Balancing Act for Library Materials Budgets

An experiment with materials budgeting using a formula for allocation of funds has been undertaken by Ward Edwards Library at Central Missouri State University. Such factors as average costs of books and periodicals, number of titles available, number of faculty, and number of credit hours generated and degrees awarded are used. Reaction from teaching faculty members across campus indicates that most of the factors used in the process are understood. While they may not like the inclusion of some data, they respect the library's attempt to apportion funds equitably and to build a balanced collection.