Evolution & Status of Approval Plans. SPEC Kit 221.

This report documents the results of a survey on the current use and management of approval plans, and compares them with similar studies published in SPEC kits in 1982 and 1988. Overall, Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions still consider approval plans to be efficient and cost effective. Survey results include: (1) the percentage of respondents using approval plans has remained stable, with 85% in 1982, 94% in 1988, and 93% in 1996; (2) more than half of respondents committed a greater percentage of their library materials budget to approval purchases in 1996 than in 1988; (3) there was a 77% increase in approval plan spending per institution between 1988 and 1996; and (4) approval plans continue to be used primarily for acquiring traditional print materials, although 30% report using the approval concept to acquire non-print media. Observations made in the 1982, 1988, and 1996 surveys show that the use of the approval method continues to be very diverse in ARL institutions. The effectiveness of approval plans depends on the care and attention they are given by both the library and the vendor. The document includes a list of participating institutions, and approval plan documentation from the University of Kentucky, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Temple University (AZ), University of Texas at Austin, and University of Toronto (Canada). A selected reading list is also provided. (Contains 26 references.) (SWC)