The “Business of Acquisitions” regional institute

Abstract

The latest in the series of regional institutes on The Business of Acquisitions was presented by ALA’s Association for Library Collections & Technical Services (ALCTS) on June 6-7, 1991. The institute was planned by the Resources Section, Acquisitions Committee and cosponsored by the New England Technical Services Librarians (a division of the New England Library Association) and the Association of College and Research Libraries/New England Chapter. It was held at Emmanuel College in Boston. The Regional Institute Planning Subcommittee was cochaired by Marilyn McSweeney (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Carol Chamberlain (Pennsylvania State University). Bonnie Naifeh Hili (Tufts University) chaired the Local Arrangements Committee. The diverse faculty of 28 included librarians, publishers, and vendors, and the audience of 125 represented a broad range of experience in different types of libraries and bookselling companies. After an introductory keynote address on the first morning, the intense schedule contained high-powered panel discussions on general topics interspersed with concurrent focus sessions on narrow issues of acquisitions. The following report summarizes each of the sessions, covering major points and particularly noting where current trends may shape the future of acquisitions. Three reporters assisted with the preparation of these summaries: Sandra Beehler (Cornell University Law Library), Beth Jacoby (University of Delaware Library), and Barbara Winters (Virginia Commonwealth University Library). Their reports are indicated in the endnotes.