Computers have had a tremendous impact on library services as automation has affected every aspect of library activity. Automated systems may be viewed as either internal, intermediate, or external, and different factors must be considered in planning for various types of systems. Internal systems, which are used only by library personnel, handle…

The "National Inventory of Library Needs" being conducted by the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science covers public libraries, school library/media centers, and academic libraries. The resource categories being used for the Inventory are staffing, collections, acquisitions, space, and operating expenditures. For…

The 1974 Ohio Governor's Conference on Library and Information Services was the first in a series of meetings mandated by the Long Range Program for the Improvement of Library Services developed by the State Library Board to give citizens a voice in the future of their libraries. Information was gathered on the kinds of libraries--school,…

Three papers on library budget priorities for the 1990s discuss (1) reallocating the budget to spend less on staff and more on collections and access; (2) budget concerns of public libraries, emphasizing the future role of libraries; and (3) the academic library perspective, including assumptions, evaluation, and new paradigms related to library…

The Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library contains 200,000 volumes and 900 serial subscriptions and operates with an annual budget as of 1974-75 of $235,000. It serves 2000 undergraduates in a 4 year liberal arts college. Library automation is used in the following areas: (1) bibliographic compilations; (2) cataloging of books, octavo choral…

This theme issue contains eight papers that were originally presented at a conference sponsored by the University of Oklahoma Libraries on library acquisitions. Highlights include budgeting problems in academic libraries; maintaining research library collections; monograph collections in scientific libraries; vendors' perspectives; electronic…

Comments on impact of photocopying, networking, and resource sharing on acquisitions programs of research libraries and describes fiscal situation in academic institutions, specifically in Massachusetts Institute of Technology libraries. Electronic publishing, role of research library as subscriber and intermediary, and communication between…

Though many of the functions of libraries are analogous to functions performed in the business world, public libraries have been disadvantaged by their reluctance to adopt computer technology. Though costs have previously been prohibitive and lack of uniformity in library processes has made the use of the new technology awkward, recently-developed…

Discusses features of online library catalogs and their cost characteristics, including financial management and planning (hardware and software options, turnkey vendors); approaches to cost analysis (actual experiences, building blocks); baseline estimates for two average academic libraries; and vendor estimates. Forty-five references and a…

Canada's National Core Library Statistics Program is designed to capture several key indicators of the broad impact on Canadian society of library services provided by the public, academic, and special library sectors. These impacts can be broadly organized into cultural and economic. Current indicators of cultural impact are question answering…

Step-by-step description of the community analysis and survey project undertaken by Grande Prairie Public Library (Alberta, Canada) includes discussion of use of American Library Association's "Planning Process for Public Libraries" as a guideline for designing staff, citizen, and user surveys. Statement of revenue and expenses (1982) is…

Discusses serials cancellations; reviews library collection assessment policies and reasons for assessment studies; describes a survey of academic health sciences libraries that examined serials cancellation projects, including the decision-making process, regional or national cooperation, and the methodology used; and explains a generic serials…

Excerpts from testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources regarding the proposed Technology for Education Act highlights the need for strong school library media collections and programs in addition to the latest technology. Highlights include funding, expenditures, media centers and student achievement, librarians'…

Discusses the economics and value of information and describes a study that compared an objective measure, the estimated direct costs to a library to purchase materials or provide services used by specific users, with a subjective measure, exchange values those users would pay for the information. (LRW)

Describes problems facing academic libraries today concerning the amount of literature and information available, costs, copyright issues affecting ownership, and technological changes. Strategies for dealing with diminishing funds and increasing information resources are suggested, and activities at the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)…