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This article considers the distinct challenges that works of art pose for those managing non-art specialist research libraries across the United Kingdom. Using analysis of survey and case-study interview data, the article demonstrates that current approaches to the management of art in non-art specialist research libraries are uneven in such key areas as collection management; cataloguing; storage and access; and librarianship and training. This article seeks to build consensus on best practices with respect to the management of art in libraries and proposes practical recommendations for libraries seeking to improve the care and use of the art in their collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study shares the results of a citation analysis performed on the publications of the faculty of the College of Business at a large public university in the southern United States for the years 2014–2018. The study examined articles produced by the faculty over the last five years, as well as their cited references and citing articles, in an attempt to establish a list of core journals for business and uncover potential gaps in coverage. Implications for collection development are addressed, as are the benefits for early-career librarians or those unfamiliar with the publishing behaviors of a newly assigned subject discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding an appropriate temporary storage location for books and providing access to them is a significant challenge for libraries undergoing renovations. The current article describes the use of a document management company by an academic library to store 430,000 books for 8 months and provide a retrieval-on-demand service. Aspects covered include the selection of a commercial storage provider with its own retrieval service; details of the move to and from offsite storage; the integration of the service with library processes; communications and user feedback; book usage during the storage period; overall costs; and lessons learned from the experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RefAnalytics, part of Springshare's LibAnswers, is a tool intended for tracking various statistical datasets, but Chicago State University's Library decided to use it in part as a tool for collection development, in order to reorder missing items, update older books on various topics, and order new books on issues/topics that the library did not yet purchase. The article presents the various types of data collected and the way the data is used for collection development purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patrons and scholars are increasingly likely to first encounter a collection in a digital space rather than a physical one. This article considers how to utilize data visualization in an academic library to promote a unique collection to remote visitors. In order to create awareness of the Valente Italian Library at Seton Hall University, one of the largest Italian collections in the United States, subject librarians considered ways to convey and describe the collection beyond the search box or the discovery filters of the catalog. After considering meaningful data points available in the records data, the authors harvested, cleaned, and mined the data for interesting collection facets. Visualizations were created from the data and the authors explore whether they offer a greater understanding of the collection and aid in telling its story, as well as recreate a sense of browsing for the online visitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on a multi-dimensional model to collection development and licensing applied in our library following a major separation from a joint-licensing venture with another institution. Our model includes the use of several core metrics, including usage and the context in which usage is measured. The model includes three metrics; Research Intensity (RI), Educational Intensity (EI) and Clinical Intensity (CI). These metrics take into account the differences between research and non-research departments, and their disciplinary foci. This model can be used in its entirety or can be customized by selecting the metrics that fits the needs of the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One pressing issue in libraries today is the censorship of information. This theoretical essay uses Kurt Lewin's gatekeeping theory to examine the decision-makers as well as the different pressures and constraints that are at issue in decisions regarding challenges and censorship attempts that occur in regards to library collections. Knowing who the decision-makers, or gatekeepers, are in the decision-making process, whether it is library boards, library directors, or public officials, is crucial to the understanding of censorship in public libraries. Without a clear understanding of the function of gates and gatekeepers in the decision-making process, libraries may allow unintended censorship of ideas and information to persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indigenous Nations Library Program (INLP) at the University of New Mexico is entering its twelfth year of program history and developing a unique venture into Indigenous librarianship. Rather than taking a passive role of information literacy and content support, INLP is participating as an active cognitive participant in Indigenous knowledge contextualization. INLP has done this in various ways including designating culturally sensitive learning spaces, collection development, and Indigenous knowledge promotion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study was a survey of public librarians in Ohio who were responsible for collection development. The survey asked about collection development practices and intellectual freedom; the response rate was 43%. The majority of respondents had a master of library science, were female, were older than 45, and worked in a library for over ten years. Respondents were asked about pressure in collection development decisions, agreement with intellectual freedom statements, collection of hypothetical controversial items, and correspondence between personal beliefs and professional