Current Initiatives for E-Journal Archives and Perpetual Access at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals

The article discusses the need for initiatives to be undertaken by the King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Library administration to acquire archives of and perpetual access to its subscribed electronic journals. It also reports the findings of a survey conducted to ascertain the publishers' positions on archiving services and the right to permanently access licensed materials paid for during the period of a license agreement. The findings are expected to help the library to plan for securing the right over a three-year period to ongoing access to the back files of journals from fifteen commercial and society publisher platforms.     

Electronic Information Services and Bibliographic Retrieval Education Programs at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals Library in Saudi Arabia

The article reviews various definitions of information literacy and discusses a study conducted at the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) Library to reassess the need for information literacy, to identify factors which influenced non-attendance, to evaluate the impact of the program, and comments and suggestions used. The major findings include: there is a dire need for information literacy; participants found the programs useful; and one-on-one method coupled with seminars were more effective and more preferred by the participants. The article also advances a set of recommendations for improving bibliographic retrieval education programs at the KFUPM Library and other libraries in Saudi Arabia and other countries.     

Off-campus acquisitions at Deakin University Library

Deakin University has been committed to off-campus education since its establishment in 1977. Here, the implications of this commitment for the University Library are set out, library activities in relation to new courses for off-campus students are discussed, and the relevant acquisitions procedure is explained. Specific areas such as the delivery/return system, decisions on multiple copies, availability of journal articles, and Study Center library provision are considered. Six problem areas in provision to off-campus students are examined. Finally, the future role of the library in relation to the off-campus mode of instruction is considered, particularly in light of technological change and of attitudes to distance education.     

Notis acquisitions in operation

The acquisitions module of NOTIS (Northwestern Online Total Integrated System), implemented in 1971 at Northwestern University Library, is one part of a system which also includes cataloging, circulation, and patron access (LUIS: Library User Information Service). The module is comprehensive and provides for the full range of acquisitions activities including ordering, receiving, posting payments, claiming, and issue-by-issue check-in of serials. NOTIS is a sophisticated yet flexible system which has freed us from cumbersome manual operations.     

The acquisitions allocation formula at Ohio University

The allocations formula at Ohio University has guided the allocation of increased acquisitions funding to academic disciplines since 1979. It is derived from a 50-50 division between supply (the cost of materials within a particular academic area) and demand (circulation, interlibrary loan borrowing, student enrollments, and faculty). The use and rationale for a formula are generally described, accompanied by a history of the development and revision of such a formula at one institution. Highlighting intra-institutional politics, the formula has channeled faculty dissatisfactions away from complaints about the funding level for one discipline vis-à-vis another to a concern for increasing the overall acquisitions budget.     

University library planning: The experience of the university of petroleum and minerals

The digital divide is severe in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The prevailing digital divide will continue to exist and define the characteristics of the digital information environment of the sub-region as it influences, along with other concerns, the information needs of end-users in the sub-region. The model of information needs of end-users in the electronic information environment and observations and theories from the literature of Library and Information Science (LIS) show that the information needs of end-users in SSA are for information content that is relevant for day-to-day tasks and that is adequately accessible and effectively usable within the capabilities of the information and communications technology (ICTs) that they possess and their level of skill in manipulating the ICTs. The model of the information needs of end-users in the electronic information environment presents the nature of user tasks, the state of electronic resources in use, and user experience in using the electronic resources as factors giving rise to information needs of end-users in a digital information environment. The principles of least effort, satisficing, utility and accessibility particularly give support to the argument of the paper: that end-users need information content that is adequately accessible and effectively usable within the capabilities of ICTs currently in use by the end-users concerned. Recognizing the nature of the information needs of the end-users of SSA will help in meeting their needs as well as in selecting appropriate interventions in addressing the digital divide in the sub-region.     

Catalog outsourcing at Wright State University: Implications for acquisitions managers

In 1993, the administration of the Wright State University Libraries decided to outsource its cataloging operations to improve the quality and reduce the costs of cataloging. A number of alternatives were considered and rejected; outsourcing was deemed to be the most appropriate solution for WSU. The decision was influenced by the business management literature that advocates radical reengineering of processes. Although some acquisitions processes have been performed for years by vendors, these processes should be reexamined and questioned, especially with the rise of electronic publishing. Increased outsourcing of acquisitions may be one answer. Even with outsourcing, acquisitions managers will still be required, but they will need a broad set of skills and qualities to face the new electronic environment. These skills are outlined and discussed.     

Nuts and bolts: acquisitions and cataloging at Kenyon

This article briefly describes the acquisitions workflow at a small, liberal arts college library as one possible method to utilize a book vendor’s online system. The discussion focuses on the logistics of the workflow and the interaction between the system and the library’s ILS. Outsourcing of cataloging and physical processing are also discussed.     

Collection development and acquisitions for library services to students of Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University

This paper provides background information on Thailand's Thammathirat Open University (STOU) and summarizes the main services provided to STOU students. It then examines library and educational media services and gives special attention to acquisitions policies and procedures as well as to budgeting. Finally, particular problems and possible solutions are considered.     

博物馆藏品征集和终止收藏中的道德问题

博物馆作为收藏、保护、研究、展示人类文化遗产和自然标本的社会公共机构,在实际工作中,往往会涉及许多道德问题,例如如何征集、保藏和处置藏品,如何向公众展示,如何对待观众,如何筹集资金,如何要求从业人员,以及如何认识博物馆自身的存在,等等。目前,博物馆的发展已经成为社会文明程度的体现,广受政府当局和社会民众的重视。国际的、国家的、区域性的及个案的博物馆规章制度出台很多,它们作为伦理约束被接受并自觉遵守,似乎是完全有必要的。但是,结合实际情况,我们却不难发现,这种道德约束的理想时常与现实发生矛盾和冲突…     

Cost analysis of the LIBRIS II automated acquisitions system at the university of Texas at Dallas library

The costs of using the LIBRIS automated acquisitions system at the University of Texas at Dallas Library are analyzed for three fiscal years during the mid-1980s. Expenditures are tabulated for the monthly fee, equipment rental, unit charges, communications and supplies, while the division between fixed and variable costs is calculated. The top-down method is used to determine the average cost per order. The paper concludes that because the incremental costs of additional orders is always less than the average cost per order, LIBRIS becomes more cost effective at higher levels of ordering.