ABSTRACT
SUMMARY. One of the least studied, and least understood, areas of librarianship is acquisitions: the ordering, claiming, and receipt of library/informational materials. The traditional tasks in the acquisitions function have been very broad. Acquisitions tasks are labor intensive and until just a few years ago, all acquisitions work was performed manually. Although there have been arguments for decentralized acquisitions, to achieve efficiency and accountability, ordering, receipt and payment must be monitored by a single entity. This is supported by a 1985 survey of 28 libraries. Automation of acquisitions has been slow in development. Because of the slow development of turnkey systems, many libraries developed in-house systems, many of which are still in use. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University’s Newman Library uses an automated acquisitions system which was developed in-house in the late 1960s. There have been many benefits, although the system has a number of imperfections. If there is a term that may be used to describe an efficient and desirable automated acquisitions system, it is flexibility because no two libraries can or should perform the same activity alike. Acquisitions will be faced with evolving developments in electronic publishing and the future focus of acquiring information, whether in print hard copy from traditional sources or through telecommunication direct from the author, will be effected through automated on-line systems.
