Self-service is the trend of today's libraries. The Run Run Shaw Library at the City University of Hong Kong therefore is transforming itself in the same direction and offers to its users what it calls the Easy-service. However, the need to handle cash-based micropayments at the service counter is a stumbling block. There is an urgent need for the…

Are we witnessing the privatization of public university research libraries? There is convincing evidence that, in an era of decreasing state support for public higher education, public universities have begun to resemble private universities, particularly in their sources of revenue. A number of indicators demonstrate that public universities,…

There is opportunity for service and profit to imaginative libraries organizing to provide new forms of knowledge. Librarians as entrepreneurs must learn venture management and finance. Available assistance includes growing entrepreneural understanding in large institutions; family and friends; private wealth-seeking investment; new business…

This detailed overview of the concept of the information broker covers the following topics: (1) emergence and development of the concept; (2) services offered; (3) clientele; and (4) fee policies. Public sector libraries as information brokers and the future of information brokering are also discussed. Sixty-two references are listed. (MES)

This discussion of the problem of funding college and university media centers outlines the general categories of available support, assesses current prospects of attracting funds for instructional technology in higher education, and explores the implications that a media center poses for a library's internal budget policy. Twenty-nine references…

This paper describes the provision of end-user search services in the libraries of the University of Ottawa using BRS/After Dark. It is noted that the service--Online After Six--is available during the evening hours to university faculty, students, and staff and to the general public. Program planning stages, service regulations, fees charged, and…

Two surveys were conducted in 1981/82 and 1982 respectively to determine if Illinois public libraries were satisfying their patrons in terms of book use, and how much money Illinois public libraries received directly from their patrons in library fines, fees, and charges. In the first study, 2,133 adults returning a book at a random sample of 71…

This manual for librarians offers both background information and practical advice on library budgeting. Seven chapters make up this book: (1) Numbers, Your Library, and You; (2) Kinds of Budgets; (3) Measuring Ourselves; (4) Alternate Resources: Grants and Endowments; (5) More Alternate Resources: Volunteers, Fund Raising; (6) Fees for Library…

Provides a composite picture of interlibrary loan policies of 832 academic, special, and public libraries published in American Library Association's second edition of "Interlibrary Loan Policies Directory" (1984). Loan policies for books, periodicals, microforms, dissertations, theses, government documents, audiovisual materials, and…

This essay on the future of reference librarianship addresses elements necessary to guarantee continued vitality of the profession. Discussion covers person-to-person contacts with library users, recreational functions of library, fees and "information stamps," organizational structure of library, information consulting, project-team…

Discusses philosophy and economics of charging users for library services. Free services are advocated for reasons of equal access and intellectual freedom, and alternatives to charging are suggested, citing Seattle Public Library as an example. Opinions and statistics on library fees excerpted from the current literature are included. (CDD)

The economic implications of new technology in public libraries include its cost, the trade-off between costs and benefits, and sources of funds. The cost of, for example, a new terminal, should be subdivided into components and activities so that library expenditures and some resultant output can be clearly identified. In addition, when…

Examines three key federal information issues from an economic perspective: what information the government should make available to the public; whether government information should be disseminated via governmental or private means; and whether costs of transmission should be borne by the public at large or by the information user. (CDD)

This book provides readers with an introduction to economics and cost-benefit analysis and will be particularly valuable to individuals who are, or plan to be, managers of information services in academic, public, or special libraries. Part 1 provides a rational for economic studies in librarianship, specifically, gaining understanding of consumer…

Reviews arguments for and against fees for online services and describes a supply side model in which the library absorbs the costs of online searching. The implementation of this policy at an academic library is evaluated and detailed guidelines for implementing such a policy are provided. (CLB)