intellectual freedom statements. This survey indicates that, in general, librarians' actions reflect their belief in intellectual freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors analyzed bibliographies from three departments’ undergraduate senior theses, with the goal of improving both collection development and information literacy instruction. Though undergraduate students were not citing major journals or key authors, the study revealed popular research topics, which will inform collection development. The finding that the library owned 70% of the journal articles undergraduates cited suggests that they are more likely to cite what their own institution owns, and thus a strong collection can have a significant influence on undergraduate work. The data also prompted conversations with faculty about their expectations and current strategies for guiding undergraduate research, which will allow librarians to improve instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the new role of academic libraries in higher education and shows how it has changed collection development objectives to serve a nontraditional constituency not served in the past. This is illustrated, in part, by Kent State University Library's review and selection of language-learning software, motivated by the university's strategic initiatives for globalization. It demonstrates a new trend to purchase resources that support administrative agendas and non-teaching programs, and the impact this has on how libraries frame collection development policies and allocate dollars for library content. As collection managers are redirecting support to revenue-building objectives, are they compromising support of educational objectives? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As libraries seek to demonstrate the value of the services and collections they provide, gathering and using data assume a central role. Librarians on collections-related Listservs were invited to participate in a survey in order to identify data practices specifically related to collections. More than 200 librarians responded. The survey explored the ways collections data are being used as well as organizational practices and attitudes that might serve to either encourage or discourage the use of data, including training, librarian evaluations, and presence of data assessment components in job descriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a novel approach being developed at Oregon State University Libraries to move beyond usage statistics as a method to capture the larger impact of a specific set of resources for faculty. Utilizing a custom developed survey application, Oregon State University collection development librarians are able to modify the proxy workflow, inserting a point-of-use survey, allowing data collection to occur at the point of need and only on specific resources of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mid-size academic libraries face limited funding and space but are expected to provide the tools their students and faculty need to compete in research. A resulting concern is whether to weed potentially useful paper finding aids of the pre-online era. One example is the National Union Catalog Pre-1956 Imprints (NUC). Has the content and current use of the NUC justified its retention? The authors provide historical background of the NUC and the results of a survey of librarians from mid-size academic institutions that explores their perspectives on the tool's continued utility and their institutions’ ultimate decisions on its fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the sustainability challenges faced by several librarians in terms of collection management and offering better services to students and the public. It mentions that there has been a call for many academic libraries to focus on creating more responsible operational models in terms of environmental impact if they are to keep information open and free to all. It relates how libraries have been managing their collections, are acquiring books and are making improvements on how they handle their materials.

Many academic libraries have liaison programs as a means of building relevant and useful library collections and to promote library resources to campus users. Librarians have long served as liaisons without the benefit of much data to guide decisions. In this age of library budget cuts, librarians need to make every dollar count. What collection and use data help liaisons build a quality monograph collection that better meets the needs of library users? This article offers some ideas for providing the data needed by liaisons for more informed decision making and collection management and, ultimately, for ensuring that library materials purchased are needed and used. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article discusses the significance of change management in libraries and offers the authors' opinions on how librarians can approach the various challenges associated with change, with particular focus on the problem of resistance to change. The authors make several predictions about the field of library science between 2011 and 2016 including a reduction in the physical size of library collections, changes in relations between publishers and libraries, and the growth of electronic books (e-books) and e-book readers. Topics include electronic publishing and libraries, computers in libraries, and the importance of having a clear library vision.

The author offers opinions on collection management and collection development in academic libraries. The organizational structure of academic libraries related to collection management is held to be obsolete following changes in publishing, scholarly communication, library technology and library budgets in the preceding 10 years. The dependence of libraries on part-time employees who are specialists in a particular subject for collection development and management is seen as insufficient to provide adequate management in such areas as electronic publications. Changes in organizational structure of the Morris Library of Southern Illinois University are cited as examples of how academic librarians can better provide collection management services.

