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…

Program presentations on issues related to staffing considerations in research libraries and business meeting minutes are combined in this report from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL). Under the program title, "Organizational Futures: Staffing Research Libraries in the 1990's," a report by the Task Force on Research Library Staffing…

Describes a study which investigated plans of Association of Research Libraries members in New England for total automated library systems, whether compatibility of microcomputers with existing or proposed equipment is a factor in microcomputer selection, plans for microcomputer use, and how appropriate microcomputer tasks are identified and…

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…

An environmental library system (ELS) for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development has been developed and installed in six HUD offices to bring together all nationwide and local environmental source materials in an information system with comprehensive cataloging and computer-assisted access. The accompanying manuals…

This report summarizes the detailed case study of the organization and staffing of the research libraries of Columbia University. The study examines present patterns and recommends how the resources of 35 operating libraries ought better be arranged and deployed to fulfill their important roles. As a case study, the conclusions and recommendations…

Presents an activity analysis of the tasks performed and the time expended by public service librarians at a research library. Data obtained with this tool are evalutated in terms of the differing viewpoints held by library and university administrators. (Author/RAA)

Describes the ongoing Electronic Library Project at the University of South Carolina, aimed at integrating digital resources within the traditional university research library setting. Discusses the development, implementation and future plans of the Electronic Science Library and Electronic Academic Library. (AEF)

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)

Keeping back issues of serials on microfiche solves cost and storage problems. (PF)

Recent years have seen increased interest in extending the concept of budgeting to include activities related to planning, coordinating, and monitoring the entire operation of a library. There is strong evidence that the budgeting technique used can affect management potential. About 80% of total libraries use traditional line item or lump sum…