This paper examines the impact of process mapping on the management of change in an academic library in a UK higher education institution. Book ordering has been highlighted by a group of subject librarians as being time-consuming and inefficient, detracting from their ability to respond to new challenges and opportunities. An action research…

Academic libraries have always been deeply associated with their collections, but the nature of those collections has changed radically as we have entered the digital age. As libraries continue to evolve, they will focus strongly on special collections while adopting a goal of providing access to as much other content as possible. The collection…

In January 2008, the Belk Library & Information Commons at Appalachian State University combined the Access Services staff members of the Circulation and Lower Level Service Desks with the Reference and Instruction team as part of a library-wide reorganization effort. The new team balanced what had been a staff-dominated Access Services team…

Introduction: Our aim is to compare the advantages and problems of e-book acquisition identified in research literature to those experienced by two Swedish university libraries. Method: A literature review was used to identify the main issues related to acquisition of e-books by academic libraries. The data for comparison were collected through…

This paper looks at the challenges that libraries in Africa face in responding to massification of higher education by discussing the University of Zambia library's response in library and information resources provision. As a result of massification of higher education, libraries have been forced not only to employ new and different strategies to…

Sociology resources housed in the campus library potentially offer valuable support for a department's instructional efforts. Provided is a strategy for (1) evaluating an existing library collection; (2) correcting extant deficiencies; and (3) maintaining the balance and quality of the collection on an ongoing basis. (Author/RM)

Describes the method used by Bates College Library to evaluate periodicals. (PF)

Allocating adequate materials funds from the university operation budget is essential if libraries in China's key universities are to successfully support their learning and research communities. This article examines funding problems, and suggests proposals for change: establish a deducting-percentage system; enhance integrated resources…

This paper discusses the need and provides guidelines for the preparation of policy statements on reference collection development for academic libraries. Policy elements recommended for inclusion are statements on collection objectives, collection scope, physical size, types of material, selector roles, removal procedures, and interdepartmental…

Reviews advantages and disadvantages of off-campus library materials shelving in the context of Yale University Library's planning for its new Off-Campus High Efficiency Shelving Facility. Discusses issues raised by the task of deciding what materials go in, who makes the decisions, how to identify what goes on, and how faculty are consulted in…

This manual formulates guidelines and serves as a policy document for microforms service at the Microforms Desk of the Government Publications and Microforms Department of the University of California, Irvine. Introductory materials include a description of the nature of the service and statements of its objectives and policies for dealing with…

This paper addresses organization and management issues related to library material selection and acquisitions in the digital age, based on the author's experiences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill library. The first part of the paper focuses on selection. The following principles of selection are discussed: (1) developing a…

Presents a model for decision making concerning allocation of academic library materials to various levels of access (e.g., branch or central library open access shelving, compact shelving, depository facility, or interlibrary loan). Variables included in the model are the size of the collection, distribution of use, effects of time on use, and…

Securing adequate insurance coverage is an important aspect of preserving library collections. Insurers determine rates, within an institution's limits of coverage, based on the library building's environment and the library's estimate of the collection's replacement cost. Methods of categorizing and projecting these costs are explored with…

Based on responses to a survey from 79 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries, this Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit explores how these libraries are currently addressing management issues associated with materials budgets. The survey addressed the following broad areas: how libraries define their materials…