Breaking with the Past: Formula Allocation at Portland State University.

For over 25 years, inflation has dictated the growth of the collection at Portland State University's (PSU) Millar Library. In 1975, Joseph Kohut, former PSU librarian, stated that if “the current trends continue, within a few years, the total book budget of many academic libraries faced with constant or decreasing book budgets will be exhausted by serial subscription costs.”¹ From 1986 to 2000, serial costs in ARL libraries rose 226%, thereby reaffirming that this dilemma has not ended. This paper outlines steps taken by PSU to improve the alignment between the allocation of PSU's library materials budget and PSU's priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]