Discusses the use of academic library circulation statistics to assess whether user needs are being met and describes a study at Stetson University that investigated collection development practices by comparing circulation statistics for books selected by faculty in support of departmental curricula with those of librarian selections. (Author/LRW)

How do academic libraries set about creating a body of knowledge and begin to convert traditional print collections to a digital format in order to satisfy what today's researchers want? This article examines previous methods of selection and collection building, and applies those supporting principles to today's collection-building efforts for…

Discusses methods of selection for library materials being preserved, questions reliance on the collection-based approach to preserve brittle books for a nationally preserved collection, and argues for the development of a user-based strategy for the long-term preservation of circulating materials. (Author/LRW)

Presents a 1992 study which discovered and investigated collection development bias in academic and public libraries in California. The investigation was carried out in five stages: (1) selected a controversial topic; (2) identified representative works; (3) ranked works by qualified judges; (4) measured holdings via library online computer…

Explores electronic journal usage statistics and develops three metrics and three benchmarks based on those metrics. Topics include earlier work that assessed the value of print journals and was modified for the electronic format; the evaluation of potential purchases; and implications for standards development, including the need for content…

Reviews the value of federal depository document titles and discuses reasons why many are worth cataloging. Several approaches to cataloging these titles to make them more readily accessible are profiled. The Adelphi University Library (New York) has devised a system, using Boolean logic and an online public access catalog to choose which titles…

This study discusses the costs and benefits of vertical files and analyzes the results of a survey sent to 171 academic libraries that investigated vertical file practices. Topics include usefulness and user satisfaction; processing problems; access to vertical file material; and future possibilities. (Author/LRW)

Describes a study that surveyed how liberal arts college libraries are coping with the challenge of increasing periodical prices in the sciences. Highlights include reconciling budget shortfalls; cancellation procedures; accreditation criteria; access versus ownership; interlibrary loan and document delivery services; cooperative purchasing; and…

Discussion of library purchasing decisions regarding serials focuses on efforts at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to compile numerous measures into a comprehensive database for decision support. Discusses a faculty survey of serials needs and future implications. (Author/LRW)

Describes a survey of academic political science librarians that assessed the overall quality of political science books published by 62 publishers, both academic and commercial. Results are reported, analyzed, and compared to a similar survey of members of the American Political Science Association. (Contains 9 references.) (Author/LRW)

Discussion of evaluating academic journals for collection management decisions focuses on a methodological framework for evaluating journals not ranked by impact factors in Journal Citation Reports. Compares nonranked journals with ranked journals and then applies this framework to a case study in the field of medical science. (LRW)

Increasing subscription prices and the number of journals available make it difficult for libraries to supply all needed material for scholarly research. Bibliographic citations in graduate students' theses and dissertations, cost-per-use statistics, and shelving statistics were used for psychology journal selection in the St. Mary's University…

A survey of academic libraries and librarians with active text digitalization projects produced a framework of issues faced by librarians implementing electronic text projects. Discusses and ranks factors in text selection; data conversion; data presentation, including mark-up schemes and level of encoding; access; archiving; user and staff…

Focuses on developing data for measuring the relevancy of music library collections for doctoral research. Bibliographies of music dissertations from doctoral programs throughout the United States were tabulated and analyzed. Core lists of journals were developed and compared to lists compiled by analyzing doctoral dissertation bibliographies from…

Offers brief, critical reviews of recent scholarly and general works of interest to reference workers in university libraries. Titles covered include dictionaries, databases, religion, literature, music, dance, art and architecture, business, political science, social issues, and history. Brief descriptions of new editions and supplements for…