PUBLIC-LIBRARIES AND ADULT FICTION - ANOTHER LOOK AT A CORE LIST OF CLASSICS

In this study, zee examined rite Extent of change over a one-year peri od in the adult fiction titles most widely held by over 4,000 OCLC Onl ine Computer Library Center Inc. member public libraries in order to c larify the degree of stability of a consensus list of most-held adult fiction. The study is part of a continuing research effort to contribu te to the understanding of the nature of adult fiction collections in public libraries and to develop useful models to assist librarians in evaluating their adult fiction collections. Findings indicate that the most widely held adult fiction titles are recent, popopular works tha t form a stable core from one year to the nest; results also suggest t hat such a listing of widely held titles might be suitable as an evalu ation tool in smaller public libraries. The implications of these find ings are discussed and recommendations are made for further research.