This study addresses itself to several questions important to most public libraries. How should the library allocate its book budget? What kinds of books should it tend to buy? What types of households use the library? Why do some households not use the library? What is the cost of the various services provided by the library? What specific steps…

To examine library usage by faculty and students in the Schools of Engineering at Purdue University, data was analyzed from a sample of 12,000 loans during a three month period. User level (graduate student, undergraduate, faculty, or staff) and subject of borrowed material as indicated by Dewey Decimal Classification were examined for each major…

This annotated bibliography surveys current selection and finding sources for print and non-print materials. It is designed as a source of collection building information for school media centers and school learning resource centers. Reviews, finding lists, and bibliographies covering preschool through college level materials are included. Books,…

The author, a Boston-based writer who focuses on the problems of education, visited Cuba to study its school system firsthand. This article is about his stay at the Martyrs of Kent Junior High School, en campo--out in farm country. (Editor/RK)

Presents data on the use of microfilm backfiles of 140 periodicals over a three-year period in a community college library, showing 25 percent of titles were unused in each year, with five titles accounting for over 50 percent and 30 titles for over 90 percent of use. Scholarly journals were rarely used. (RT)

Efforts to establish a library for laboratory instructional materials is being initiated by a group of concerned university educators. The main function of this library will be to collect descriptions of biological systems and supporting materials that are effective in laboratory instruction. Contributors are being solicited. (Author/MA)

Considers the research value of four types of newsletters on arms control, disarmament, and peace: direct-action, informational, scholarly, and single-issue. An annotated list of 58 newsletters includes those considered most significant of their type and recommended for library collections. (EM)

In the face of emergencies, emergency managers should turn to academic libraries. These libraries can serve as gateways through which information from their collection, the faculty of their institutions, and ultimately the whole of the academic community may be tapped to manage emergencies successfully. (Author/EM)

Considers the future of microforms by surveying the history of their use in libraries; reviewing the literature about them; and comparing them with electronic databases, full text delivery, and laser disks. It is concluded that microforms will continue to be the primary providers of significant but rarely used retrospective materials. (EM)

A survey of 29 medium-sized academic libraries gathered data on collection development methods in foreign literatures including the language and academic background of the bibliographer; bases of selection decisions; acquisition rates for French, German, and Spanish literature as compared to English/American literature; acquisition practices; and…

A survey at the University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria) examined faculty attitudes toward returning overdue library books. Results were analyzed using the cluster method of factor analysis, and forgetfulness of library obligation and personalization of resources were identified as the primary factors influencing faculty to retain books. The…

Statistics on book budgets, population served, and collection size of individual public libraries in New York State were correlated with their circulation data to examine efficiency of scale for mid-size libraries. Findings show that circulation increases erratically with increased book budgets and size of population, but consistently with…

Outlines the history of the application of photographic and allied printing methods in libraries during the past 50 years. The benefits of reprints and micropublications to libraries and users are discussed, and the possible impact of computer output microfilm is examined. (19 references) (Author/CLB)

Reports the results of a survey which examined the availability and use of comic books in school libraries and the attitudes of librarians, teachers, and administrators toward such materials. A selected bibliography of articles that discuss the use of comic books as instructional materials is provided. (CLB)

Describes attempts to develop quantitative formulas for determining book fund allocations, and discusses the difficulties of this approach in a university environment characterized by scarce resources and conflicting departmental goals. A set of procedural rules intended to promote fair and equitable allocations is presented. (36 references) (CLB)