College and Research Libraries JEAN E. KOCH AND JUDITH M. PASK Working Papers in Academic Business Libraries A questionnaire was sent to 119 academic , business libraries requesting in- formation on the collection, maintenance, and use of business and economics working papers. For comparison, a sample user survey of the business faculty and graduate teaching assistants of two large midwestern universi- ties was also conducted. Although actively collected by only 33 percent of the libraries responding, working papers are considered an important source of information on current research by business faculties. w ORKINC PAPERS in the field of business and economics are an important vehicle of communication among researchers. They are an informal, current means of circulat- ing research results variously referred to as discussion papers, research · papers, and seminar papers. For the researcher they avoid the usual long delay of publishing articles in conventional journals, allowing the information to be disseminated quickly and informally, to be commented on by col- leagues with similar interests. Working pa- pers, produced by institutions throughout the world, frequently appear in an inexpen- sive and quick print, such as mimeograph, which helps to guarantee that they are up to date. Most working papers are published by the institution with which the researcher is associated and are circulated to interested individuals and institutions on a select mail- ing list. For those not on this mailing list the papers can be difficult to obtain since they are not commercially published and thus are seldom listed in national bibliog- raphies or indexing services. Many librari- Jean E. Koch is assistant commerce librarian, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Judith M. Pask is assistant management and eco- nomics librarian, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Wayne M. Pask with the computer tabulation of the survey results. ans avoid collecting this form of "nonpub- lication," since it is believed that worth- while publications eventually are published in conventional form. The difficulty of ac- quiring and handling working papers seems to outweigh their value. 1 In 1973 the University of Warwick Li- brary began the publication Economics Working Papers Bibliography (EWP). 2 Although economics and management are the core subjects, EWP does include other social science subjects such as sociology, de- mography, psychology, politics, urban stud- ies, and international studies. The bibliogra- phy, arranged by author, subject, and in- stitution, lists about 2,500 papers each year and is published semiannually, the second issue being an annual cumulation. A mi- crofilm service that reproduces about three- quarters of the papers listed in the bib- liography is available. Although the bib- liography is available on subscription sepa- rately, institutions contributing working papers to the service receive a discount on the microfilm service. The publishers of EWP estimate that about one-third of the papers appear in periodicals . or books within three years of being available as working papers, and most are never published elsewhere. As a result, this form of literature is now becoming more important to academic economists and others. Roy Harrod, economist and biog- I 517 518 I College & Research Libraries • November 1980 rapher of J. M. Keynes, comments in the Times Literary Supplement on the types of publications used most by economists: Articles in learned journals have long since .re- placed books; most recently mimeographed essays, issued, in advance of publication, if any, by the research unit of one university to the pro- fessors of other universities all over the world have come to constitute the main matter for read- ing, at least among theoretical economists. 3 In their bibliography, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management: Selected In- formation Sources, Martha Jane Soltow and Jo Ann Stehberger Sokkar also mention working papers as a "valuable source of in- formation on research recently completed or still in progress. "4 Another source useful for the acquisition of working papers in this subject area is published by Harvard University's Graduate School of Business Administration. Working Papers in Baker Library: A Quarterly Checklist is compiled for the use of faculty and students of the Harvard Business School. Papers in the checklist, arranged by the issuing institution, are selected "with regard to needs and interests of the School and do not represent a comprehensive total of the research papers of any listed institu- tion." The Association for University Business and Economic Research's Bibliography of Publications of University Bureaus of Busi- ness and Economic Research is another source for identifying specific working pa- pers. However, because of the lag between the year indexed and the publication date, it is not as useful for acquisition purposes. This paper will report the results of a study that was concerned with the policies of academic business libraries toward the collection and retention of working papers and the use made of them by business faculty and graduate students at two large universities in the Midwest. It was hoped that through comparison of the survey re- sults from both libraries and users some col- lection policy guidelines could be formu- lated. In June 1979, a three-page, multiple- choice questionnaire was sent to 119 major academic business . libraries throughout the United States. Only two questions asked for comments. The libraries were selected on the basis of enrollment size and geographi- cal distribution. An attempt was made to in- clude all "separate" business libraries listed in the annual College and University