The Acquisition of Faculty Member Publications at Their University Libraries

Abstract

In this paper I present a case study to test whether two large ARL libraries adequately collect the monographic publications of their local faculty members. The university libraries’ consistently low acquisition rates of publications of their faculty members over time and across the publishing industry cannot be attributed to any single cause. I discuss the many difficulties in acquiring faculty member publications and conclude by suggesting means to improve the acquisition of faculty member publications. Implications and applicability of these two case studies for other academic libraries also are discussed.