The Measurement and Projection of Shelf Space

Practitioners currently have little to guide them in conducting shelf space surveys and projections. This paper reviews the published literature on the topic of measuring, monitoring, and forecasting shelf space for library collections. Then, it discusses in detail a 1981 survey at the University of Guelph Library. It describes theoretical and practical considerations necessary to plan and implement such a survey, discusses specific steps for conducting a survey, and outlines the results of such studies and how they can be applied. It considers different techniques (including the accuracy of different methods of measuring) and compares results with other surveys.