Busi- ness Library Statistics Survey. A "separate business library" is defined as "not a part of the main college . or university library . . . and is further defined as being in a separate building or part of a building with a sepa- rate budget and an easily identifiable sepa- rate collection of materials. "5 Replies were received from eighty-nine libraries (75 per- cent), ,including three libraries that did not fill out the questionnaire. A related single-page, multiple-choice questionnaire to determine usage of work- ing papers and expectations of the business library patron for working papers was sent in September 1979 to faculty and graduate teaching assistants at Purdue University's Krannert Graduate School of Management and the College of Commerce at the Uni- versity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This sample provided user information for com paris ion with the library survey. At both institutions response from the faculty was greater than 50 percent; the graduate student response, however, was much poor- er. At Purdue 44 faculty members out of 80 returned questionnaires (55 percent), and 47 out of 155 graduate students (30 percent) answered. At the University of Illinois, of 142 faculty questionnaires sent, 84 (59 per- cent) were returned, while 190 graduate students were surveyed with only 36 (19 percent) responding. One questionnaire at each university was returned for which the status of the respondent could not be deter- mined, but since these two questionnaires were otherwise complete they have been tabulated in the results. SURVEY OF LIBRARIES The library questionnaire was divided into two sections. The first. section con- tained twelve questions on collection policy and acquisitions; the second, six questions on maintenance and use. Depending on their response, some libraries were not asked to answer all the questions. Twenty-eight libraries (33 percent) indi- cated that they actively collect working pa- pers while fifty-eight (67 percent) answered that they did not. The twenty-eight libraries that do collect working papers were further asked if they select single numbers or col- lect complete runs, and .what selection criteria out of a list of five they use. Nine (32 percent) select just single numbers of working paper series; seven (25 percent) collect complete runs. Twelve (43 percent) utilize both selection methods . The libraries were asked to mark as many selection criteria as were applicable. Reputation of the institution was the criterion selected most frequently (twenty) , followed by facul- ty or patron request (eighteen) , available as gift (seventeen), available through exchange (nine), and reputation of the author (seven). Only twenty of the eighty-six libraries re- sponding to the questionnaire subscribe to Economic Working Papers Bibliography, and of these , six receive both the bibliogra- phy and the microfilm service . Of the sub- scribers, eight also collect working papers that are not included in EWP. Eight sub- scribing libraries keep the paper copy for those working papers included in the Eco- nomics Working Papers Bibliography and on microfilm. Eleven percent of the libraries answering indicated that they use Working Papers in Baker Library: A Quarterly Checklist as a selection tool. Libraries were approximately evenly di- vided between those that purchase working papers (forty-one , 48 percent), and those that do not (forty-four, 51 percent). Eigh- teen libraries indicated that charges for working papers had changed their collection policy; fifteen respondents added comments on how their policies were changed. Most indicated that they no longer received working papers series or that they ordered only individual numbers if there were charges. A few indicated they would pur- chase a specific paper only if it was re- quested. Many commented that they are much more selective, eliminating expensive papers or relying more on the EWP service . One library will not order individual papers for which there is a charge but is willing to pay a small fee for a standing order, while another library no longer makes an effort to collect working papers at all, due to their costs. This section of the library questionnaire concluded with a series of questions on ex- - Working Papers I 519 change arrangements. Fourteen libraries in- dicated that the business school or institute associated with the library did not publish any working papers. Eleven libraries (13 percent) receive extra copies of their school's or institute's working papers to ex- change with other libraries. Of these, seven libraries indicated that they set up ex- changes directly with others issuing working papers, while two libraries set up exchange agreements with the associated library. Fif- ty-seven libraries (70 percent) do not re- ceive extra copies of their school's or insti- tute's working papers. However, eleven (17 percent of those answering the question) in- dicated the school or institute sets up ex- changes directly with others issuing working papers and gives the papers received to the library. Thus, exchange agreements appear to be little used as an acquisitions method by the business libraries surveyed. Two libraries indicated that the academic department handled all acquisitions, housing, and cir- culation of working papers. One library in- dicated that they were seeking to have the school establish more exchanges. Of eighty-five libraries answering the question on cataloging, 45 percent indicated that they catalog working papers while 55 percent do not . Of those that do catalog working papers, seventeen libraries catalog them as monographs, ten as serials, and ten as both. Ten libraries analyze those working papers cataloged as serials. Forty-seven percent (seventy-five) of