Library Materials Price Index Committee request (Penny Schroeder) Marcia Tuttle 01 Dec 1999 22:24 UTC
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 09:37:27 -0500 From: Penny Schroeder <pschroed@BOWDOIN.EDU> Subject: Library Materials Price Index Committee request The Library Materials Price Index Committee of ALCTS is asking users of its indexes published in the BOWKER ANNUAL LIBRARY AND BOOK TRADE ALMANAC to help us gather information about the form and usefulness of these statistical tools. Based on Bowker's BOOKS IN PRINT database, the U.S. indexes are about to change. These alterations will affect several of the indexes used by librarians to prepare their budgets and manage collections' cost predictions. First, the numbers of titles in the book compilations will go up, because they will now be based on all books published in the U.S. In the past BOOKS IN PRINT did not have agood subject classification for titles of its own. Instead, it relied on the Library of Congress' CIP program with its authoritative subject arrangement. As a result of this reliance data was drawn only from those titles that had been treated by CIP, i.e., approximately 50% of U.S. production. With the advent of BISAC subject categories, Bowker can now use the entire U.S. book publishing output. Affected indexes will be U.S. hardcover, U.S. mass market and U.S. trade books. Next spring these indexes will be published in both LC and BISAC subject arrangements to test customer reaction to the BISAC subjects. The LMPIC would like to hear your reaction to this development as well as other comments you might have re the indexes. Are the definitions of mass-market and trade paperbacks clear? Are they useful? Do you use the information found in the imports and translations tables? What would you think of breaking out fiction into even finer categories, e.g., mystery, romance, western, etc? Has your library compared its actual pricing structure with its discounts, service charges and shipping costs to the published index tables where these elements are not included in the calculations? We appreciate any time you are able to devote to these questions and welcome other comments you wish to make. Please send them to: Penny Schroeder, member Library Materials Price Index Committee pschroed@bowdoin.edu 207/725-3134 FAX: 207/725-3083 Bowdoin College Library 3000 College Station Brunswick, Maine 04011-8421 -- *********************************************** Penny Schroeder Collection Management/Acquisitions Librarian Bowdoin College Library 3000 College Station Brunswick, Maine 04011-8421 Voice:(207) 725 3134 FAX: (207) 725-3083 pschroed@bowdoin.edu