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Costing and pricing in the digital age: A practical guide for information services
Collection Development: Access in the Virtual Library, edited by Maureen Pastine. New York: Haworth Press, 1997. 225 p. $49.95. ISBN O-7890-0385-6. Librarians practicing their craft at the end of the 20th century seek solutions to questions that their predecessors could not have imagined. Technological advances have facilitated the librarian’s labors in many ways, but have greatly complicated collection development decisions as alternatives continue to proliferate and associated costs skyrocket. In this collection of essays and bibliographies, Pastine and other library administrators and consultants grapple with issues that face most modem libraries and librarians as their institutions become increasingly electronic. Timely topics discussed include the limitations of the World Wide Web as an information source, library services to the distance learner, the value of regional consortia, and the impact of the new technology on access services. Extensive bibliographies on library acquisitions and on ownership versus access to information make up approximately half of the volume. These articles are thought provoking and offer realistic strategies for coping with the significant challenges that today’s information professionals face. Those by Curt Holleman and Robert Skinner on using electronic tools to do collection analysis and distance education and library services respectively, are particularly useful and well documented. This volume would be a good addition to a collection that supports a library science program and would provide profitable reading to those learning or practicing the trade. As a reprint of an issue of Collection Development, the book is not recommended to libraries that already subscribe to that journal. Readers interested in these issues might also look at Liz Bishoff’s Coping with the Electronic Library: Strategies for Technical Services and Collection Development (New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 1997).Theresa McDevitt, Stapleton Library, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705 [email protected]. edu>.
Costing and Pricing in the Digital Age: A Practical Guide for Information Services, by Herbert Snyder and Elisabeth Davenport. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1997. 166~. $45.00. ISBN l-55570-31 l-9. Few will argue the benefit brought to librarians and patrons by networked services. These systems changed how librarians obtained, paid for, and accounted for the cost of information in the library budget. As few librarians received training in accounting procedures and use of the budget as a planning tool, this useful little work fills an important need. Written by librarians and scholars (Snyder, Indiana University; Davenport, coauthor with Blaise Cronin, Elements of Information Management (Scarecrow Press, 1991)) with prior experience in accounting and the economics of information systems, it serves as an excellent introduction to the complicated area of cost accounting. The book opens with an excellent discussion of accounting procedures, principles, and terminology. Readers lacking familiarity in these areas gain necessary background needed to understand the accounting and budget process. The next two chapters presents cost accounting concepts, how to identify and analyze costs, and allocating costs in the budgeting process. Chapter 4 moves the discussion to using accounting information in making capital investment decisions, and Chapter 5 uses this data to making pricing decisions for library services. The con-
eluding chapter completes the discussion and offers assistance in information services, cost accounting, internal control, and a brief overview of accounting practices. Along with accounting theory, each chapter also contains case studies and exercises designed to illustrate discussion presented in the text. Overall presentation of the materials is excellent. The reader obtains information on basic accounting practices then moves to their application to purchase and impact of information services in public, academic, and special libraries. While the authors assume little accounting background, individuals familiar with such works as Madeline J. Daubert’s Financial Managementfor Small and Medium-Sized Libraries (ALA, 1993) or Richard S. Round’s Basic Budgeting Practices for Libraries (2nd ed., ALA, 1994) will come to grips faster with the advanced concepts presented by Snyder and Davenport. Readers desiring more information have ample resources presented in the bibliographies. New and experienced managers and directors would benefit from reading this interesting work. It also fits into library school management classes. Well organized and clearly presented, it provides an excellent introduction to a difficult aspect of information services.-Stephen L. Hupp, Director of Library Services, Urbana University, Urbana, OH 43078-2091 [email protected]>.
