This kit prepared by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) contains 15 primary source documents on determining indirect cost rates in research libraries. The kit comprises: (1) six library cost studies and surveys, "Allocation of Library Expenditures to Research and Instruction" (University of Pennsylvania), "Sampling of Current Monograph…

This empirical research examined scale economies of academic research libraries and developed a total cost function for estimating economies of scale. Suggests that libraries in general, and academic research libraries in particular, are information provision organizations that provide multiproducts and multiservices. Findings indicate that slight…

Increasing periodical prices are creating imbalances in library budgets. A study at Kearney State College was undertaken in 1976 to show that it is possible to predict the effect on the budget of any decision to add or drop subscriptions. Periodical lists were divided into departmental subscriptions which were circulated among faculty for input.…

Designed to assist library managers in conducting effective cost studies, this document provides a summary of the data for the 81 member libraries which responded to a survey of technical services cost studies conducted by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) in April 1982, and seven reports of such studies. These reports, which range from…

Considers the decision that branch libraries, music libraries in particular, have struggled with concerning a centralized location in the main library versus a decentralized collection. Reports on a study of the Association of Research Libraries that investigated the location of music libraries, motivation for the location, degrees offered,…

This study was developed on the hypothesis that economic inflation reduced the purchasing power of local support for public libraries from 1967 through fiscal 1976. The total local support for public libraries in each county in each year of the study was adjusted from the reported nominal amount to the relative Consumer Price Index value of 1967…

The Index of American Public Library Circulation dates back to 1939, and the Index of American Public Library Expenditures to 1951. These indexes are based on annual reports from a sample of all American public libraries serving more than 25,000 people each. Using the 1982 American Library Directory, the researchers identified 1,586 public…

Following an explanation of cost-effective studies and the need for them in libraries, part one of this report provides step-by-step instructions, with examples, to enable librarians to conduct such studies in their own setting. Part two provides an example of the use of the model, presenting the results of the cost analysis of monographic…

The case study considers the technical aspects, not the principles, involved in charging the public for the use of lending library service. After examination of the present service it is felt that the following four systems of charge are possible: (1) subscription, or membership surcharge; (2) a unit issue charge; (3) a book reservation charge and…

A data comparison was made between 33 rural libraries in Utah and the essentially rural bookmobile service maintained by the Extension Services Division of the State Library Commission of Utah. The comparison revealed that, in terms of cost per item circulated, bookmobile service was slightly more expensive. Using cost per capita served as a…

A national probability sample was made to survey the costs, the characteristics of materials loaned and borrowed, and the present and future magnitude of interlibrary loans for academic libraries. From a sample of 80 libraries it was found that the cost of a filled loan request varied between two and seven dollars and that lending cost per…

Presents the rationale, method, results, analysis, and discussion of a survey of public libraries in the United States and Canada which asked for sex of director, director's salary, director's length of tenure, size of population served, per capita support, and beginning professional salary. This study extends work by Carpenter and Shearer (1972).…

To gather information about the nature of photocopy services in academic libraries and issues relating to their management, a survey was mailed to each of the 117 members of the Association for Research Libraries (ARL). The survey focused on two components of photocopy services: the self-service copiers placed at strategic locations within the…

This research extends the "Purdue studies" of research library growth, presenting results that include library statistical trends during a 35-year period, 1951-1985. It serves to update Purdue's 9-report series (1965-1973) and is a validation study of Purdue's growth forecasts, 28 of which were published in 1965, then revised in 1971.…

This SPEC kit is based on a June 1987 survey of approval plan use by 94 members of the Association of Research Libraries. It reports on the current practices of these libraries, the perceived advantages and disadvantages of using approval plans, and the effect of increased library materials costs and library automation on such plans. It is noted…