Explores issues related to the selection and purchase of digital content in academic libraries, including commercially-produced databases, electronic journals, and books and other electronic resources that are purchased from vendors; and in-house digitization projects. Considers the degree to which standard collection management principles apply.…

Formulas from the "Standards for College Libraries" were used to compare the recommended collection size and number of professional librarians with the actual size of the collections and number of librarians for a random sample of Baccalaureate I and II colleges. Results revealed that significant numbers are not meeting the "Standards" in these…

Rampant inflation in serials' pricing is forcing many academic libraries to initiate serials cancellation projects. If libraries plan carefully and involve faculty throughout the process, serials can be canceled without excessive damage to the collection or to the library's relationship with the rest of the college. (six references) (LAE)

Designed to determine the usefulness of reviews of U.S. history books in scholarly journals in collection development, this study found that no one journal provided adequate coverage and that the reviews in all of the journals lacked currency. It is suggested that data collected on publisher representation might prove useful in establishing…

A comparison of book reviews for humanities and social sciences books named to CHOICE's 1987 "Outstanding Academic Books" with a selection of books not named to the list showed no substantial difference in the number or quality of reviews received. Study suggests that libraries should be cautious in their reliance on published lists for…

Even though endorsements of written collection development policies abound in the professional literature, many academic libraries do not have them in place. Interviews with several Louisiana librarians reveal possible reasons for that disparity. Instead of spending time devising policies that quickly become inflexible and outdated, bibliographers…

Examines whether surveying students in the classroom using course-specific questionnaires--and interviewing their instructors--is a viable tool for academic library collection building. Findings revealed this approach to be a valuable qualitative tool for assessing the college library's local book collection. (AEF)

Reports on a 1995 survey of Wisconsin academic libraries regarding collection development practices for languages and literature. Results suggest that faculty control selection; approval plans have not taken over from personal selection; and local demand is emphasized over presumed quality as suggested by review magazines. (LRW)

Examines the growing body of literature dealing with interdisciplinary academic research and discusses challenges that the erosion of subject-area boundaries presents to those selecting library materials. Reports on a case study that ascertained patterns of interdisciplinary research at Rutgers University's School of Communication, Information,…

The crisis in collection development afflicting most members of Association of Research Libraries since the 1970s moved Indiana University Libraries to undertake a rationalization of their budget allocation procedure in light of a comparative study of peer institutions and to draft a new policy based on regional cooperation. (6 references)…

Argues that evaluating a library's collection is not an acceptable substitute for evaluating the collection development process and its developers. With increasing materials costs, overselection can be much more serious than underselection. Several useful methods for evaluating collection development incorporate statistics regarding proportional…

Collection development for interdisciplinary areas is more complex than for traditionally well-defined disciplines, so new evaluation methods are needed. This article identifies variables in interdisciplinary fields and presents a model of their typical information components. Traditional use-centered and materials-centered evaluation methods…

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…

Describes the historical and present roles of the prison library, as well as the nature of the prison librarian position. Identifies and analyzes the obstacles confronting a prison librarian when selecting academic materials and making those materials accessible to prisoners. (AEF)

Discusses why innovation is important for technical services and lists requirements: the ability to envision the future, the use of intuitive thinking and creativity, and well-managed implementation. Examines systems for verification and delivery of bibliographic records (OCLCs Passport for Windows and PromptCat), and outsourcing and…