Democracy and Market Forces in the Ivory Tower

This paper explores the current changes in universities which affect the demand for library services, and touches on the developments in the supply of information. Implications for resource allocation of devolved budgeting, teaching quality assessments and electronic serials are examined, with a brief excursion into the relative costs of access and holdings strategies. The conclusion is that serials budgets in universities will continue to be under pressure from: (1) the price rises in conventional serials; (2) the additional costs of electronic serials; (3) the devolution of budgets within universities, and (4) the need to provide better support for teaching.