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There are between fifteen and twenty U.S. libraries that collect publications from Central Asia, defined here as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Collection development responsibility for these countries tends to rest with the Slavic selector, the Middle East selector, or both, divided by language. Vendors who can supply this material mostly also supply publications from other countries of the former Soviet Union. The author briefly discusses the history of collecting from this region and the results of a survey conducted in 2004. She presents evidence indicating that the main reason U.S. libraries are not receiving more books from the region is most likely because they are not being published, not because vendors are doing an inadequate job. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper assessed the library collection, staffing, management and supervision, building space, seating capacity, acquisition, and processing of library materials of the Federal Science and Technical Colleges in Nigeria. Nineteen copies of a questionnaire were mailed to all the nineteen Federal Science and Technical Colleges in Nigeria. Only eleven of the Schools returned their questionnaires, which were used for the study. Result showed that the school libraries were adequately staffed. Their collections were above 2000 textbooks, the minimum standard. However, the library buildings were not only not well located, they also lacked adequate seating spaces. Also, there is no uniform policy on which classification scheme to use in processing the library materials. Suggestions that could enhance the development and growth of the school libraries were provided. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Collection storage and access in libraries with large and complex collections require high level planning and support at the senior management level. A key issue is positioning the collection storage program appropriately within the scope of library wide management to ensure effective support and budgeting. A review of a library''s current collection storage and access situation is a good starting point for the development of a long-term storage plan. The review should consider factors such as collection development policy; statutory responsibilities, for example, Legal Deposit; historical arrangements and cataloguing practices; access and preservation requirements of different categories of the collection; and especially, the range of formats to be stored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]

Usage is an increasingly important factor in decisions about the funding of library resources. Data for electronic resources and print serials is more likely to be gathered and analyzed than monographic use data. This situation poses a threat to the appropriate funding for monographic acquisitions. A pilot project was designed at the Medical College of Wisconsin Libraries to develop and test a method of producing use reports for monographs purchased in recent years. Despite some unusual challenges, the pilot project proved that retrieval and analysis of data could be performed with readily available software. While the results from the analysis cannot be the sole or main foundation for changes in the collection development of monographs, the use reports provided new insights into the utilization of recent acquisitions and pinpointed weaknesses or strengths of acquisition patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the brief test methodology developed by Howard White for collection evaluation. Using White's methodology, two brief tests in Soviet history were developed and applied to five different libraries. Then, the results of the two tests were examined and compared with each other, with the results of a previous brief test in Russian/Soviet history, and with self evaluations by a number of the tested libraries. The conclusions strongly support White's claims for the validity of brief test methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]