Some Observations on the Past, Present, and Future of Acquisitions in Research Libraries

Abstract

In the early 1980s the Association of Research Libraries was concerned about the financial health of libraries and was looking toward national computer networks. Serious attention was being given to cooperative collection development. By the early 1990s. ARL had established the Office of Scientific and Academic Publishing. Collection sharing was increasingly emphasized in American research libraries as budgets failed to keep pace with prices and publication output. The future will likely be characterized by more specific determination of user needs and an emphasis on access to rather than ownership of information. Copyright issues and document delivery will increase in importance. There will be efforts to maintain core collections of resources to support individual institutions' academic programs, even while cooperative collection development efforts continue. These changes will affect acquisitions staffing and activities in various ways.