Discusses factors for libraries to consider when starting and maintaining an audiobook collection, including patron profiles; funding and budgeting; selection and ordering; listener preferences, including abridged versus unabridged titles; packaging and appearance; shelving and location; and future possibilities. A sidebar provides detailed…

Reports on the third "Library Journal" survey of public and academic audiovisual specialists and media librarians, which focused on the long-term outlook for audiocassette and videocassette collections. The survey covered present and planned budgets, circulation growth, selection criteria, theft, damage, competition from local stores,…

Presents results of price survey of periodicals published in the United States and serial services. Tables are organized by subject categories to show number of titles included in the survey, rank order by average subscription price, and price increases. (LRW)

The Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Philadelphia SRRT has surveyed the handling of controversial materials in twelve libraries. Public, university, and college libraries, are discussed in terms of which controversial titles they have and what is allowed to circulate. (Author/DH)

Addresses issues that concern the relationship between publishers and librarians, including differences between libraries and bookstores; necessary information for advertisements; out-of-stock designations and their effect on budgets; the role of distributors and vendors; direct mail for book promotions; unsolicited review copies; communications…

Examines public library budgets by the population size served. Discusses total budgets, salary budgets, and materials budgets; funding and technology, including e-rate for Internet access and Internet filtering; and fundraising. (LRW)

Presents an annotated list of the best reference materials published in 2001. Discusses activity in the reference publishing industry; costs; and lists print materials, Web sites, databases, and CD-ROMs. (LRW)

Discusses the results of a national survey of libraries, publishers, and subscription agents that was conducted by the American Library Association (ALA) to address concerns about serials prices. Highlights include library budget trends; resource sharing; selection decisions; library automation; pricing practices of publishers; publisher services;…

Presents the annual budget report for public libraries for 1999, including budget projections; local taxes; rise of technology budgets; materials, salary, and operating budgets; per capita funding; fundraising; net costs; and the role of the Gates Library Foundation. (LRW)

This academic library book buying survey examines full-text databases; electronic journals; top circulating subjects; price increases for serials and resulting subscription cuts; the influence of digital choices on purchasing decisions; circulation versus use statistics; and electronic books. (LRW)

Statistics on book budgets, population served, and collection size of individual public libraries in New York State were correlated with their circulation data to examine efficiency of scale for mid-size libraries. Findings show that circulation increases erratically with increased book budgets and size of population, but consistently with…

Recommends academic libraries consider cooperative storage of unused or little-used library materials to offset the proliferation of print materials and conserve financial resources. Mutually shared storage would retain collection integrity, expand collection availability, conserve library space for the active collection, and permit a no-growth…

Examines the history of abridged audio publishing 10 years after the formation of the Audio Publishers Association. Topics include abridged versus unabridged versions for bookstores and libraries; vendors and publishers; future possibilities for CDs and DVD (Digital Versatile Disc); and audio leasing for libraries. (LRW)

This summary of the annual meeting of the New England Library Association presents highlights of presentations on federal aid futures, public relations and internal communications, building and maintaining a videocassette collection, online catalogs, and approval plans, as well as remarks by book award winners, another author, and a publisher.…

Reports results of a survey of public libraries that investigated trends in audiovisual materials. Highlights include format issues; audiobooks; media budgets for various formats; video collections; DVDs; circulation; collection sizes; music CDs; and future possibilities. (LRW)