A bigger slice: cost justification for library and information services Available to Purchase

Libraries, as distinct from information services, have built their existing reputation primarily on their ability to acquire a broad resource base of books, journals and grey literature in advance of demand in order to meet as many demands as possible. Size of collection has always been an implicit measure of success both in the eyes of fellow professionals and in the eyes of the parent body. The acquisition and maintenance of such collections demanded a high proportion of fixed costs and most justification centred on incremental adjustments arising out of inflation costs or the need to provide a larger resource base. This general approach to the costing of traditional libraries has been common to both the public and private sector irrespective of the size of the library involved but it is now under severe challenge for a number of reasons: