Library Collection Management Research Articles

Organization Theories and Collection Management in Libraries

A consideration is presented from the viewpoint of organization theory as to how libraries engage in collection management activities. It is concluded that a separate collection management division must exist in medium- and large-sized libraries, i.e., those with more than 50 employees. Applying Mintzberg's organization theory to library organization, it is suggested that a collection management committee is also necessary to attain totally effective collection planning.

Reference Collection Development Using the RLG Conspectus

Reference collection development should be seen as an integral part of the overall management of academic research library collections. The reference librarian benefits from participation in the de...

The Nature(s) of Literary Research

Changing emphases in literary research affect collection management in university libraries. All such research continues to depend upon strong holdings in journals, monographs, and general reference. To accommodate recent changes of direction that lead scholars in English increasingly to consult sources outside the field, it is becoming difficult to compartmentalize holdings by discipline. The result is pressure upon libraries to increase and broaden the scope of their holdings, despite escalating costs.

Networking and Cooperative Collection Management— The Illinois Experience

Efforts to initiate cooperative collection management have evolved from two distinct networking contexts in Illinois. The earliest was the Illinois Library and Information Network (ILLINET), a statewide network that has grown into a multitype resource‐sharing network of libraries of all kinds and sizes. The second network context was the Library Computer System (LCS), which is based at the University of Illinois, Urbana‐Champaign but includes the holdings of some 30 public and private academic libraries in Illinois. LCS was selected by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) as the unified database on which to build its program for cooperative collection management in Illinois academic libraries.

Collection Analysis in Modern Librarianship

Based on findings from a collection analysis project in the humanities conducted at the University of Maryland, the authors present a stratified, multidimensional model designed to facilitate collection management in academic libraries. Building upon the basic structure of the Research Libraries Group's (RLG) Conspectus, this new tool has the flexibility to address the reality of the joint teaching/research mission of a university while offering a standardized framework for cooperative and coordinated collection development. The proposed model accommodates a wide range of collection analysis techniques, from impressionistic descriptive assessments to complex statistical analysis.

Managing Collections in an Automated Network Environment

The goals of cooperation and collection management in academic libraries may sometimes seem mutually exclusive. Individual institutional objectives may compete and conflict with the objectives of networking partners. The political and financial forces driving a college affect its librarians' commitments to cooperative resource sharing. Today's librarians face problems analagous to those of counselors in social service organizations. A mental health agency's counselors have obligations to society, to their profession, to clients, and to the specific agency unit where they practice (comparable in a university setting to the library). Further, they have ethical ties to a larger parent organization (which would be comparable in the academic library model to the university or college itself).

The Management of Library Collections and Services in Scientific and Technical Libraries in India

The distinguishing characteristics of scientific and technical libraries as information transfer agencies are described. The mere acquisition of documents is not sufficient. Proper management of collections and provision of adequate library services is essential for the library to function as an effective information transfer institution. This study includes a survey of 146 scientific and technical libraries in India regarding the collection management methods followed and the types of library services organized. It also indicates the number of libraries using computers for processing of information and of those making use of online facilities.

International Newspapers for U.S. Academic Libraries

This is an analysis of a study undertaken in the spring of 1986 of the international newspaper collection at the University of Rhode Island Library, Kingston, Rhode Island. The results of that study were used by the University Library's Collection Management Advisory Committee to appraise and evaluate its present international newspaper collection. The Committee as a result of its work made considerable, expansive changes in the library's international newspaper holdings both in number and format. It is felt that the results have general applicability. The methodology and rationale may vary from university to college or even public library, but the final list of what URI chose to add to its collection should be of importance to all in need of a well-developed international newspaper collection.

Optical technology: Considerations for collection development

Collection development librarians are confronting yet another new technology, the optical media. The industry is fast-paced and vacillating. New prototypes and products are introduced in rapid succession. Prices are fluctuating with the demand in the marketplace. This presents unique considerations for collection managers. How will optical technology, particularly CD-ROM, affect the collecting of print and use of online sources? The potential impact of optical technology on library users, user education, collection management, and library budgets is explored in this paper.

Collection Development and Management in Special Libraries in India

Special libraries, as differentiated from general public libraries and academic libraries, are devoted to specialized fields of science and technology, agriculture, medicine, social sciences, economics and the like. Such libraries are attached to research organizations, government departments, departments in universities, industrial organizations, professional societies and trade associations, etc. Special libraries customarily maintain a regular and systematic information service covering the immediate and future interests of the organizations of which they are part. This necessitates the development and management of an adequate collection of books, periodicals, reports, patents, standards, government publications, maps, audio-visual records, etc. issuing from a multitude of publishing bodies. In house publications, market surveys, data files, etc. are also brought together in these collections. All items are of course made available for consultation by being adequately classified or indexed and organised in a particular fashion and maintained for future reference.

Selected Test Collections in the United States:

Although a literature search yields much data on validity, reliability and construction of educational and psychological tests, little information on test collection management in libraries is available. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign initiated a survey of selected test collections in order to verify that their practices conformed with those of other institutions. An attempt was also made to rank collections and compare staff and budget allocations. The fact that two other institutions were found during the distribution and compilation of the survey to be engaged in a similar activity indicates that there is currently great interest in the management of test collections in libraries.

Communications—A Comment on Managing Library Collections

In Sinha and Clelland (Sinha, B.K., R. C. Clelland. 1976. Modeling for the management of library collections. Management Sci. 22 (5, January) 547–557.) a set of models is developed to aid in the management of library collections. In particular, two questions are addressed: 1. How many items in a given class of books or journals should be acquired in a given year? 2. How long should such items be retained in the active collection?

Bibliometrics in Library Collection Management:

No abstract available for this article.

Communication—Modelling Library Collections

Sinha and Clelland's recently published paper [Sinha, B. K., R. C. Clelland. 1976. Modeling for the management of library collections. Management Sci. 22 (5) 547–557.] was received by the editor in September 1972, and this no doubt explains their apparent ignorance of recent literature.

Modeling for the Management of Library Collections

This paper presents a general model for approaching the problem of control of the active collection of a library through the acquisition and weeding processes. It assumes that age of book and size of holding are important in this process and recognizes constraints related to shelf space and the acquisitions budget. It then discusses three special cases of the model with shelf space the binding constraint as well as certain empirical work that tends to support a negative exponential form for demand as a function of age.