The Impact of Museum Purchase on the Auction Prices of Paintings

This study examines how art museumspurchasing policy influences the auction prices ofpaintings. Using a cross section of non-speculativetransactions during the period 1820–1970, we findconsiderable empirical support for the hypothesisthat public museums outside the U.S. pay above averageprices in auction markets providing higher thanaverage yields to private sellers. The typical U.S.private museums appear to be more restricted byfinancial constraints and the development of thegeneral economic conditions than their publiccounterparts.     

A focus on quality--the library's role in occurrence screening

One of the highest priorities in today's hospitals is the provision of quality care to patients. The medical librarian has an increased responsibility to furnish quality information to the medical staff. Traditional methods of reference service continue to work well, but it is increasingly important for librarians to become more directly involved in hospital quality assurance (QA) activities. Occurrence screening is one system of QA where the librarian can make a difference.