This Association of Research Libraries (ARL) kit on preservation of library materials contains: (1) descriptions of preservation programs and objectives from Boston University, the University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, and University of California at Los Angeles; (2) a description of the Library of Congress' National Preservation…

This kit on planning systems updates a 1974 Management Studies Office Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit in which developments in planning activities among Association of Research Libraries (ARL) were reviewed. At the time of the original study, in 1972, planning techniques and systems were a subject of much interest because rising…

This kit on the preparation and presentation of the library budget in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) institutions contains a concise summary of the results of a 1977 member survey on budget preparation and eight related primary source documents. The summary of the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) survey focuses on types of…

An examination of the Systems and Procedures Exchange Center's (SPEC) file of 72 annual reports from Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions found that administrators were using annual reports for several purposes: as communication links with library users, the university administration, and the general university community,…

In a March 1980 Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) survey on preservation activities in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions, 40 libraries reported having conducted a formal preservation study or needs assessment, 28 had adopted planning or policy documents, and 58 reported operating an active preservation program…

To check on the status of online cataloging developments in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions in 1983, a brief questionnaire was sent to ARL libraries that had indicated or reported some progress toward an online catalog. The sample was not intended to be representative of all ARL libraries, and it did not necessarily…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit on Bibliographic Instruction (BI) in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) examines current developments as well as anticipated trends based on a SPEC telephone survey of 25 ARL libraries with active BI programs. Two themes which ran through the mid-1985 interviews were the use of new…

Describes the background, goals, methods, and results of a needs assessment study at the New York Public Library. This structured, phased self-examination was designed to form a consensus about the institution's long term needs and priorities. (CLB)

Preservation efforts are needed immediately to save a quarter of all the volumes housed in research libraries. These books are turning to dust because alum sizing was introduced into the paper-making process in the mid-1800s. The destruction of some books can be reversed through deacidification. The content of other books can be saved only by…

This Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) kit, an update of a 1975 kit, considers trends in the development and use of goals and objectives statements in Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member institutions, as illustrated in documents received in response to an August 1979 SPEC survey. The kit comprises: documents on developing…

Examines changes in emphasis on collection development and conservation in both library and archival materials in recent years, and outlines evaluative criteria and priorities to be used in formulating collection management policy. (CLB)

This collection of library documents, which illustrates current techniques for conducting user studies in order to facilitate specific public services planning and priority-setting efforts at the member libraries of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), contains excerpts from: (1) four general user studies conducted at the University of…

In 1983, the Association of Research Libraries adopted as its third principal objective for a 5-year plan: "to increase the number of member libraries engaged in programs to preserve their collections." ARL efforts to achieve this objective are aimed at helping libraries meet this responsibility locally and these guidelines propose an…

A March 1980 Systems and Procedures Exchange Center (SPEC) survey on preservation indicated that more than half the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) membership were operating some type of active preservation program. This kit on basic preservation procedures contains policy statements, guidelines, and procedural instructions (many…

This group of documents presents material on collection development and a list of collection intensity indicators from the Research Libraries Group (RLG), as well as examples of collection assessment techniques from seven members of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). ARL member documents cover the assessment of art periodical,…