Student preferences for purchase given limited library budgets

Abstract

Many librarians are struggling to maintain high‐quality collections given limited funding and budget constraints. It has become necessary for librarians to set priorities on the development of book, journal, and electronic journal collections since libraries cannot afford to “have it all”. What would students decide under similar conditions? During March 2002, a survey was distributed to a number of education students at Oakland University to determine the types of materials they would purchase given limited funding. In addition, they were asked about their satisfaction level regarding the present book, journal, and electronic journal collections within the library. Information on class standing and previous library instruction was also obtained. Results from 243 participants indicated that students are fairly satisfied with the collections. Overall, they were more likely to prefer purchase of electronic formats. In addition, students who had previous library instruction are more likely to use electronic journals than those without library instruction.