The Yogi Berra school of library science

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into issues encountered in maintaining library technologies on a limited budget and with limited personnel.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper uses real world experiences to report on collection development decisions as they relate to electronic resources in an era of shrinking budgets.

Findings

The percentage of library budgets allocated for the acquisition of electronic resources has risen steadily in an online era. As state legislatures across the country cut funding, librarians must cut expenditures accordingly. With electronic resources comprising a large segment of overall expenditures, cuts in this area are unavoidable.

Originality/value

This paper examines the decision‐making process in the context of renewing or canceling underused electronic resources in an era of shrinking library budgets. It takes a humorous approach in suggesting that librarians need to look beyond emotions and base their decisions on facts.

Citation

McMullen, A. (2011), "The Yogi Berra school of library science", The Bottom Line, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 138-139. https://doi.org/10.1108/08880451111169205