The collection development role of the academic librarian in the research university library is increasingly subject to significant change as opportunities to build new types of library collections proliferate, particularly with respect to research data. A Purdue Libraries task force was charged with building faculty-produced collections for a data repository prototype. One purpose of the project was to inventory and characterize the resources and skills required of the libraries and its data-collecting librarians. This paper examines the librarian roles and activities that were identified during the project and suggests ways the experience of the task force can inform the roles and activities of librarians who are similarly charged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to describe an assessment project of the monograph collection at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Lied Library. The circulation statistics and in-house use of all monographs for the nine colleges at UNLV were assessed analyzing the last five years of data. The analysis included an assessment of the circulation statistics and in-house use of books purchased on an approval plan compared with books purchased by individual liaison librarians. The findings illustrated the fact that overall use of the monograph collection has declined over the past five years. The findings also showed that books purchased on an approval plan had slightly higher use than the books purchased by individual liaisons. The study shows that academic libraries need to monitor usage of the monograph collection to be certain that money is spent in the most efficient manner and that usage data can be helpful if there is a need to reduce budget allocations for monographs or if a reallocation of funds for monographs is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author discusses the future of collection management and the need to improve user-centered features. The author believes that a common practice in collection management is to develop collections based on what librarians think users will want, rather than actually taking the time to learn what users want. She also points out that collections are often built based on policies that have been designed to lightened the workload of librarians. She urges collection managers to take a more user-centered approach, noting that this style of collection building is responsible for producing many world class libraries. She discusses several user-centered features such as self-checkout, home and office delivery and electronic books.

As is the case in many university libraries, Albertsons Library at Boise State University, has hired many new librarians to replace retiring librarians. These newer librarians, typically with less than 3 years' academic library experience, are actively engaged in meeting the opportunities and challenges of subject liaison responsibilities using innovative Web-based tools. This article addresses liaison experiences with faculty-directed blogs, personalized faculty research pages, a wiki-based liaison manual, and the use of LibraryThing as a collection development tool. An overview of these efforts confirms that new technologies are only as good as the face-to-face communication and the follow-up that accompany their implementation. Much of the content in this article was presented at the 2007 and 2008 Acquisitions Institute conferences at Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, Oregon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study, an analysis of the foreign approval plans for Romance languages at the University of Alabama Libraries, investigates the use of WorldCat as an assessment tool. The technique employs the capability in WorldCat to limit to a specific library collection and thereby to compare and contrast library collections. The analysis provides results that reveal relative strengths and weaknesses within the collections. The WorldCat default ranking by library holdings provides title lists for future collection development. In establishing comparisons among collections and highlighting missing titles, the technique uses basic WorldCat to mimic some of the features of OCLC's Worldcat Collection Analysis, a subscription product derived from the WorldCat database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Journal print archives or repositories have been in existence for some time. More recently, the academic libraries in the United States Pacific Northwest that belong to the Orbis Cascade Alliance undertook the development of a distributed repository to preserve the print journals from the American Chemical Society and the JSTOR Arts and Sciences I & II collections. The project sought to identify two complete runs of each title held between the members of the consortium and assign responsibility for preserving the titles in perpetuity. The methodology, challenges, and benefits of this project are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the future of library collection management and managers. The article suggests that funding will continue to govern the amount or availability of library materials and periodicals. Also discussed are technological innovations changing the industry, which includes the influence of Web 2.0 technology. Such technology and future business models have been discussed at conferences in previous years including the Persistence of Memory Conference, the Sun Microsystems Preservation and Archiving Special Interest Group Meeting, and the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics in the United States.

