The Simple Index Method overcomes the difficulties in building a core list for serials in interdisciplinary fields by using multiple indexes which cover various aspects of the subject. Collection-development librarians can develop a core list when standard bibliographies or specific indexing and abstracting tools are lacking and can tailor that…

Discusses the need for staff development programs dealing with library service to students with disabilities based on a study of Australian school libraries. Concludes that there is a need for library-specific staff development programs that cover policy formulation, collection development, and adaptive technology, and suggests a model for staff…

Offers suggestions for building school library collections in English and language arts. Discusses how the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) tests for proficiency in three purposes of reading and how it can be used to evaluate a library collection; and includes four annotated bibliographies of books suitable for elementary…

Discusses new ways of selecting information for digital libraries. Topics include increasing the quantity of information acquired versus item by item selection that is more costly than the value it adds; library-publisher relationships; netLibrary; electronic journals; and the SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition)…

Discusses issues related to managing electronic resources in academic libraries from a vendor's perspective. Topics include collection development policies; format and content; decisions to buy, borrow, or link to online resources; ethics and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition); service, cost, and value; vendors'…

This revised edition of competencies for librarians serving children in public libraries was developed by the American Library Association. Highlights include knowledge of client group; administrative and management skills; communication skills; materials and collection development; skills in developing library programs, advocacy, public…

Discusses sources of information useful to teacher-librarians regarding the use of CD-ROMs in schools. Highlights include "CMC News" ("Computers and the Media Center"), the most popular CD-ROM titles in use, the increase in CD-ROM ownership, and primary use of CD-ROMs for reference and current information access. (LRW)

Discusses issues related to increases in the scholarly electronic journals collection at Ohio University. Highlights include acquisition; cataloging; questions for the task force; library technology issues; communication; training; collection development; license agreements; and a public services viewpoint to providing access. (AEF)

Discusses library collection development, comparing the good old days of volume counts, Association of Research Libraries (ARL)/Research Libraries Group (RLG) Conspectus, and fund allocation with the present of document delivery, consortia, electronic access to full text journals. Contends that the electronic world is not supplanting the paper…

Discusses the growing trend in aggregated article databases and includes individual views from a panel discussion. Highlights include publisher's embargoes of current content; views of academic libraries and of vendors; full-text issues; the Tasini v. New York Times Supreme Court case; consortial buying; and future possibilities. (LRW)

Discusses collections of standards by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and the problems they create for technical libraries. Describes a custom-designed Web database at Oregon State University that is linked to online catalog records, thus enhancing access to the standards collection. (LRW)

Focuses on evaluating the school library media collection. Discusses how to figure the age of the collection; comparing the collection to a professional selection source; and how to estimate the cost of upgrading the collection. Includes a sample letter to principal and supporting fact sheet. (AEF)

Discusses outcomes focused assessments of library research instruction using pretests and posttests, attitude and usage surveys, and focus groups at The Citadel library. Suggests that assessment results influence library instruction content, staffing, collection development, and collaboration with other faculty and academic departments.…

To meet budgetary constraints and the rising costs of serials, Eastern Washington University (EWU) has defined a core collection for undergraduate education by linking journal holdings to a specific set of indexes. Describes the EWU core collection, resource allocation to academic departments, and implementation of a document-delivery pilot…

This article reviews the literature to examine whether new technologies have created new ethical dilemmas in librarianship. Four possible areas of concern are identified: privacy and confidentiality, acquisitions and collection development, archiving and preservation, and deskilling and gender bias. (Author/LRW)