of emphasis on empirical methodologies; publication dates within the last 10 to 15 years;…

This empirical research examined scale economies of academic research libraries and developed a total cost function for estimating economies of scale. Suggests that libraries in general, and academic research libraries in particular, are information provision organizations that provide multiproducts and multiservices. Findings indicate that slight…

Describes the in-house operational procedures developed at the Penn State University libraries to produce facsimiles of hard-to-locate, out-of-print titles using digital scanning technologies. Highlights include identification and selection, costs, copyright issues, interlibrary loan, materials preparation, and future trends. (Author/LRW)

Discusses the increased costs of library materials, the need for a new budgeting approach, and the impact of technology. The development of a library materials index that was developed at Ohio State University to provide a consistent source for measuring library materials expenditures against the marketplace is described. (Contains 14 references.)…

Describes results of a 1990 survey that provides statistical data on the serials holdings of 57 university libraries in Canada. Topics discussed include serials budgets; integrated serials departments; serials automation; selection of new serials titles; ordering and acquisitions; claiming; cataloging and related functions; binding; and transfer…

Analyses of the relationship between costs and output in more than 3,000 United States academic libraries show that average costs rise more rapidly than output for all types of libraries except two-year private colleges. Major differences in workload and expenditures were found between two-year and four-year public and private institutions. (EJS)

Recommends academic libraries consider cooperative storage of unused or little-used library materials to offset the proliferation of print materials and conserve financial resources. Mutually shared storage would retain collection integrity, expand collection availability, conserve library space for the active collection, and permit a no-growth…

Discusses the economics and value of information and describes a study that compared an objective measure, the estimated direct costs to a library to purchase materials or provide services used by specific users, with a subjective measure, exchange values those users would pay for the information. (LRW)

Securing adequate insurance coverage is an important aspect of preserving library collections. Insurers determine rates, within an institution's limits of coverage, based on the library building's environment and the library's estimate of the collection's replacement cost. Methods of categorizing and projecting these costs are explored with…

Comments on impact of photocopying, networking, and resource sharing on acquisitions programs of research libraries and describes fiscal situation in academic institutions, specifically in Massachusetts Institute of Technology libraries. Electronic publishing, role of research library as subscriber and intermediary, and communication between…

This report presents statistics on how ARL (Association of Research Libraries) member libraries spend money on electronic resources. The following tables are included: (1) a summary table of electronic resources and library materials expenditures in ARL university libraries, 1992-93 to 2000-01; (2) summary statistics for university libraries,…

Describes results of a survey that was conducted to compile statistical data on collection growth and library expenditures in academic libraries. Data from liberal arts college libraries are compared with data from members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), library statistics are discussed, and significant trends are described. (32…

Discusses the nature and extent of discriminatory pricing by journal publishers, and reports on a survey of academic libraries that was conducted to assess the effectiveness of strategies used by libraries to mitigate the effects of high journal prices and price discrimination, i.e., higher prices for both institutions and foreign subscribers.…

Discussion of financial allocations by universities for library materials focuses on a study of fine arts faculty at Texas Tech University that identifies information services, sources, and materials that they consider important for their teaching, research, and creative endeavors; and investigates their use of library services. (Author/LRW)

This report provides information for 1988-89 on libraries in Oregon. The first section, which presents information on 214 public libraries, includes a directory arranged by city of headquarters library; a map showing governance of public libraries; analysis of statistics including long-term trends, short-term trends, comparisons by county, and top…