Provides background on the involvement of the AMIGOS Bibliographic Council (i.e., an OCLC-affiliated network serving over 350 libraries in the southwest United States) with computer development issues and introduces the 4 articles that follow which are excerpted from a 1990 AMIGOS seminar on collection development and preservation. (MES)

Describes the collection assessment methodology presented in the Research Libraries Group's "Conspectus," and assesses the usefulness of this instrument both in general, and as applied to an attempt to coordinate collection development at the consortium level. (eight references) (CLB)

Reports results of a questionnaire sent to depository libraries in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Survey collected demographic information on documents librarians and information on library cooperation, including relationships with regional depository libraries. Some reasons for slow growth of consortia…

Describes a cooperative collection development program implemented by the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (NAAL) to strengthen resources available for graduate education and research. Topics discussed include funding collection development, the formula for the equitable distribution of funds, research support, and other related activities.…

Describes how the New Main San Francisco Public Library was created in spite of budget cuts and threats of shutting down library branches. Discusses community support, the political approach to fund raising, collection development and increased patronage, and linking branch libraries to the New Main's system. (AEF)

Reviews meaning and theory of library collections and structure and enumerates ways that data on collections can be organized to reveal underlying global structure (links and connections between collections, parts of collections, and users of collections). Definitions of terms applying to eight models described in text are appended. (53…

Focuses on problems affecting the collection development of university libraries in Nigeria. Identifies the global economic recession of the 1980s as the significant variable for the success and failure of these programs. Examines the impact of financial problems on collection growth and development in Nigerian university libraries. Suggests…

Discusses issues facing librarianship in the People's Republic of China based on observations by a delegation of American and Canadian librarians in 1985. Highlights include the impact of the Cultural Revolution, collection development strategies, user needs and barriers to use, outreach to special populations, networking and resource sharing, and…

Representatives from wide spectrum of cooperative programs discuss issues associated with cooperative library development. Programs described include statewide projects in Colorado, Illinois, Alaska, and New York; University of California Shared Purchase Program; Hampshire Inter-Library Center; Triangle Research Libraries Network; Pacific…

Describes why and how the North American Collections Inventory Project (NCIP) involving three Indiana research libraries was implemented; how cooperative decisions and planning are proceeding as a result of the project; and benefits and drawbacks of the project. Comments on future are offered as NCIP begins Phase Three. (6 references) (EJS)

Discusses the implementation of the OhioLINK (Ohio Library and Information Network) system, an integrated library system linking 23 public and private academic institutions and the Ohio State Library. Topics include a history of OhioLINK; organizational structure; decision-making procedures; public relations strategies; cooperative circulation;…

Describes the creation of the California Digital Library (CDL) by the University of California (UC), as well as planning for the Science, Technology and Industry Collection. The initial focus of the CDL is to provide students and faculty with access to digital information, relieve pressures on print collections, and develop mechanisms to foster…

Government agencies are adopting electronic-information-dissemination strategies which both challenge established dissemination structures and offer new access opportunities for all libraries. This article explores the implications of this change and describes the initiative of one medium-sized, non-depository library to become a government…

Three articles on preservation present a theoretical framework for making preservation selection decisions by Atkinson, comments on Atkinson's concepts and possible mechanisms for identifying collections for top priority in microfilming by Child, and results of a Research Libraries Group study of the costs of preservation microfilming by McClung .…

Selection in a consortial setting is a complex, opportunistic, and often political process requiring an uneasy balance of local needs in conjunction with the group agenda. The issues of the selection and implementation of shared and networked resources, carried out in a comparatively public arena, are discussed. (Author)