This text focuses on decisions which affect library stock control or the acquisition and management of library materials. The book covers five areas: (1) a definition of the problem; (2) optimal size of library stock; (3) diagnosis of faulty control of book availability; (4) improvement of book availability; and (5) synthesis of theories and discoveries outlined earlier. The main thrust is to relate library functions such as acquisition, duplicating, binding, circulation, and discarding to the needs and behaviors of library users. Since a large amount of the demand for books tends to be concentrated on a small proportion of the library's stock, this emphasis is revealed in the attention devoted to the problems of managing the titles that are in relatively high demand. (Author/EMH)