Core Analysis in Collection Management

A study of the circulation of "core" and "non-core" religion titles in a small liberal arts college library is presented. A configuration of core-titles was established from overlapping listings in two standard check lists; non-core titles were randomly selected. Contrary to recent studies, results show core titles circulating at over twice the annual rate of the non-core. A complex of local factors related to direct promotional efforts rather than avoidance or casual selection by undergraduates is hypothesized as accounting for differential circulation. Implications of internal and comparative circulations of core and non-core materials for collection-management are discussed; the importance of combining use-analysis methodology with conventional qualitative evaulation is emphasized.