Keeping an eye on reference publishing: will librarians try in the 1990s?

Tracks the cost of 22 standard reference sources from 1987 to 1993 to reveal that prices have increased far beyond the rate of inflation. With new technological innovations in the publishing industry and the general passivity of the library profession, reference book publishers are able to obtain unreasonably high profit margins with little risk of lost sales. Recommends that standing orders for this material be reviewed periodically to determine if the library is receiving fair value.