Reviews, Holdings, and Presses and Publishers in Academic Library Book Acquisitions

Abstract

The introduction characterizes Library journal (LJ) and Choice. The literature survey focuses on Reviewing, Selection, and Evaluation to develop several questions for study. To answer these questions, the methodology proposes a model for academic library book acquisitions using a two-year relational-database file of 32,725 approval-plan records based on the presses and publishers most often cited in Choice Reviews. The study then identifies titles cited in Choice Reviews 1997-1998, Book Review Digest 1998-1999, and the Wilson Indexes 1998-99. The study next defines a complementary or reciprocal core collection for the twenty-one comprehensive-university libraries of the California State University System using holdings from both the Online Union Catalog and the Unified Information Access System. The study also characterizes differences between presses and publishers in academic library book acquisitions. The conclusion summarizes the patterns or major factors delineated through the examination of reviews, holdings, and presses and publishers.