The authors of this chapter undertook a study to determine how well library school education is preparing students tor electronic resources (ER) librarianship. The study provides an analysis of 100 ER librarian position descriptions lo determine the requisite skills, training, and knowledge, and then an analysis of how well those skills are covered in the ALA-accredited Master's level library programs through their course descriptions. The authors also examine ways to define, explore, and bridge the gap between the practical issues of the job and the theoretical approach lo such issues as provided by library schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current responsibilities of an electronic resources (ER) librarian are very different than those of her colleagues. She works between the world of business and libraries-negotiating, haggling, troubleshooting. When academic libraries first offered databases, however, the associated responsibilities were usually attached to another position, such as a reference or systems librarian. As technology developed, allowing more diverse electronic resources (ER) to be made available, the responsibilities of the people managing those products became more complex. This article traces the evolution of the ER librarian, from a part-time position to one completely different than any other found in librianship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of collection management in its true sense is yet to be developed in today's Pakistan. At present, assisting in book selection and order work are the typical functions of an acquisition department, if one exists. Out of eight library schools only two have an independent course titled Collection Development and Management. Another two prefer to retain the old nomenclature, Building Library Collections while others combine the subject with some other course. A review of course descriptions reveals: (1) no mention of the goals! objectives of the course; (2) contents that are sketchy and widely variable; (3) absence of electronic resources in course descriptions; (4) use of basically lecture method for teaching; (5) dominance of old American and British texts; (6) use of poor assessment method. Suggestions include: (1) review of courses for incorporation of new topics; (2) employment of innovative teaching techniques; (3) revision of the reading list on regular basis; (4) organization of refresher courses!workshops on topics of interest; (5) formulation of a scientific assessment method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While traditional citation studies offer insight into the literature usage patterns of specific disciplines, they fail to capture the diversity of information needs at the subdisciplinary level. Understanding scholarly communication within subfields can help academic librarians tailor their collections to better meet the requirements of the faculty they serve. Analyzing the citations in three specialized economics journals demonstrates that practitioners of different subfields draw upon different types of resources in conducting their research, which has implications for collection development policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As libraries increasingly move from the bibliographer to the selector model, many librarians become part-time ‘specialists’ in subject areas where they have little experience. Various options exist to help these librarians learn more about their subject areas. The Goethe-Institut Study Tour is one example of a professional development opportunity for new subject specialists. Such programs provide an intensive, experiential learning opportunity that equips librarians with tools to get up-to-speed and keep up-to-date in their subjects. A survey of the participants showed that the tour experience increased their subject knowledge and confidence levels, and aided them in daily tasks, among other benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors, with background in collection development, acquisitions, and subject liaison, outline how the first Chinese Medicine Library collection was planned and established in the region. The library's experiences, efforts, communication between various channels and difficulties in acquiring Chinese Medicine materials are discussed. An account of collection development activities during the initial and enhancement stages of the Chinese Medicine Library is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Librarian Miriam Grace Monfredo's Glynis Tryon historical mystery series portrays a multi-faceted librarian sleuth. The series is a case study of using genre fiction to popularize women's history with its many political and social issues. It also emphasizes the important role of collections of resources in supporting the creative activities of authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature of librarianship contains numerous articles and books that relate techniques for successfully transferring library collections. What follows is not a step-by-step description of a successful move. Rather, it addresses the potential mishaps that may foil the enterprising move coordinator, the mistakes that can he made and possibly avoided. The intended audience is anyone who undertakes the task of pulling together the operations and individuals that get a library collection from one location to another. The article also offers some effective practices and describes a typical day in the life of a move coordinator. The transfer in