A collection of approximately 75 abstracts relating to the issues of faculty reduction and layoff is presented, based on a 1981 computer search of the ERIC database. ERIC abstracts included are most likely to be of value to planners facing the prospect of faculty reduction; they provide a beginning ERIC reference source of background material related to reduction planning. The materials cover the period 1971-1981, and include the following types of publications: research reviews, essays, directories, bibliographies, journal articles, program descriptions, historical materials, guides, and research reports. Nine topics of interest represented by the publications are as follows: overviews of the issues involved in faculty reduction and summaries of the problem; ideas on alternatives to avoid layoffs; guidelines regarding standards and procedures to be used in faculty reduction; legal considerations and standards affecting faculty layoffs; political considerations and the reduction process; information needs and planning tools; guidelines for the establishment of an appropriate planning process; overviews of the issues of faculty reduction for particular types of institutions; and general information and collective bargaining agreements. Index terms (descriptors) and bibliographic information are included. (SW)