Organization of Document Collections and Services. SPEC Kit 227 and SPEC Flyer 227.

This survey examined whether recent changes in the accessibility of bibliographic records and electronic access has led to an emerging pattern in the way that documents are organized into four areas: (1) general questions; (2) technical services; (3) collections and public services; and (4) changes in the organization of documents service. Responses were received from 88 of the 119 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) (74% return rate). The categories of documents acquired by the greatest number of libraries are United States federal documents (99% of respondents) and international intergovernmental documents (91% of respondents). The overwhelming majority of libraries (84%) use multiple classification systems. Several libraries cited the increased availability of catalog records as one of the factors influencing change within the organization of documents collections and services. The majority of ARL libraries (57%) provide service from a combined service desk rather than from a desk specifically for documents service. Collection development for documents is typically done by librarians in the documents unit in 68 libraries (78%). The majority of ARL libraries (89%) have a Web page to direct users to government information resources on the Web. Sixty-two libraries (71%) report that documents services have undergone changes in the last five years. Survey results confirmed that trends in documents collections and services are being shaped by the same forces that impact academic libraries: reorganization to improve service and workflow, burgeoning electronic publications, and budgetary constraints. The increase in electronic publications challenges ARL libraries to provide access and expand services. Topics include: survey results, organization charts, documents information on the web, library planning and policy documents and selected readings. (AEF)