Delineates the types of decisions involved in the preservation of library collections and suggests decision-making structures and criteria for each type of decision. The information gaps which limit the ability to make intelligent preservation decisions are also discussed. (Author/JL)

Collection use study is a must if research collections are to meet scholarly needs while competing for scarce financial resources. Such studies will be in harmony with the realities under which academic libraries must operate in the future. (RAA)

Advocates government support for publishing of Canadian materials through grants and book purchases, in order that libraries may enhance their collections of native works. Inclusion of native scholarly works in academic and research libraries is cited as an important example. Interrelationships between library and publisher are encouraged to…

Discusses the pressure placed on research libraries to maintain a balanced collection of serials and monographs, and presents an allocation formula for serial versus monograph budgeting. The formula is based on the findings of over 50 studies that used citation analysis to determine the actual percentage of serials versus monographs used by…

Argues that the quality of information provided to scholars by microform sets of manuscript collections, as compared to original manuscripts and critical editions, does not justify the expansion of research libraries' collection boundaries and fiscal responsibilities to include such materials. (CLB)

These five articles are transcripts from a seminar sponsored by OCLC and the Research Libraries Group (RLG) that discussed returning bibliographic data from local systems to the bibliographic utilities. Highlights include problems facing academic research libraries; present and future methodologies of data exchange; workflow concerns; and policy…

Examines organizational commitment in unionized and nonunionized research libraries based on a survey of 400 professional employees at 26 libraries. Organizational commitment was studied in relation to union presence, union membership status, and union commitment. (Contains 22 references.) (KRN)

Describes the historical development of libraries and bibliographic instruction (BI) under the Communist system; provides impressions of research libraries visited during a tour of Saint Petersburg (Russia), Kiev (Ukraine), and Budapest (Hungary); and gives examples of BI as it exists in Eastern Europe today. (KRN)

Introduces five articles on Cornell University's (New York) Mann Library by discussing the ideal research library; traditional and new models of the research library; how Mann Library is evolving to meet user expectations; and staff participation. Sidebar articles cover selected digital library projects, online primary journals, and a project…

Discusses an apparent case of censorship via card catalog indexing in a Florentine research library. The challenge to the authenticity of a fresco by Simone Martini is explained, the ethics of collegiality are considered, and attempts to find redress through various library associations are recounted. (18 references) (LRW)

Explores the usefulness of the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) to humanities scholars. Contends that factors such as inaccessibility of terminals and difficult-to-use interfaces inhibit the utility of the database. Maintains that use of the RLIN should help database managers plan the next generation of information systems. (CFR)

Defines and discusses strategies for digital preservation. Describes the United Kingdom's CURL (Consortium of University Research Libraries) exemplars in digital archives project "Cedars" led by the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Leeds to address strategic, methodological, and practical issues, and to provide guidance in best…

Reviews the first year of operation of the Researchers' Center of the Queensland University of Technology Library; the Center provides research-level students and academic staff with access to electronic products, on-hand expert advice, and state-of-the-art study space. Discusses the impetus for the Center, issues relating to its establishment,…

Presents a model of the relation between the circulation at a large library, the collection at that library, and the size of the user population. Analysis of data at United States academic research libraries reveals a square-root law describing this relation. Explores theoretical foundations and speculates on bibliometric implications. (Author/AEF)

Discusses issues facing research libraries relating to information technology and access to information. Considers the proliferation of digital information; the reliability of digital information; traditional library roles in the support of scholarship and research; future issues; and current projects relating to digital information. (LRW)