Publishing Research Quarterly

Heyneman, Stephen

doi: 10.1007/BF02683794pmid: N/A

Many developing countries protect their textbook industries to safeguard national image, local jobs, infant industries, and foreign exchange. Yet, as this article points out, protection itself has costs, and these costs have become excessive. Reducing protection for textbook production, the author argues, would benefit both education and economies in developing countries.

Whitney, Gretchen

doi: 10.1007/BF02683795pmid: N/A

UNESCO’S Statistical Yearbook annually provides figures for the production of books in English, French, German, Spanish, and Russian. A detailed analysis of these data show that the lack of responses to questionnaires is the primary contributor to gaps in the statistics. If nonresponding countries had provided the requested information, the statistics would have shown increasing production of books in these languages. The 1987 questionnaire is reproduced in the Appendix.

Akinfolarin, W.

doi: 10.1007/BF02683796pmid: N/A

In 1986 the Nigerian government introduced measures to deal with a range of economic problems. Among the unanticipated effects of this reform was an escalation in the price of books and difficulty in procuring foreign exchange for their purchase from abroad. This article examines the effects of these stringent economic measures on the book industry and the educational system. It also recommends ways of overcoming the book crisis.

doi: 10.1007/BF02683797pmid: N/A

Gillette, Jay

doi: 10.1007/BF02683798pmid: N/A

Optical data storage advances and compact disc market acceptance have led to the development of a new mass storage medium, CD-ROM (Compact Disc—Read Only Memory). This article provides a brief overview of the technology; lists the production processes associated with it; outlines its advantages and disadvantages; and provides current costs and storage equivalents. The article continues with an analysis of specific benefits and practical limitations of CD-ROM technology in documentation.

Meade, Virginia

doi: 10.1007/BF02683799pmid: N/A

This article describes a CD-ROM test disc project planned to gain firsthand knowledge of the production process, and to deliver a disc that will be used to analyze the potential market for full-text publications on CD-ROM. It describes getting started in the field, details the project planning process, and explains how to gather resources, schedule the project, and develop a work breakdown schedule. In this kind of project,task definition andcollaboration with other organizations are the crucial components for success.

Buckley, Mark

doi: 10.1007/BF02683800pmid: N/A

Many practical issues face information specialists engaged in the preparation of documentation for CD-ROM publication. This article discusses the technologies involved in the production and use of CD-ROM documents and their bearing on issues of document design, preparation, storage, and revision.

Talaga, James

doi: 10.1007/BF02683801pmid: N/A

Academic textbook publishers use a variety of methods and sources in forecasting sales. The study described in this article evaluates the quality of information available, the variety of industry practices, and the adequacy of the forecasts obtained. It also recommends ways of improving the quality of information used in forecasting.

Lynden, Frederick

doi: 10.1007/BF02683802pmid: N/A

No matter how the current crisis in materials costs is resolved, libraries will continue to need ways of making effective arguments for budget increases. This article presents the issues to be considered in formulating a library budget request and the most effective manner of presenting the information.

Selth, Jefferson

doi: 10.1007/BF02683803pmid: N/A

Are books going out of print faster than they used to? Or is this merely an illusion born of nostalgia or discontent? A brief statistical analysis of the data provides the answer.