the libraries answering the question viewed working papers as having only current- awareness value, while 53 percent thought working papers have lasting research value . Twenty-five percent of the eighty-one li- braries that answer.ed the question bind working papers. A number of the libraries indicated that the majority of the working papers they collected , cataloged, and/or bound were ones from their own institution or faculty. Comparing the answers from those librar- ies that responded to the questions on the value of working papers and on cataloging, the largest group (34 percent) viewed work- ing papers as having current-awareness value only and do not catalog them. Thirty- one percent view working papers as having 520 I College & Research Libraries • November 1980 more lasting value and do catalog them. A similar comparison of the value of working papers and binding gives slightly different results. Forty percent thought working pa- pers were of current value only and do not bind them, while thirty-four percent viewed working papers as having research value but also do not bind them. The final questions concerned circulation of working p~pers. Fifty-seven percent of the libraries circulate working papers, but only two libraries keep use statistics on this type of publication. The one library that supplied its statistics indicated 1,154 work- ing papers were received in 1978--79. The library discarded 1,587 papers (the library does not bind and views working papers as having current-awareness value only) and circulated 558 working papers during this same period. The authors questioned whether graduate business student enrollment or library size (by volume count) was related to collection policy. To determine this, graduate enroll- ment figures were obtained from Barron's Guide to Graduate Business Schools (East- ern edition, 1978), and library volume counts for the university or college were obtained from American Library Directory (1979). Tables 1 and 2 show that the larger schools or libraries are more likely to active- ly collect working papers. Of the schools surveyed, 75 percent had graduate enrollments of less than 500 stu- TABLE 1 BUSINESS LIBRARIES COLLECflNG WORKING PAPERS AND GRADUATE STUDENT ENROLLMENT Collect Papers Yes No Student Enrollment 1-500 501- 18 (27%) 48 (73%) 66 (100%) TABLE 2 10 (50%) 10 (50%) 20 (100%) BUSINESS LIBRARIES COLLECTING WORKING PAPERS AND VOLUMES IN UNIVERSITY OR COLLEGE LIBRARIES Collect Papers Yes No Less than 1M 11 (26%) 31 (74%) 42 (100%) Total Volumes 1-SM 15 (37%) 26 (63%) 41 (100%) 5M- 2 (67%) 1 (33%) 3 (100%) dents. Forty-nine percent of the university or college libraries had less than one million volumes and 97 percent had less than five million. USER SURVEY The business libraries at Purdue and the University of Illinois have collected and maintained working paper collections in radically different ways. Purdue's Krannert Library collects, catalogs, analyzes, and binds many working paper series whereas Illinois' Commerce Library catalogs and binds working papers as individual mono- graphs and concentrates on only those from its faculty · or institution. This difference is reflected dramatically in some of the re- sponses given in the user survey. The analyses of most questions will show only the faculty response because the low per- centage of returns for the graduate students was not sufficient to give reliable results. There is no question that business library patrons use working papers. Of those answering the questionnaire (213 total), 85.5 percent used working papers from institu- tions other than their own. More than 90 percent of the faculty who answered the survey answered that working papers from other institutions were used. Individuals from four subject areas participated in the survey: accounting, economics, finance, and management. Table 3 shows the percentage breakdown for faculty by subject areas for each university . · When asked if the working papers were used for teaching, research, or both teaching and research, 57.4 percent of the faculty answered only research. Two re- spondents indicated working papers were used only for teaching purposes. This is par- tially explained by the heavy emphasis on reseach at both of these institutions. However, a significant number, 41 percent (fifty), indicated that they used working papers for both teaching and research. The libraries' collection policies at Purdue and Illinois are clearly reflected in how working papers were obtained by the facul- ty. At Illinois, 88.6 percent (seventy) indi- cated that personal copies were acquired. This high percentage shows researchers car- rying on a tradition of sharing and com- municating work in progress with colleagues Working Papers I 521 TABLE 3 PERCENTAGE OF FACULTY RESPONDENTS WHO USE WORKING PAPERS FROM 0rHER INSTITUTIONS Accounting Economics Finance Management Illinois (N = 78) Purdue (N = 42) 17.9 14.3 42.3 31.0 14.1 11.9 25.6 42.9 having similar interests. No one answered that copies were obtained only from the li- brary. Illinois has only recently acquired the EWP bibliography and microfilm ser- vice. Eleven percent answered that both library and personal copies were used. At Purdue only 40.5 percent of the faculty re- lied on obtaining their own personal copies. Use of the library's collection is certain, since 52 percent used copies obtained both from the library and through personal re- quest. The authors were interested in determin- ing what percentage of working papers was eventually published elsewhere, since the publishers of EWP estimated that about one-third of the papers appear in journals or books within three years of being available as working papers. Respondents were first asked if they had contributed to a working paper series. If