Monographs Acquisitions: Staffing Costs and the Impact of Automation

Abstract

In this article, the authors examine the staff costs involved in monograph purchases by Iowa State University (ISU) Technical Services and explore the impact of automation on these costs between 1990 and 1995. They demonstrate that acquiring a monograph is now comparatively expensive relative to the costs of cataloging. They describe the impact of staff overhead costs on product or service costs and highlight the impact of professional responsibilities on costs. The authors further demonstrate that the automation of monographs acquisitions, in the main, has really only mechanized former manual processes and has done little change the fundamental principles underlying the work or provide opportunities for innovation. Lastly, although cost data for collection development has not been documented, the authors explore the relationships between collection development and automated acquisitions, relationships that influence costs.