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The paper is based on a study carried out for the British Library. The 10 production methods compared (5 for printed and 5 for microform catalogues) are: 1. line printer on 3‐part stationery; 2. line printer to offset/litho master; 3. COM master to offset/litho; 4. graphic arts quality COM to offset/litho; 5. phototypesetting to offset/litho; 6. microfiche; 7. microfilm; 8. graphic arts quality microfiche; 9. graphic arts quality microfilm; 10. PCMI ultrafiche. Tables show the approximate costs of producing different numbers of copies of different sizes and with varying cumulation frequencies (ranging from weekly to annual). Over a wide range of catalogue size and number of copies, some form of microform output is usually cheapest.

A survey of some means—mostly photographic or mechanised—of converting a large card catalogue to book form. Details are those calculated for the Main Library catalogues at Birmingham University.

An algebraic model relating catalogue costs to the numbers of existing titles, new titles and titles processed is developed. The number of titles processed is then related to the cumulation and consolidation frequencies so that the effect of different cumulation patterns can be calculated. This shows that annual consolidation is sensible in several situations. Variations in other factors are not considered explicitly but a computer simulation model is described which could be used to investigate any set of reasonable alternatives.

An expression for the efficiency of a subject catalogue or index is derived from the probability of success when using the catalogue, and the cost of making and using the catalogue, compared with the cost of finding material in the library stock when no subject catalogue is available.

The aim of this paper is to focus on the history of cost accounting, costing, and time and motion studies, which were initially developed for industry and private sector organisations, in libraries. At the same time, the article attempts to deal with the question of when and why the need for the evaluation of costs and the standardisation of different library work processes emerged.

The data used in this paper are based on reviewing and summarising relevant studies, which have been conducted in libraries, and was inspired by the ideas of scientific management and cost accounting.

The implementation of cost accounting systems and scientific management ideas in libraries has historically been treated as a technical innovation rather than an organisational or management innovation. The most important consideration is that librarians are not machines, which can be set at a given speed and expected to produce a uniform product. Fortunately, there is no indication that production standards for libraries are going to be set up.

This article raises a perspective in library management that has not been dealt with before. Namely, it explores how the profession of a librarian as an erudite scholar changed into a profession requiring routine work and considers the impact that the ideas of scientific management and cost accounting research had on library employees when they reached libraries.

VINE is produced at least four times a year with the object of providing up‐to‐date news of work being done in the automation of library housekeeping processes, principally in the UK. It is edited and substantially written by Tony McSean, Information Officer for Library Automation based in Southampton University Library and supported by a grant from the British Library Research and Development Department. Copyright for VINE articles rests with the British Library Board, but opinions expressed in VINE do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the British Library. The subscription to VINE is £10 per year and the subscription period runs from January to December.

This chapter describes means for selecting websites and the resources needed to add them to online catalogs. Reasons are given for including websites in online catalogs such as timeliness and geographic specificity. A historical overview of Choice Reviews, wikis, and web-based sources of websites is given along with an overview of Minnesota state resources from the point of view of using them as collection development tools for finding web resources. Social work librarians in the state were surveyed about their websites selection processes and the authors conducted time/cost studies of cataloging of online web resources. Findings were that librarians had little time to seek out websites and relied on Choice reviews to keep abreast of new and changing sites. Sources from the library literature and logs of staff time for cataloging of websites were used to approximate the costs of providing access. Although the cost/time study applied only to one library, the methodology and findings can be applied in almost any discipline and different types and sizes of libraries. While budgetary hardships will make librarians think hard about adding free resources to their catalogs, this chapter helps to quantify the necessary resources, implications, and reasons for inclusion of free web resources in online catalogs.

At Birmingham University Library it is proposed to implement in October 1972, a complete microfilm catalogue system. This system originated from two sources. Over the past two years various means have been evaluated of converting the library's card catalogues (which were closed at the end of 1971) to a more compact form. An interim report mentioned microfilming as one of a number of possibilities. At the time the production of hard copy was envisaged, but since then a true microform system has seemed preferable, in which the catalogue would exist as cassettes of film to be viewed by all users on reader machines. This system has been specified and costed, and details are included in this paper. The impetus in reaching this viewpoint was provided by the progress made over the last 18 months in the field of COM, which rapidly commended itself as the choice of output medium for the new mechanised MARC‐based catalogue, which covers all the library's serials and all monographs acquired after January 1972. BLCMP union catalogues in these categories will also be held in COM form at Birmingham University Library.

While a considerable amount has been spoken and written about the subject of outsourcing, or contracting out, of technical services in libraries, there is little consensus on even the definition of the phenomenon, or its history. The available research shows that arguments in favour of outsourcing are based on supposed cost and time savings, while opposition tends to emphasise quality issues. Evidence as to whether outsourcing in general in fact saves money or time tends to be spotty, while there is some data supporting concerns about a decline of quality in many outsourcing projects.