the answer was affirmative, respondents were asked to indicate the per- centage published elsewhere. Of the _ 213 user questionnaires returned, 106 answered that they had contributed to a working pa- per series; 99 of the 106 were faculty. Approximately 75 percent of the faculty who returned th~ questionnaire at each institu- tion answered that they had contributed to a working paper series. Both universities publish working paper series. Eighty-one faculty stated what percentage of their contributed papers was published elsewhere. Table 4 shows the percentage breakdown for each subject area. Thirty-nine of the eighty-one faculty who responded to this question published 80 percent or more of their working papers in another publication. This suggests that a much higher percentage is being published than that estimated by the EWP publishers, although no time period for publication was imposed. Eighteen faculty declined to esti- mate a percentage of papers published. The next three questions of the survey gave the user the chance to state his views on the library's collection policy for working papers. At Purdue 90.7 percent (thirty-nine) and at Illinois 72.2 percent (fifty-seven) of the faculty who responded believed the li- brary should collect working papers. When asked if "all papers in a series" or "only selected ones" should be collected, the majority of both faculties chose "all papers in a ~eries" (59 percent for Illinois and 74 percent for Purdue). The extent to which the faculty members presently use the library for their source of working papers is reflected in their answer to the question "Do you think the library should purchase working papers if neces- sary?" At the University of Illinois, 37.3 percent (twenty-eight) said yes. A total of thirty-nine Purdue faculty responded, of which 53.8 percent answered yes and 46.2 percent said no. Several respondents made comments indicating that the cost would be a deciding factor. One said working papers TABLE 4 Percentage Published Accounting 20--39 2 40-59 5 60-79 2 80-89 90--99 100 1 10 PERCENTAGE OF PAPERS PUBLISHED AND SUBJECT AREA OF FACULTY RESPONDENTS Economics Finance 3 1 4 4 6 1 3 4 1 12 3 -- 29 13 Management Total 2 8 3 16 9 18 6 13 7 8 2 18 -- 29 81 522 I College & Research Libraries • November 1980 should be "a very minor part of the acquisi- tions budget." Another faculty member thought that working papers should be purchased but only "on specific request for a specific paper." Table 5 shows that most faculty view working papers as having current-awareness value and not lasting research value. No question elicited more reaction from the faculty than this one. Most typical was the comment "Good things usually get pub- lished eventually and therefore are super- seded." Several respondents also mentioned the lag between the time a paper is written and later published in a journal. For this reason, "working papers serve an important role." Another wrote even more emphatical- ly: "The current published literature runs 1-2 years behind the current state-of-the- art. In order to be aware of what is happen- ing on the leading edge working papers are essential" (italics in original). The final section of the user questionnaire concerned working paper collection mainte-. nance, i.e., cataloging, binding, or having a microfilm collection. The University of Illi- nois faculty were about evenly divided on the question of whether to catalog all work- ing papers received. Purdue's faculty def- initely approve of the library's present poli- cy of cataloging all working papers received (see table 6). Even though the faculty may see catalog- ing as the customary means of access for li- brary materials, from a financial standpoint there may be other ways of organizing working papers that would give equal satis- faction. Take for example the method used at Baker Library of arranging the papers by issuing body and circulating the quarterly checklist of those available. Similarly, a faculty member at Illinois suggested: "The Yes No TABLE 6 SHOULD THE LIBRARY CATALOG ALL WORKING PAPERS? Illinois Faculty 48.7% (N = 38) 51.3% (N = 40) Purdue Faculty 80.5% (N = 33) 19.5% (N = 8) most useful thing would be to compile a mimeographed list of the working papers issued each month by the better places . . . by Department. They appear in print fast, so to store them is no good. An X in the column in front could indicate that the li- brary has a copy, available free to the ·first comer: Later persons could write for their own." There was almost total agreement from the faculty on the question of binding work- ing papers. Of the 121 persons who answered this question, 111 believed their library should not bind working papers. This is consistent with the view of most re- spondents that working papers have pri- marily current-awareness value. Use of microforms is a controversial topic in most libraries. For business faculty mem- bers using working papers, the paper copy was definitely the preferred form of use; 75.3 percent at Illinois and 70.7 percent at Purdue said they would not use working papers in microform. However, when asked if they would use microforms if a reader- printer were available to make hard copies, this figure was reduced substantially. Almost half (52. 