An inexpensive method for analyzing the cost-effectiveness of a liberal arts college's journal collection is described. The author offers an answer to the question: "What are the criteria for determining the cost-effectiveness of a journal collection, and how can the criteria be measured?" The resulting analysis is based on measurements of journal use, journal subscription, prices, and course enrollment by academic department. Journal use data are also applied to shelf space management. Data collection methods are explained, and results of collection analysis are presented. The importance and benefits of empirical analysis of journal collections are discussed, and practical applications of the analysis are described.
An analysis of a sample of 9,442 headings assigned by the Library of Congress (LC) to bibliographic records disclosed two types of invalid headings: those that were erroneous and those that were obsolete. Each type revealed recurring patterns. Errors and obsolete elements occurring in assigned headings involve MAchine Readable Cataloging (MARC) coding, terminology in main headings and subdivisions, application of subdivisirnss, and in mechanical elements such as punctuation and capitalization. Different headings (e.g., personal name, corporate name, topical, etc) display different patterns as well as predominance of errors and obsoleteness. Although the overall error rate is low, an awareness and understanding of patterns of errors and obsolescence in subject heading strings should contribute to improvement in subject heading assignment and subject authority control.
Alternative procedures were investigated for determining the copyright status of brittle monographs to be scanned as part of the national preservation plan for agricultural sciences literature. Copyright searches were conducted both in Washington in the files of the U.S. Copyright Office and at Cornell University in the printed Catalog of Copyright Entries (CCE). Results were compared to determine the most efficient procedure. Search procedures (averaging 7 minutes per title) in the CCE were 97% in agreement overall with the results obtained from considerably more time consuming (13 minutes per title) searching at the Copyright Office. CCE searches were 100% in agreement concerning instances of renewal of copyright. This finding calls into question the assumption that it is necessary to conduct such searches at considerable cost in the complex files of the Copyright Office. The resulting CCE search procedure is suggested as a standard of reasonable effort for copyright searching, which demonstrates a legally responsible reasonable effort to respect the rights of copyright holders while advancing preservation aims and converting carefully selected print materials to build the digital library.