In this book, first published in 1998, world-renowned experts on the subject of contemporary librarianship analyse the problems associated with coping with an ever-expanding knowledge base, given their current economic constraints and budgets. It examines challenging marketplace solutions to problems in the economics of information; economic modelling of investments in information resources at academic institutions; the economics of resource sharing, consortia, and document delivery; and measuring the costs and benefits of distance learning.

In this book, first published in 1998, world-renowned experts on the subject of contemporary librarianship analyse the problems associated with coping with an ever-expanding knowledge base, given their current economic constraints and budgets. It examines challenging marketplace solutions to problems in the economics of information; economic modelling of investments in information resources at academic institutions; the economics of resource sharing, consortia, and document delivery; and measuring the costs and benefits of distance learning.

Designed for those with little or no prior experience in economics, Kingma's popular and highly acclaimed text clearly presents the fundamentals that users need to develop basic skills for simple cost-benefit analyses of goods and services. It provides students, librarians, and information professionals with a useful introduction to economics and cost-benefit analysis, and it helps them make better financial and management decisions. The book covers cost analysis of information goods and services, benefit analysis, information as a public good, information externalities, intellectual property and monopolies, uncertainty and risk, pricing information, opportunity costs, access versus ownership, and the economics of the Internet and digital libraries. Kingma's clear explanations of economic terms and models are illustrated with examples from library services and information markets-interlibrary loan, reference services, digitization projects, book and journal publishing, newspapers, photocopying services, computer software, and more. In this edition, new research and current examples of economic principles have been incorporated, and there is a new chapter on Internet economics and digital libraries.