Discusses several economic concepts and principles important for librarianship--opportunity cost, resources, assets, and investment--and notes the difficulty of placing a monetary value on patron benefits. The law of diminishing marginal returns is applied to the relationships between library services and collection size, and between investment in…

Discusses the increase in circulation over the past seven years at the Queens Borough Public Library. Improvements in collections, promotion, and services responsible for this increase are examined, and circulation data are presented in graphs. (MES)

Argues that recent decisions to outsource library collection development are not isolated incidents but attempts to privatize whole core services and even management of libraries. Examines three misconceptions about the private sector: that it can do it better and cheaper, that accountability to the marketplace is more effective than government,…

Provides an annotated bibliography of 42 books that rank as the library profession's most outstanding literature published between January 1997 and March 1998. The list is organized by the following categories: academic libraries; archives/preservation; cataloging/technical services; children's services; collection development; general library…

Describes an ethnic collection development conference held in California that focused on how librarians can meet the needs of the growing numbers of ethnic and racial minorities. Topics discussed include library management; sources of reviews for ethnic titles; selection criteria; acquisitions procedures; cataloging practices; subject heading…

Reports on the book-buying trends and predilections of libraries at two-year colleges, four-year colleges, universities, and large research institutions. Four tables and figures show findings for purchasing power of academic libraries; areas academic librarians believe need more titles; most-bought book categories; and sources used to make…

Discusses areas of confusion concerning the role of public libraries that endanger the existence of public libraries. It is argued that the future of the public library depends on its responsiveness to the needs of the people that such libraries were created to serve, and suggestions for achieving this state are offered. (CLB)