SPEC Kits
Supporting Effective Library Management for Over Thirty Years
Committed to assisting research and academic libraries in the continuous improvement of management
systems, ARL has worked since 1970 to gather and disseminate the best practices for library needs.
As part of its commitment, ARL maintains an active publications program best known for its SPEC
Kits. Through the Collaborative Research/Writing Program, librarians work with ARL staff to design
SPEC surveys and write publications. Originally established as an information source for ARL member
libraries, the SPEC series has grown to serve the needs of the library community worldwide.
What are SPEC Kits?
Published six times per year, SPEC Kits contain the most valuable, up-to-date information on the latest
issues of concern to libraries and librarians today. They are the result of a systematic survey of ARL
member libraries on a particular topic related to current practice in the field. Each SPEC Kit contains
an executive summary of the survey results survey questions with tallies and selected comments
the best representative documents from survey participants, such as policies, procedures, handbooks,
guidelines, Web sites, records, brochures, and statements and a selected reading list—both print and
online sources—containing the most current literature available on the topic for further study.
Subscribe to SPEC Kits
Subscribers tell us that the information contained in SPEC Kits is valuable to a variety of users, both
inside and outside the library. SPEC Kit purchasers use the documentation found in SPEC Kits as a
point of departure for research and problem solving because they lend immediate authority to proposals
and set standards for designing programs or writing procedure statements. SPEC Kits also function
as an important reference tool for library administrators, staff, students, and professionals in allied
disciplines who may not have access to this kind of information.
SPEC Kits can be ordered directly from the ARL Publications Distribution Center. To order, call (301)
362-8196, fax (301) 206-9789, e-mail pubs@arl.org, or go to http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/.
Information on SPEC Kits and the SPEC survey program can be found at http://www.arl.org/resources/
pubs/spec/index.shtml. The executive summary for each kit after December 1993 can be accessed free
of charge at http://www.arl.org/resources/pubs/spec/complete.shtml.
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