This study was conducted to fulfill two objectives: to gather the data necessary to define the core collection, i.e., a subset of the holdings that can be identified with reasonable assurance as being able to fulfill a certain predetermined percentage of the future demand on the present collection, and to examine the value of these data as a management tool in a small university library. The core collection was identified by collecting samples from circulation records and shelved materials and recording on cards the latest due date and circulation date for each item, along with its accession number. The cards were then manually sorted into groups by 6-month periods for analysis. A juxtaposition of the circulation and collection data was used to determine the percentage of circulation that was being met by given percentages of the collection. This collection analysis technique is expected to be useful in the conversion of manual records for automated circulation, the evaluation of collection development policies, and the establishment of continuity in a weeding program. The report includes discussions of these applications, the background of the library, assumptions and definitions used in the study, 20 references, and 24 tables of data. (RBF)