The recent demand for more accountability from public libraries has made it essential that true cost-benefit analysis be applied to their operations. The authors developed a cost-benefit analysis methodology and applied it to five large public library systems. This article describes ongoing research to modify their methodologies to make them…

Discusses how library media specialists deal with budgeting and the need to discover and prioritize the needs of patrons, to explain them to those who supply funding, and to make the funds go as far as possible. Considers faculty needs; student needs; and library media specialist and center needs. (LRW)

The magnitude of funds needed to rectify the college deferred maintenance crisis make a quick fix unrealistic. However, by increasing funding levels and shifting spending patterns over time, institutions can address the problem without jeopardizing other goals and projects. A consortium of higher education associations recommends a…

Presents a comprehensive model for identifying the processes and costs involved in preservation efforts that was developed for the Columbia University libraries. Preservation activities are described; costs are assessed for staff time, supplies, and bibliographic utility use; and appendices outline the preservation process and the roles of the…

Discusses selection policies for library acquisitions and describes a quantitative model that explains variations in expenditures by subject that was developed at Arizona State University. The link between policy and selection practice is discussed, allocation formulas are examined, and further research topics are suggested. (57 references) (LRW)

Discussion of new developments in library/information services and the influences of technological and societal factors focuses on funding considerations. Topics discussed include budget preparation, allocation, monitoring, and evaluation; and alternative sources of funding, including leveraging, grants, fundraising and development, fees and…

Data on 106 university and 12 nonuniversity research libraries include rankings based on a national index, the number of volumes held, volumes added during the year, current serials, total staff, and total expenditures. Most data are for main campuses only. (MSE)

Reviews attempts to find cost effective alternatives to scientific journals, including dissemination of separate articles, selective dissemination of separate articles, synopsis journals, miniprint, microforms, and electronic journals. It is concluded that the traditional journal has not been seriously threatened and that librarians need to take…

Fifteen papers presented at the fourth annual conference of the North American Serials Interest Group addressed the topics of scholarly communication, optical data disks in libraries, differences among types of serials vendors, and organizational responses to the current journal pricing crisis. A transcript of the summary session and summaries of…

Argues that librarians need to be concerned with cost analysis of library functions and services because, in the allocation of resources, decision makers will favor library managers who demonstrate understanding of the relationships between costs and productive outputs. Factors that should be included in a reliable scheme for cost accounting are…

Describes the competitive bidding process used by California State University to successfully procure integrated library systems for 5 of its 19 campuses during 1 fiscal year. The procurements demonstrated that competitive bidding not only reduces overall cost of library systems, but also allows the buyer to achieve favorable contract provisions.…

Discusses the mission of public libraries in light of the decision to purchase Madonna's book "Sex." Three viewpoints are presented: a critic of selection policies that are too broad in the name of intellectual freedom; the director of a small public library with a limited budget; and a library historian. (Contains 18 references.) (LRW)

In 1993, the Michigan Legislature eliminated the local property tax as the main public education funding source. This article explores the details of Michigan's policy process during late 1993 and early 1994, focusing on consequences. Recently, the school property tax was partially reinstated. The system is working, but vulnerable to cash…

Combines costs of fund raising and college-relations data for each of 3 years from 17 colleges and universities with the schools' institutional characteristics to predict ratios of alumni donors to each school's total alumni. With factor analysis, classifies expenditure and institutional variables according to fund-raising effort, donor wealth,…

Presents findings of a 5-year study of U.S. educational finance. Analyzes spending patterns across 50 states and examines staffing patterns and expenditures across curriculum areas in California, Florida, and New York. Although this century has seen a major investment in public education, funding has been distributed unfairly and used…