Discusses the economics and value of information and describes a study that compared an objective measure, the estimated direct costs to a library to purchase materials or provide services used by specific users, with a subjective measure, exchange values those users would pay for the information. (LRW)

Discusses collection coordination and development in academic libraries and describes collection development activities in the area of psychology at the University of Florida. Barriers to efficient collection development are addressed, including physical, organizational, and discipline-related problems; duplication studies are described; and…

Describes a study that measures and analyzes the map collections of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) using data from 1984 and 1988. Size of collections and growth rate are examined, and a composite index is used to rank the map collections to determine whether maps receive the same attention as other materials. (14 references) (LRW)

Describes how to develop vertical file resources for school libraries. Discusses the importance of having primary sources that are not available in other formats; sources for obtaining materials, including the Internet and printed sources; how to organize the materials; providing access; and promoting the collection. (LRW)

Examines Web sites that provide bibliographic information useful to librarians as well as to end users, some for free and some that charge fees. Highlights include the possibility of canceling database subscriptions; information quality on free Web databases; retrieval-based comparisons between free and fee-based databases; and document delivery…

Presents an alternative method of managing the purchase of volumes in monographic series. The purpose is to both ensure comprehensive review of all volumes in specified monographic series and to allow return of volumes not wanted for the library's collections. (Author/AEF)

Presents guidelines to help school library media specialists create and maintain an attractive, accurate, and current collection of science resources. Discusses weeding; calling for help; and collection rebuilding. Describes several valuable resources for accurate and up-to-date science information. (AEF)

A selection of academic libraries was studied to examine ownership of best-sellers from 1940 to 1990. The trend is to keep a higher percentage of older best-sellers in fiction than newer ones. Nonfiction appears to be more sporadic but still follows this trend. Findings indicate new collection development policies may be needed to protect…

Examines the growing body of literature dealing with interdisciplinary academic research and discusses challenges that the erosion of subject-area boundaries presents to those selecting library materials. Reports on a case study that ascertained patterns of interdisciplinary research at Rutgers University's School of Communication, Information,…

Reviews costs involved in running libraries that are usually not considered. Topics discussed include building and maintenance costs, including insurance; growth costs, including print and/or electronic materials; physical expansion and staff; electronics; cost recovery, i.e., user fees; cost centers and overhead; user-related costs, including…

Describes the design for a digital collection service, an independent mechanism for introducing structure into a distributed space, research by Cornell Digital Library Research Group (CDLRG). Summarizes the component-based digital library architecture that is the context for the design. Describes a collection abstraction that is appropriate for…

If managed well, electronic journals (e-journals) can be extremely efficient, saving money and space while improving access and speeding information delivery. With the help of the Internet, e-journals can also make library collections more accessible to both users and staff. Covering the process of managing electronic serials from licensing,…

This issue covers the broad topic of electronic scholarly publication. Some 25 professionals in 20 libraries, consortia, and publishing enterprises were interviewed for this issue. A section on issues and trends for managers discusses the proliferation of roles and models; assembling the critical mass; licensing, copyright and interlibrary loan;…

This document focuses on intellectual freedom as it relates to school library media centers and instructional materials. Its purpose is to help school districts develop and adopt necessary policies that will build a solid foundation for intellectual freedom as part of the school climate, devise procedures that should be followed when an expression…

This guide serves as an academic departmental planning instrument and provides a description of the various collections, goals, and policies of Southeast Missouri State University's Kent Library. An overview provides information about the library's mission, funding sources and allocation procedures, departmental library liaisons, overall selection…