Academic

A 1969 study at San Fernando Valley State College involving out-of-print acquisitions over a year’s time showed that, of 17,689 titles ordered, 4,720 titles (27%) were received. Further, the average unit cost of in-print books (all subjects) for that year was $9.19 compared to the average unit cost of $10.18 for the 4,720 out-of-print books.     (Source) 

An Indiana University survey for the National Science Foundation reported in 1979 showed that library administrators responded to shortages in the library materials serials budget primarily by canceling duplicates and shifting funds from monographic to serials accounts. The third most common tactic was to halt new subscriptions in order to renew old ones.      (Source)
 

Public

A study reported in 1979 at the Oklahoma City/County Metropolitan Library System showed that, for 18,996 adult hardback books and 19,126 adult paperback books purchased in FY 1976-77, the cost ratio, based on purchase price alone, of hardback to paperback was 4.1 to 1, while the cost per circulation (again based on purchase price only) of hardback to paperback was 4.2 to 1. For slightly more materials in FY 1977-78 the cost ratio of hardbound to paperback was 3.7 to 1, and the cost per circulation was 3.89 to 1.     (Source)

Ibid. . . . showed that, for 5,624 juvenile hardback books and 6,031 paperback books purchased in FY 1976-77, the cost ratio, based on purchase price alone, of hardback to paperback was 5.9 to 1, while the cost per circulation (again based on purchase price only) of hardback to paperback was 2.7 to 1. For approximately the same number of materials purchased in FY 1977-78 the cost ratio of hardbound to paperback was 4.8 to 1, and the cost per circulation was 2.6 to 1.      (Source)

 A 1982 survey of American and Canadian public libraries (sample size: 279; responding: 68 or 24%) showed that approximately 10.5% (±3.2%, representing a 95% confidence interval for the population at large) of respondents’ current book acquisitions budgets had been allocated for the purchase of mass market paperbacks, while about 9.2% (±3.1%, representing a 95% confidence interval for the population at large) of their last year’s book budget was spent on mass market paperbacks. There was a small statistical correlation (“y’s = .26 and .30 respectively”) between the book budget percentages and size of populations served, with the libraries serving larger populations tending to allocate more money for the purchase of paperbacks (significance level not given).     (Source)

School

A review of textbook costs during the period 1958-63 undertaken at the University of Illinois Research Center for the U.S. Office of Education in 1964 showed that during the 1958-63 period inflation increased by 7% but textbook (elementary through college combined) prices increased by 15% from an average price of $2.60 each to $2.99 each.     (Source)

Special

A study reported in 1974 of 3,347 biomedical book reviews (2,067 titles), taken from the 1970 issues of 54 English-language biomedical journals (excluding Science and Nature) that contained “bona fide” book reviews, showed that the average price of a subsample (1,077 titles) of the books available in the U.S. was $16.20 per volume. Further, of 39 paperback books available in the U.S. (all the paperbacks in the sample available in the U.S.), the average price was $3.82 per volume.      (Source)
 

An annual study reported in 1982 of prices for legal publications showed that in 1980-81 prices for monographs increased 0.5% from the previous year, while prices for all categories of serials together increased 9.8% from the previous year.      (Source)

Ibid. .. . showed that between 1973-74 and 1980-81 the cost per average legal monograph title (based on over 2,400 titles published in each year) increased from $11.16 to $26.39 for an increase of 136.47%.      (Source)

Dr. David Kohl

 "Libraries in the digital age are experiencing the most profound transformation since ancient Mesopotamian scribes first began gathering and organizing cuneiform tablets."

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