Status of Approval Plans in College Libraries

Abstract

The author surveyed college libraries in the United States to determine their use of approval plans as a method of acquiring printed books for their collections. Survey results indicate recent trends over a five-year period, including shelf-ready books, e-notifications, and virtual approval plans as well as impending use of approval plans for e-books. Findings show a correlation between the size of the library book budget and the likelihood of having an approval plan. The author also presents results from an informal survey of domestic approval plan vendors on the status of the scholarly monograph market and its effect on approval plan use. While the number of books acquired through approval plans may have decreased slightly, overall approval plan use in college libraries has not declined. The approval plan continues to evolve and is an effective, time-saving tool for librarians pressed for time in a rapidly changing digital world.