Academic libraries continue to face funding pressures compounded by the need to provide students with access to electronic resources, both in journal and book formats. With space constraints and the need to repurpose library space to other uses, libraries must carefully examine the move to e-only formats for books to determine if the format makes…

This article explores the closing of the Howard Ross Library of Management at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. We hypothesized that closing a branch library would result in a decline in the use of library services. We measured library service using circulation statistics, library instruction workshop statistics, and data from the online survey…

In this paper the author compares the use of digital materials that have been deposited in The Ohio State University (OSU) Knowledge Bank (KB). Comparisons are made for content considered in scope of the university archives and those considered out of scope, for materials originating from different campus sources, and for different types of…

Important to the cost analysis process is prior consideration and precise description of the scope of the activity and the tasks to be included so that proper methodology can be applied and the data can be collected with consistency and accuracy. The preparatory steps involved in doing a cost study, particularly in the area of cataloging in a…

Discusses the advantages of evaluation of library services and provides examples of decisions that might be aided through evaluation. The three attributes of library service of most concern to the evaluator--costs, effectiveness, and benefits--are considered. Describes general principles of cost-effectiveness and cost-benefit studies in the…

A cost analysis of the problem of growing library collections shows that it is more desirable, economically and academically, to establish regional compact shelving facilities for infrequently used library materials than to discard the materials. This report develops and applies a cost model--based on the Palmour Cost Model--which examines the…

Presents a study of utilization of student employees at Bowling Green State University Library and the development of an allocation formula to provide proportional funding to tasks prioritized by relative operational importance. The study further produced an objective basis for reallocating resources from less essential to more essential tasks.…

Urges library administrators to reject the findings of the Kent Study concerning the curtailment of library acquisitions and the sharing of library materials. The Pittsburgh Senate Library Committee raises serious questions of flawed methodology in the conduct of the study. Seven references are listed. (RAA)

Based on material obtained and observations made in 1982, this Australian study focuses on the British Library's inter-library comparison (ILC) project for academic libraries. The report is presented in five sections, the first of which is a brief introduction. The second section deals with the general concept of inter-organization comparison as a…

This interlibrary loan (ILL) cost study was conducted at Union College Library in Schenectady, New York, in order to provide immediate feedback about ILL as well as to serve as a potential management tool for library and college administrators. This report describes the financial statistics of a 3-year period of use of ILL services at this small,…

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…

Ryan Information Management conducted a return on investment (ROI) study of the economic value of the Hawaii State Public Library System (HSPLS) and identified potential additional sources of operating revenue. HSPLS economic value was examined from four viewpoints, HSPLS: direct economic impact, market value, peer comparison and value to library…