Books are the most important medium of communication in the humanities, a major medium in the social sciences, and a central component of academic library collections. This study examined humanities and social sciences books that won prizes from ten leading United States disciplinary associations between 2000 and 2009. The study extends earlier…

Academic libraries continue to face funding pressures compounded by the need to provide students with access to electronic resources, both in journal and book formats. With space constraints and the need to repurpose library space to other uses, libraries must carefully examine the move to e-only formats for books to determine if the format makes…

The increasing availability and prominence of e-books has led to a perception in some quarters that the requirement for physical books is decreasing, as most, or all scholarly material is openly available in digital form. Some academic administrators and librarians have suggested that it may be possible or desirable to have a solely, or…

Explores how academic researchers disaggregate and reaggregate scientific journal articles in both print and digital environments. Analyzes data gathered in the NSF/DARPA/NASA Digital Libraries Initiative (DLI) project at the University of Illinois to describe how components are mobilized in the work of researchers as they identify, retrieve, read…

Provides a methodology for evaluating title coverage of full-text periodical databases in relation to a library's print journal collection. Presents a pretest of that methodology along with a discussion of collection development principles for an effective evaluation of full-text databases. (Author)

Examines the short-term effects of online availability on the use of print chemistry journals based on a study at Duke University Chemistry Library. Discusses results that showed a diminished use of the print collection and considers implications for collection management in scientific and technical libraries. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of monographic acquisitions in academic research libraries focuses on a study that employed descriptive methodology to analyze changes in collecting patterns between 1985 and 1989 in the aggregated resources base of 72 Association of Research Libraries members. Recommendations for further research are suggested. (Author/LRW)

Discusses results of a Web-based survey conducted by the University of Maryland libraries among faculty and graduate students to determine their views on and use of electronic journals. Distinguishes between print and electronic format preferences for journals most central to research as well as less important titles, and includes copies of the…

Discusses the choices academic libraries are making between digital collections and maintaining print collections and describes results of interviews with faculty at the University of Michigan that investigated their use of print and electronic journals. Topics include convenience; access; books versus journals; differences between subject areas;…

Reports the results of a survey of librarians at public libraries (PLs) that was conducted to provide details on budgets, circulation, and popular topics. Highlights include nonfiction, with the highest expenditures and circulation; local interest materials; a loss in print reference materials; and an increase in audiovisual and electronic…

This preliminary study suggests that the same level of timeliness and accuracy can be obtained for answers to reference questions using resources in freely available World Wide Web sites as with traditional print-based resources. Discusses implications for library collection development, new models of consortia, training needs, and costing and…