THE LIBRARY SPACE PROBLEM, FUTURE-DEMAND, AND COLLECTION CONTROL

Library space shortage has been a pressing problem for several decades . A variety of alternatives, such as remote storage and weeding, have been proposed and attempted. Previous research in this area has been f ragmented. Some research is concentrated on criteria for identifying r arely used material for weeding; in other research, costs of alternati ves to the traditional library are compared. In this paper a new model that takes a more complete approach to the problem is proposed. We in corporate the prediction of future demand and cost analysis into one m odel. The model includes random effects that cause errors in the selec tion process. By applying data of a hypothetical collection, we show h ow this model helps the collection development librarian determine the most economic approach.