Discussion of access versus holdings of academic library materials and the performance of document-delivery services focuses on work at the University of Liverpool (United Kingdom) that is investigating existing and future document supply services, including costs. Expresses concern regarding the low level of subject coverage by many of the…

Arguing that library and information needs should be met at the national, rather than at the local level, this report analyzes ways to meet these needs with special reference to the role of national libraries. The first two chapters highlight such library and information concerns as: (1) collection and preservation of documents of national…

The Lancaster County (Pennsylvania) public library, which receives many school districts' interlibrary loan requests, experienced a 100% increase in periodical article requests. Working cooperatively, school and public librarians developed a LSCA Title II grant to study magazine usage to make cost-effective decisions about improving timely access…

Presents the results of a survey of Canadian academic libraries that was conducted to determine areas of needed research in light of changes in technology and user needs. Suggestions for research included collection development, automation and user access, government role, copyright, serials price increases, and library administrators' attitudes…

Discusses the changing environment of the academic library, highlighting the role of collection development librarians and listing issues for collection development officers: ownership/access, consortia, collections analysis, intellectual property/fair use, public relations, allocation formulas, library research, collection balance, rising costs,…

The purpose of this study was: (1) to examine the opinions of a selected group of public and private high school students regarding their perceptions of the level of accessibility to their school libraries (accessibility defined as times when students think they were allowed to be in the library); (2) to determine whether or not students feel the…

Traditionally, libraries have had a role of providing equitable access for those who might not otherwise have access, and this role continues today in implementing access to electronic resources. However, there are special problems in applying this mission to prison libraries. A short history of automation in prison libraries is followed by a…

This paper reports on a study in which a select bibliography of gay fiction was compiled and checked against the catalogs of the public libraries in Franklin County, Ohio, in order to determine the collection extent and whether catalog subject access is provided for these works. Results show that the percentage of checklist titles held by each…

The purpose of this study was to find out to what extent K-12 fiction and nonfiction books about and for hearing impaired children and adolescents are included in the collections of the seven public libraries in Franklin County, Ohio. Two core bibliographies were compiled through content analysis of selective bibliographic sources. Via dial-up…

In April 2000, the Digital Library Federation commissioned three reports to address broader concerns about digital collections in research libraries. This report synthesizes the nearly 10 years' experience that libraries have had digitizing items from their rare, special, and general collections, and making them available online. The report…

This report focuses on practices related to the selection and presentation of commercially available electronic resources. As part of the Digital Library Federation's Collection Practices Initiative, the report also shares the goal of identifying and propagating practices that support the growth of sustainable and scalable collections. It looks in…

The role of the research library and issues in access to increasing quantities of information are discussed, including the problems of cataloging and classifying information and the barriers to access often created by librarians. (MSE)

Discusses electronic resources and collection development. Topics include how electronic resources are changing the world of access to information; how and why scholars and research libraries use electronic resources; digitization initiatives; knowledge and learning via the Web; archiving electronic resources; and building collections versus…

Discussion of special collections materials focuses on independent research libraries. Topics include how collection development differs; who they serve; access to the collections, including digital access; and future challenges, especially the need for increased financial support, changes in scholarly communication, and the need for increased…

Library collections and their value and uses in the Library of Congress are the topics addressed in this pamphlet, which features two opposing papers. In "Collections at the Core," Stephen Ostrow argues that priority should be given to such collection-based activities as developing, preserving, and providing access to, in their original…