This report presents statistics on how Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries spend money on electronic resources. This report indicates that expenditures for electronic resources account for 25%, on average, of ARL institutions' library materials budgets. ARL libraries reported spending more than $228 million on electronic…

ARL is the bimonthly report on research library issues and actions from ARL (Association of Research Libraries), CNI (Coalition of Networked Information), and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). ARL reports on current issues of interest to academic and research library administrators, staff, and users; higher education…

The "ARL Annual Salary Survey 2004-05" reports salary data for all professional staff working in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) libraries. The ARL represents the interests of libraries that serve major North American research institutions. The Association operates as a forum for the exchange of ideas and as an agent for…

This report, based on visits to Vietnamese libraries and archives between 1987 and 1997, examines the largely unexplored corpus of Vietnamese textual resources in research institutions and libraries there and elsewhere, the associated problems of bibliographic control, and issues of preservation. The following topics are addressed: the history of…

This SPEC (Systems and Procedures Exchange Center) Kit reports results of a survey attempting to characterize "branch libraries" and "discrete collections" housed in main academic libraries. The results provide a snapshot of current definitions, subject areas, services, and administration of these collections, as well as…

No single library can hope to acquire and organize for use more than a fraction of the primary sources of popular culture. Interinstitutional cooperation in identifying and preserving these fragile records of American culture is underway, but many unsolved problems remain for librarians and scholars. (8 references) (Author)

This report pertains to a large research library beginning the change-over to shared cataloging by an on-line system, and the early stages of the implementation of computer techniques for part of the technical processes system of the Ohio College Library Center (OCLC). (Author)

Common policies, practices, and trends in acquisitions in the complex field of area studies, including the weak structure of the book trade, the lack of bibliographic control, and current cooperative efforts. (JS)

Based on a longer, more detailed paper prepared for the 1970 Midwinter Meeting of the Association of Research Libraries, this article discussion auutomation in the context of the management, facilities and system requirements for large research libraries. (Author/NH)

Reports the results of a survey of academic library circulation managers to identify the degree of circulation automation and to discover their attitudes toward the circulation role, service issues, and user demands. The survey found a depressed state of circulation development and support in ARL libraries. (RAA)

Reports the results of a study performed to determine preferred and effective usage of search keys utilized by OCLC users. The study used the research library facilities of Ohio State University to examine information retrieval behavior for acquisitions and cataloging information. (RAA)

Anticipation of current and future needs of scholars should be a major concern of builders of research collections. This may result in a certain percentage of unused books; however, this is a justified and necessary expense if scholarship and research are to continue. (RAA)

Reading is the key for reference librarians to increase general and subject knowledge for continuing professional growth. Continuing education has been limited in practice and thinking to the technical aspects of the profession. (RAA)

Reviews the history, literature, and methodology of collection evaluation or assessment in American research libraries; discusses current problems, tools, and methodology of evaluation; and describes an ongoing collection evaluation program at the Stanford University Libraries. (Author/MBR)

Argues that the entrance of research libraries into the "arena," i.e., the area of public responsiveness, is a necessary adjustment to current realities. The special situations of patron-sponsored, affiliated, and independent research libraries are discussed in this light, using the Folger Library in Washington, D.C., as an example. (JD)