Purposeful assessment of space for the understanding and improvement of the academic library is a relatively new area of inquiry. This essay offers a framework to consider different factors affecting such an assessment and insights for undertaking a meaningful inquiry about the relationship of space to an academic library's evolving purpose as…

The New Hampshire Long-Range Program (1992-1996) was prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA). It identifies the state's library needs and the actions to be taken toward meeting those needs. The program was developed to ensure that all persons in New Hampshire will have equal access to…

Discusses the vendor's role in the library collection evaluation process. Vendor services are described, including catalogs, bibliographies, periodicals, and announcement services; the process required to produce a vendor publication is explained; and new online and CD-ROM collection assessment tools are described. (LRW)

Libraries have failed to use marketing for three reasons: (1) a misunderstanding that equates marketing with publicity; (2) a lack of understanding of what marketing is; and (3) disagreement about the role of the client. Societal-marketing tries to balance patron demands with long-term societal needs in evaluating product excellence. (AEF)

Marketing techniques in youth services are useful for designing programs, collections, and services and for determining customer needs. The marketing mix--product, place, price, and practice--provides a framework for service analysis. (AEF)

Approval plans challenge library boundaries, require consensus on collection development priorities, cooperation among library departments, and a close partnership with the vendor. Few concrete performance standards exist, and effectiveness is difficult to measure. Vendors will play an active role in the evolution of approval plans, though…

Discussion of collection assessment focuses on academic library experiences. Topics addressed include library accountability; funding shortages; barriers to collection assessment; strategies to aid in assessment, including adequate training and performance incentives; and implications of collection assessment for library budgets, including…

Discussion of journal pricing and its effects on academic libraries focuses on data from the Optical Society of America's pricing study that used price per 1,000 words as a quantitative evaluative tool. Data collection methodology is described, and implications of the results for library collection development are suggested. (eight references)…

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…

Discussion of management of cataloging backlogs in academic libraries focuses on a backlog assessment project conducted at the Ohio State University libraries to facilitate the elimination of two backlogs, one of Slavic language materials and one of general materials. Evaluations of samples from these two collections are discussed in terms of…

Describes the use of the Conspectus method of collection evaluation in the University of California Campus Libraries and Stanford University Libraries in the area of psychology. Possibilities for resource sharing are discussed, recommendations for the future are suggested, and a subject listing is included that indicates commitment to collection…

Argues that the traditional method of library media collection development in public schools is inappropriate and proposes collection mapping as more efficient and better suited to the school curriculum. Instructions for creating a map are provided as well as guidelines for collection development. (CDD)

Discusses library collection evaluation and its relationship to the acquisitions budget. Topics addressed include the publishing industry; library services that are more user centered; acquisition of versus access to sources of information and knowledge; the concept of value; library accountability; objectives and setting priorities; and levels of…

Discusses evaluation procedures for public libraries. Topics addressed include accountability; cooperation among libraries; economic factors; evaluation options, including the use of staff and/or consultants; problems uncovered; and factors to consider when deciding to keep or discard materials, including community needs, circulation statistics,…

Considers trends and influences that affect the relationship between libraries and vendors. Topics discussed include information in electronic formats; selection criteria; economic factors and library budgets; resource sharing and cooperative collection development; sociological changes; preservation activities; and the evaluation of dealers. (six…