This study measured the following performance factors at the Cleveland Health Science Library: user bibliographic information; collection development policy; acquisition policy; user catalog; circulation; library operation/functioning; and user search. Book availability rates were similar to rates for other academic libraries, and book…

This study tested assumptions about self-sufficiency of academic library collections and the paradigm shift to providing access to information stored elsewhere. Inter-library borrowing statistics of Australian libraries were correlated with collection size. The study concluded that collection self-sufficiency is a fallacy and that the information…

Examines the problem of measuring library performance objectively, with particular attention to the service rendered to the users of the library. (Author)

Examines the problem of aging of books in university libraries and presents a mathematical model of the aging process. Indexes for the aging time limit, over-age book rate, and aging rate are suggested; use of the mean unit price is considered; and countermeasures for control of the aging process are proposed. (four references) (MES)

Develops an empirical model for predicting the size of an information store necessary to satisfy specified levels of demand. A method for selecting items for retirement with the least adverse impact on the store is suggested. Three tables, three figures, and a 10-item reference list are included. (Author/JL)

Proposes and explains a modification of the mixed Poisson model for library circulations which takes into account the periods when a book is out on loan and therefore unavailable for borrowing. Highlights include frequency of circulation distributions; negative binomial distribution; and examples of the model at two universities. (Contains 34…

Discusses issues relating to costs of library and information services in the academic library in transition, reviews the functional cost analysis method, and presents selected data gathered from a larger study on the costs and value of various library services. Applications to a digital information environment are also discussed. (Author/LRW)

Uses bibliometric techniques in the development of a model of the distribution of demand for items in an information store. The hypothesis of hyperbolic distribution and an index of differential demand are also discussed. One table, two figures, and a 10-item reference list accompany the text. (Author/JL)

Addresses the hypothesis that a shift toward more widely-available, less comprehensive workstation indexes is changing the nature of academic library research (based on statistical data from the chemistry library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Topics include an explanation of Zipf's "Principle of Least Effort" and…

Examines the distribution of use of items in a large information store and suggests that a simple exponential model describes the process of obsolescence more precisely. Three tables, four figures, and a 17-item reference list are included. (Author/JL)

Utilizing 11 years of University of Saskatchewan circulation transactions, it is shown that P. M. Morse's Markov model of book use fits approximately 99 percent of data for whole collection and for three subject areas; contrary to his assumptions, one of the model's parameters is time dependent. Thirteen references are included. (EJS)

This study compares the rates of single renewal and return from the home loan of English language books of The Ohio State University Libraries across subjects and patron status. The chi square test of equal proportionality is used to make comparisons between data sets. Ten sources are given. (Author/EJS)

Discusses the length of library loan periods and the number of books allowed to be borrowed. An integer programming model is formulated whose solution yields the optimum user satisfaction, and a case study conducted at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Saudi Arabia) is presented. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the cyclic nature of library use focuses on the use of spectral analysis to identify periods in library circulation series and pickup for shelving at the State University of New York at Buffalo. The theoretical context of time and frequency domains is presented. (Author/LRW)

Argues that the gamma mixture of Poisson processes, for all its perceived defects, can be used to make predictions regarding future library book circulations of a quality adequate for general management requirements. The use of the model is extensively illustrated with data from two academic libraries. (Nine references) (CLB)