5 percent) of those faculty at Illinois who answered they would not use microforms stated that they would, if a reader-printer were available to make hard copy. The faculty at Purdue were even more receptive to microforms when given the option of making a _printed copy; 88.2 TABLE 5 VALUE OF WORKING PAPERS Faculty Accounting Economics Finance Management Percentage N= Illinois Current awareness 11 23 6 18 71.6 58 Lasting research 4 10 6 3 28.4 23 Total 15 33 12 21 100.0 81 Purdue Current awareness 2 7 2 10 55.3 21 Lasting research 2 6 3 6 44.7 17 Total 4 13 5 16 100.0 38 percent who previously answered they would use no microforms would be willing to do so if a printer were available. CONCLUSION If the faculty and graduate students at Purdue University and the · University of Illinois are representative business library patrons, then it appears the main users of working papers are the faculty. The "typical" business library does not actively collect working papers. Those that do select both series (preferred by faculty) and individual papers on the basis of an institution's repu- tation and specific requests from library pa- trons. The faculty and librarians agree that W~rking Papers I 523 if working papers are purchased, only a small amount of the budget should by used. Few libraries subscribe to EWP, particularly the microfilm service, or make use of ex- change programs. To ensure maximum use of working papers in microform, libraries should provide a reader-printer so hard copy can be made. The faculty consider working paper.s an essential source of cur- rent r~search and will obtain personal copies if their library does not collect them. Binding is not expected and cataloging is not essential. In contrast, the majority of librarians view working papers as having lasting research value, but do not catalog or bind them. REFERENCES 1. John Fletcher, "A View of the Literature of Economics ," The journal of Documentation 28:292 (Dec. 1972). 2. Economics Working Papers Bibliography (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Transmedia, The Oceana Group, 1973- ). 3. Roy Harrod, "How Can Economists Com- municate?" Times Literary Supplement, no.3517, July 24, 1969, p.805. 4. Martha Jane Soltow and Jo Ann Stehberger Sokkar, Industrial Relations and Personnel Management: Selected Information Sources (Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1979), p.69. 5. Margaret Link, Third Update-College and University Business Library Statistics: 1975176 and 1976177 (Nashville, Tenn. : Vanderbilt Univ. Graduate School of Management, 1978), p.l. History will have to be rewritten. Because of the discoveries we made while indexing and micropublishing early US congressional committee prints, some important historical scholarship will have to be reexamined. And many libraries will need to reappraise their documents collections. 0 ver the years, committee prints have had a significant effect on matters of national and international consequence. Called by some the "homework of Congress," they often take the form of studies, background reports, or legislative analyses specially pre~ pared for committee members. Despite their importance, many prints have eluded even the most diligent researchers and the largest libraries. Usually issued in small editions with restricted distribution, most prints became "fugitive" documents as soon as they were published. More than two and a half years ago CIS set out to track down these missing items. With the assistance of numerous librarians, we checked shelves, boxes, and basements in li~ braries and archives throughout the US. In doing so we discovered thousands of publica~ tions that never had been cataloged or widely distributed. Although our search is completed, the most important discoveries are yet to be made. Now that this wealth of historical infor~ mation is accessible, researchers are sure to find valuable material that will provide a new look at America's past. By acquiring the CIS US Congressional Committee Prints Index and its companion microfiche file, your library can offer its users a rare opportunity ... the chance to rewrite his~ tory. CIS US Congressional Committee Prints In, dex. This definitive five-volume reference guide covers the earliest known prints through those issued in 1969. It contains a Reference Bibliog- raphy, an Index by Subjects and Names, and four supplementary finding aids that provide access to publications from a range of ap- proaches. Also featured is a unique Jurisdic- tional Histories section, in which the changing responsibilities of committees are outlined. $1,475. US Congressional Committee Prints on Mi, crofiche. This archival-quality file is the most comprehensive collection of its type, contain- ing reproductions of some 15,000 publications on 18,000 microfiche. Spanning the years through 1969, it is available in three separate parts or as a Combined Collection. $28,150. (Combined Collection) . Send more information on the new CIS US Congressional Committee Prints Index and its companion microfiche file. Have a sales representative call. City ------------ I State _______ Zip ___ _ Telephone __________ _ lll!i Congressional Information Service, Inc. 4520 East-West Highway, Suite 800-C Washington, D. C. 20014 Tel. 301/654-1550 ---------------------------- EUROPEAN HISTORICAL STATISTICS By Brian Mitchell "Dr. Mitchell's enormous and admirable industry has produced a magnificent volume on which only one verdict seems possible: every self- respecting library must possess a copy." -The Journal Of International Affairs Here is a statistic bonanza on 26 European countries. How has the social activity of 26 countries evolved for over 200 years? What patterns are formed by recording the economy of such an expanse of territory and time? What differences and similarities emerge from this fascinating study? An enormous treasure trove of data on all aspects of the social and economic history of Europe. The 76 tables induded cover climate, population, vital statistics, labor force, agriculture, industry, finances, education and communications. A must for economists, political scientists, sociologists and historians. $85.00 cloth, 847 pages, 8¥2 x 10. ISBN: 0-87196-329-9. Facts On File 119 West 57 Street New York, New York 10019