To search out areas for library cost reduction, a cost-effectiveness study of an overdue pickup operation was conducted. Labor and vehicle mileage costs and costs of planning the weekly pickup route were tabulated, and compared against the value returns from fines and the avoided cost of replacing lost items. Labor and mileage was determined at…

A study commissioned by the Milwaukee Federated Library System identified problems and proposed organizational strategies towards their solution. A manifest problem with research and reference service cost allocations led to Milwaukee County's withholding of funds, while latent problems were identified in the interlibrary book circulation system.…

The goals of this study were to identify those variables that prove indicative of the relative demand for library monographs by subject and to develop a practical method for allocating funding by subject. California State University, Chico, served as the sample for the study; data was collected from the 5-year period from 1990 to 1995. The…

A study of the Purdue University Libraries was conducted to help allocate costs by user group and academic department. A circulation survey was taken to determine user identification. The sampling included reserve material used in the library, materials borrowed overnight or longer, and use of photocopy service. Copies of transaction cards were…

Based on information from the 1988-89 IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) Academic Libraries Survey, this report presents data from the higher education institutions in IPEDS, i.e., all colleges and universities with accreditation at the higher education level in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Analyses of these data…

Discussion of allocation of library acquisitions budgets, especially for monographs, focuses on the proportional use statistic (i.e., a value that compares circulation and holdings in a subject area). Topics addressed include economics; benefits that libraries provide; use of the collection by patrons; computers as aids to resource allocation;…