Collection evaluation
The collection was evaluated using the conspectus method. It contains a table. Within individual subject areas the present state of the collection is determined. The table also expresses a strategy for collection development with respect to the institutional mission, and determines present acquisition policies that issue from the collection development strategy but transform this goal into circumstances given by financial resources for acquisition. By clicking on individual codes for collection level set according to the conspectus and on language codes you get their description and meaning.
Foreign production
Table:
| Universal Library Collection - Foreign production | |||||
| CL = present level of the collection (what we already have) | |||||
| AC = acquisition policy (what we acquire) | |||||
| GL = collection development strategy (what we should acquire) | |||||
| L = language | |||||
| Number/content | Subject area category | CL | AC | GL | L |
| 1 | Agriculture | 2a | 1a | 2a | S |
| 2 | Anthropology | 3a | 2b | 4 | W |
| 3 | Art and Architecture | 3b | 2b | 4 | W |
| 4 | Biological Sciences | 3b | 3b | 4 | W |
| 5 | Business and Economics | 2b | 1b | 3b | W |
| 6 | Chemistry | 2b | 2b | 4 | W |
| 7 | Computer Science | 1a | 1a | 3a | S |
| 8 | Education | 2b | 2b | 4 | W |
| 9 | Engineering and Technology | 1b | 1a | 2a | W |
| 10 | Geography and Earth Science | 3b | 2b | 4 | W |
| 11 | History and Auxiliary Sciences | 3c | 2b | 4 | W |
| 12 | Language, Linguistics, and Literature | 4 | 3b | 4 | W |
| 13 | Law | 3a | 1b | 3c | W |
| 14 | Library Science | 3c | 3c | 4 | W |
| 15 | Mathematics | 2b | 2b | 4 | W |
| 16 | Medicine | 2b | 1b | 2a | S |
| 17 | Music | 3c | 3b | 4 | W |
| 18 | Performing Arts | 2b | 2a | 4 | W |
| 19 | Philosophy and Religion | 4 | 3b | 4 | W |
| 20 | Physical Education and Recreation | 1a | 1a | 2a | S |
| 21 | Physical Sciences | 3b | 2b | 4 | W |
| 22 | Political Science | 4 | 3c | 4 | W |
| 23 | Psychology | 2b | 2b | 4 | W |
| 24 | Sociology | 2b | 2b | 4 | W |
Commentary
The table clearly shows how a chronic lack of finances for acquisition of foreign language literature thwarts the National Library mission. Dearth of newly published Foreign production in the National Library collections has, in view of the library's peerless position, a negative effect on research and development, and general level of learning in the country. Growing gaps in the collection of foreign language works will be hard, if not impossible, to fill. Needless to say that these omissions diminish the worth of the entire National Library collection.