Electronic Resources: Use and User Behavior, edited by Hemalata Iyer, Binghamton, NY: Haworth, 1998. 145~. $39.95. ISBN o-7890-0372-4. Electronic Resources: Use and User Behavior is a collection of articles that examines the impact of electronic resources in libraries. While the articles cover a variety of topics, there are a few major themes that focus the work. In keeping with an emphasis on user studies, there are articles that look at how people use information system, how to develop more user-friendly systems, how users find information on the Web, and user attitudes towards print and electronic resources. The second focus is how electronic information is organized and retrieved with articles that evaluate search engines and geographic information systems (GIS), and that discuss the management of electronic reference services. One advantage of this book is that there is something for everyone, including theoretical based articles, “Modeling the Users of Information Systems” and “Managing Reference Services in the Electronic Age.” The volume also contains a good overview article on GIS for the novice on the topic, as well as some interesting Web studies done at the Catholic University of America. For newcomers to the profession this might be a good work for becoming familiar with a broad range of electronic reference issues. For the more veteran reference librarian there may not be as much new information. The article “Use and Users: Some Theories” examines the research on the methodologies and mental processes used in information systems. While this is a useful overview, the authors themselves state in their conclusion that “the profession now needs to shift its emphasis to understanding why the user behaves as he or she does” (p. 22). The article “Patron Attitudes” deals with patrons who focus on the form of the tool rather than its content. There are those who would rather use a computer, even if a print source is more appropriate and those whose fear of computers makes them unwilling to explore new tools. The author stresses that it is important to help
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Costing and Pricing in the Digital Age: A Practical Guide for Information Services, by Herbert Snyder and Elisabeth Davenport. New York: Neal-Schuman, 1997. 166~. $45.00. ISBN l-55570-31 l-9. Few will argue the benefit brought to librarians and patrons by networked services. These systems changed how librarians obtained, paid for, and accounted for the cost of information in the library budget. As few librarians received training in accounting procedures and use of the budget as a planning tool, this useful little work fills an important need. Written by librarians and scholars (Snyder, Indiana University; Davenport, coauthor with Blaise Cronin, Elements of Information Management (Scarecrow Press, 1991)) with prior experience in accounting and the economics of information systems, it serves as an excellent introduction to the complicated area of cost accounting. The book opens with an excellent discussion of accounting procedures, principles, and terminology. Readers lacking familiarity in these areas gain necessary background needed to understand the accounting and budget process. The next two chapters presents cost accounting concepts, how to identify and analyze costs, and allocating costs in the budgeting process. Chapter 4 moves the discussion to using accounting information in making capital investment decisions, and Chapter 5 uses this data to making pricing decisions for library services. The con-
eluding chapter completes the discussion and offers assistance in information services, cost accounting, internal control, and a brief overview of accounting practices. Along with accounting theory, each chapter also contains case studies and exercises designed to illustrate discussion presented in the text. Overall presentation of the materials is excellent. The reader obtains information on basic accounting practices then moves to their application to purchase and impact of information services in public, academic, and special libraries. While the authors assume little accounting background, individuals familiar with such works as Madeline J. Daubert’s Financial Managementfor Small and Medium-Sized Libraries (ALA, 1993) or Richard S. Round’s Basic Budgeting Practices for Libraries (2nd ed., ALA, 1994) will come to grips faster with the advanced concepts presented by Snyder and Davenport. Readers desiring more information have ample resources presented in the bibliographies. New and experienced managers and directors would benefit from reading this interesting work. It also fits into library school management classes. Well organized and clearly presented, it provides an excellent introduction to a difficult aspect of information services.-Stephen L. Hupp, Director of Library Services, Urbana University, Urbana, OH 43078-2091 [email protected]>.
Electronic Resources: Use and User Behavior, edited by Hemalata Iyer, Binghamton, NY: Haworth, 1998. 145~. $39.95. ISBN o-7890-0372-4. Electronic Resources: Use and User Behavior is a collection of articles that examines the impact of electronic resources in libraries. While the articles cover a variety of topics, there are a few major themes that focus the work. In keeping with an emphasis on user studies, there are articles that look at how people use information system, how to develop more user-friendly systems, how users find information on the Web, and user attitudes towards print and electronic resources. The second focus is how electronic information is organized and retrieved with articles that evaluate search engines and geographic information systems (GIS), and that discuss the management of electronic reference services. One advantage of this book is that there is something for everyone, including theoretical based articles, “Modeling the Users of Information Systems” and “Managing Reference Services in the Electronic Age.” The volume also contains a good overview article on GIS for the novice on the topic, as well as some interesting Web studies done at the Catholic University of America. For newcomers to the profession this might be a good work for becoming familiar with a broad range of electronic reference issues. For the more veteran reference librarian there may not be as much new information. The article “Use and Users: Some Theories” examines the research on the methodologies and mental processes used in information systems. While this is a useful overview, the authors themselves state in their conclusion that “the profession now needs to shift its emphasis to understanding why the user behaves as he or she does” (p. 22). The article “Patron Attitudes” deals with patrons who focus on the form of the tool rather than its content. There are those who would rather use a computer, even if a print source is more appropriate and those whose fear of computers makes them unwilling to explore new tools. The author stresses that it is important to help
March
1999
145