question was a success, but the experience would have been easier if the author had been able to read his own article beforehand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of pseudoscience, as coined by philosopher Karl Popper, is discussed in the context of its application to library science and its implications for selection. Popper' s demarcation criterion is described. The literature on pseudoscience and libraries, which accepts Popper' s demarcation criteria, is summarized and critiqued. The received view of a rigid distinction between pseudoscience and science is found wanting. The new sociology of scientific knowledge and constructivism is described and advocated as an alternative to the received view of science, and the notion of `boundary work' is suggested as an alternative to demarcation. It is concluded that constructivism is a non-elitist, democratic, and client-centered guide to selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A survey was conducted to identify how geology undergraduates use library resources and services to meet their research needs. Results showed that the library was a strong source of information, and that there was equal demand for both print and electronic resources. However, effective use calls for discipline-specific library instruction, with emphasis on the use of electronic databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report of the Working Group for Quantitative Evaluation of Cooperative Collection Development identifies ways of evaluating through quantitative measures the success of cooperative collection development activities. Following a literature review, the group developed four basic groups of performance measures including: resources or input data (numerical data like Fit, stall, items purchased, items in collections, etc.); financial data (library/group expenditures, unit costs, etc.); use data (use of electronic, print, or near print, documents delivered, etc.); and user satisfaction data. On the basis of a modified balanced scorecard approach, specific performance measures and underlying data points are identified that could be effective in measuring cooperative collection development efforts and determining if a cooperative collection development project reduced unit costs, increased access to information resources, and resulted in increased use and user satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Center for Research Libraries working group on cooperative collection development in the sciences and technology identified the geosciences as a domain whose current and historical publications make ideal candidates for a digitization demonstration project, due to their utility and the diverse nature of their text, tables and images. State geological surveys engage in some of the most important and practical fieldwork undertaken by geologists. State geological surveys and maps have had a critical impact in the discovery, exploration, use and conservation of natural resources. As a consequence, close to 2,000 selected publications from the states of Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wyoming were chosen for the scope, quality and variety exhibited in them. The eighteen-month digitization pilot project will, upon conclusion, design a self-sustaining model for a continuation program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2000, the Purdue University Libraries implemented a Books on Demand program. Instead of borrowing books requested through Interlibrary Loan, staff purchased selected titles and added them to the collection after patron use. After two years, five subject bibliographers analyzed 800 titles acquired through the program in their subject areas and compared them with titles acquired during the same time period through normal selection. The bibliographers concluded that the patron-driven Books on Demand program is a valuable complementary collection development tool. It consistently adds a very high percentage of relevant scholarly titles to the collection which provides input from patrons who do not ordinarily have a voice in collection development decisions and fills in gaps in interdisciplinary areas. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

CD-ROMs of rare books are becoming increasingly prevalent. This article explores the kind of information available on CD-ROM and compares it to the kind of information available from the microform copy and from the book itself. It compares access and preservation issues for each format. Finally it presents the results of research in WorldCat showing the kinds of institutions purchasing CD-ROMs of rare books and whether they own the CD-ROM in addition to other formats. The results show that a positive trend toward making rare books accessible to a wider audience may be developing. As more rare books become available on CD-ROM, this study should be duplicated to determine the full impact of rare books published on CD-ROMs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a report that highlights the activities surrounding scholarly communications that occurred at the January 2003 Midwinter American Library Association Meeting. The report, written by Collection Management Editorial Board Member Fred Lynden, is based on numerous meetings about scholarly communications of interest to librarians. It outlines various problems faced by college and university librarians which include pricing, too many publications, promotion and tenure requirements, and copyright and licensing issues.

