In 1983, the Association of Research Libraries adopted as its third principal objective for a 5-year plan: "to increase the number of member libraries engaged in programs to preserve their collections." ARL efforts to achieve this objective are aimed at helping libraries meet this responsibility locally and these guidelines propose an…

Provides a critical examination of the methods and procedures currently followed in the national program for preservation microfilming in research libraries and suggests alternative approaches for selecting materials for microfilming. Source literature is discussed as being important to focus on, and the cost and completeness of bibliographic…

Compares current approaches to decisions involving the preservation of library materials and describes a national project aimed at identifying and preserving important classical studies on microfiche. The use of an editorial board of scholars in this decision making process is evaluated and alternative scholarly involvement models are suggested.…

A broad international perspective is taken in this examination of the objectives of national repository planning; general principles on which a plan should be based; selection for national retention; criteria by which alternative national systems should be judged; and the main alternative models assessed against these criteria. (5 references) (CLB)

Discusses the use of library consultants to advise health authorities in developing countries on improving information support to personnel employed in the national health system. Structural and organizational aspects are addressed; financial aspects are discussed, including alternative, nongovernmental funding sources; and collection development…

Describes problems facing academic libraries today concerning the amount of literature and information available, costs, copyright issues affecting ownership, and technological changes. Strategies for dealing with diminishing funds and increasing information resources are suggested, and activities at the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)…

Describes a program of national collection building designed to provide universal availability of publications in the Federal Republic of Germany in the context of historical traditions, the development of a cooperative acquisition program, financial support, and methodological aspects of the system. (CLB)

The Association of American Universities (AAU) Research Libraries Project was designed to involve universities in the process of shaping the new electronic environment faced by research libraries. The project has engaged university expertise to develop recommendations for action at the national and institutional levels to assure that the…