The Efficient Provision of Information Resources in Academic Libraries: Theory and Practice

Abstract

Due to the increasing availability of digital content and systems improvements that have accelerated physical delivery, academic libraries are afforded opportunities to more efficiently provide users access to library materials. A theory for efficient provision of information resources, and thus more efficient use of financial resources, was proposed by one of the coauthors in "The Future of Academic Library Materials Expenditures: A Thought Experiment." The strategies on which the theory is based include purchase on demand, library publishing, and improved open access discovery. This article details the theory and then examines IUPUI University Library's experience of implementing strategies based on this theory. The authors analyze the effectiveness of the theory and offer guidance for libraries considering a similar path.

Holding it together: an exploratory study on the social structures of digital collection management

“…The proliferation of new media during the 1980s challenged traditional collection development practices. Floppy disks, videocassettes, and CD-ROMs threatened to unseat the book as the coin of the academic library collection realm (Miller, 2000). During this transitional period, "librarians.…”

“…The proliferation of new media during the 1980s challenged traditional collection development practices. Floppy disks, videocassettes, and CD-ROMs threatened to unseat the book as the coin of the academic library collection realm (Miller, 2000). During this transitional period, “librarians…nervously eyed a rapidly changing marketplace in which new products, services, and ideas were appearing and disappearing faster than Andy Warhol’s 15-minute celebrities” (Pitman, 1995, p. 352).…”

“…Not even the appearance during the 1980s of new media like floppy discs, CD-ROMs, and videocassettes fundamentally altered the collection manager's calculus as these materials no less than books claimed shelf space. Separately, notwithstanding interlibrary loan agreements, the brick-and-mortar academic library served few users beyond its limited university community, and users had access to few resources beyond those that the library provided (Miller, 2000). Expedient collections emerged out of the dialectic between libraries' physical limitations and local users' needs.…”

Machine Learning in the Construction of Library's Special Collection Document Information Resources

“…Many scholars believe that the reading amount and quality of books and periodicals are unstable. At the same time, some people pointed out that the current construction of document IR in China needs to be improved [11][12].…”