Because there is a rift among Black Studies thinkers concerning whether the field should both embrace scholarship and activism, the present work considers whether information transfer between the different intellectual camps exists. Using citation analysis and ideas such as “boundary crossing” and “borrowing” to describe relations relevant to interdisciplinary information transfer, it is argued that there are reciprocal patterns of communication between the two intellectual camps. However, because writings of an activist nature by Black Studies thinkers in traditional disciplines are repressed, these elements of their writings are forced to resurface outside the academic mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although collection evaluation is an important indicator of whether the other elements of collection management are actually working, it is often overlooked because it requires more time than the average subject selector can spare. The solution is not to discount the evaluation process altogether, but to make it more focused, streamlined, and, ultimately, shorter. A recent collection evaluation at the University of Alabama libraries, conducted as part of an internship in the School of Library and Information Studies, was completed in 150 hours. The results of the study were presented to the subject selector, who could then interpret the data in her collection strategy. By using the results of an evaluation to adjust the vendor profile of a collection, or re-establish contact with the departments being served, an evaluation can ultimately save the library money. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Increasingly, academic libraries are choosing remote storage as a solution to overcrowded book stacks. While the literature offers many examples of possible criteria to use in selecting materials for storage, little exists to guide libraries in setting specific numerical selection goals. Especially in libraries which allow bibliographers to determine selection criteria for subject areas over which they maintain intellectual responsibility, individual goals are desirable in order to insure that the institution's overall goal of creating shelf space will be met. This paper proposes an objective methodology for establishing these goals, and then discusses the limitations of both the methodology and the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As researchers continue to probe across disciplinary boundaries in their work, it is essential for research libraries to support their need to consult, learn, and analyze information resources that are far afield. This support is increasingly difficult to provide during fiscally tight periods yet today's stretched economic climate may help libraries facilitate cooperative ventures where they might occur. Our exploratory study reports on a university-wide collection monograph approval profiling project undertaken in a research library and focuses on the results with its Geography Department. Analysis of the approval profile for books to be purchased by Geography for its faculty and students can provide guideposts to actively nurture interdisciplinary information environments within and across disciplinary boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article outlines the initiatives of the local consortia of the eight academic institutions funded by the University Grants Committee (UGC) of the Hong Kong SAR Government. The role and services that this consortium provides for its members, especially with respect to consortial electronic purchasing agreements and joint licensing, are examined. The paper addresses many of the problems, difficulties, and challenges within consortia when coping with their internal needs, facing the need to both cooperate and compete with other consortial members, and making individual and consortial decisions in an environment of increasing budgetary constraints and technological advances. Case studies are used to illustrate each of the challenges mentioned above. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Gift books can be an important part of collection development. They can replace or add relatively rare or out-of-print titles, fill in missing volumes of a serial, and augment stagnant or reduced budgets. The important issue is to try to receive titles that are needed or that are relevant to the library users, which can be much more difficult than traditional acquisition methods. The increased duties of the reference librarians at Texas A&M University, including liaison work and collection development, have opened a door for donations still wider: the academic faculty and departments. This paper provides an overview of recent trends in gifts via a review of citations, then describes how departmental restructuring and a new building at Texas A&M influenced the Gifts Unit, the new role the subject-specialist reference librarians have within this unit, and the benefits of the librarians' new liaison/collection development duties. Finally, general guidelines for processing gifts of serials and monographs are developed to assist those new to this role. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Owen Science and Engineering Library incorporates use statistics for both print and electronic versions of journals into their journal retention decisions. Continuous in-house statistics have been taken over the last seven years for the print versions of the journals. The library has been able to gather electronic use statistics from 39% of the publishers, which account for over 99% of the titles to which they subscribe. This data is manipulated to establish number of uses for each year for each title, and cost-per-use for each title. Using this information as a starting point, decisions on journal retention are made each year. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes the University of Colorado at Boulder's experience in planning and implementing a temporary off-campus storage facility holding approximately 325,000 volumes. Documentation of the need for storage and communication with teaching faculty is discussed. Key decisions determining the selection of materials to be stored are reviewed as well as the technical processing of those materials. Selection of an appropriate facility and ongoing retrieval of items are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article is a bibliographic essay on the development of an international business reference collection. It traces the evolution of resources from print to web-based access. It shows how some broad-based titles are exploded into many subsets such as Consumer International into regional consumer resources. Hopefully this work will provide smaller libraries with new awareness of resources they might aspire to own. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT. Collection managers challenged by service to distance education may find pointers in comparing Murray State University Libraries' assessment model to local situations. Information revealed through queries of participants in distance education curricula could serve as a basis upon which to formulate future assessments regarding resources, usage, and service. First, the pragmatic feature of assessing support for curricula encourages closer monitoring. The second provocation arises from usage data as a guidepost for collection development. Finally, readers cognitive of strength that stems from the combination of resources and services may find prompting in meeting the students' research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]