Designed to help explain library automation to the librarian or student, this handbook presents a case to be solved, i.e., the creation of a book acquisition system for a special library; the steps to be taken to solve the problem; and a users' manual for the system to be provided to the client. The handbook is divided into three major sections: (1) analysis and design (systems development life cycle, understanding requirements, system design, software selection, hardware choices, customization for local options, interpreted code versus compiled code, and suggested readings); (2) book acquisition system users' manual (getting started, authority files, book acquisitions, reports and forms, online searching, and system utilities); and (3) suggestions for further investigation (additional exercises are included here to present further experience in system design). Eight suggested readings focus on dBase programming, the language the acquisition system is written in, and information is provided for ordering the dBase programs in hard copy with an accompanying magnetic disk of the source code. (CGD)