Monday, October 31, 2011

Electronic resources

Definition of electronic resource
An electronic resource is a manifestation of a work encoded for manipulation by computer. The manifestion resides in a carrier accessed either directly or remotely. Some electronic resources may require of a peripheral device attached to a computer (for example, a CD-ROM player). This definition does not include electronic resources that do not require the use of a computer, for example, music compact discs and videodiscs.

Cataloguing Electronic Resources: OCLC-MARC Coding Guidelines. 6 Dec. 2001. 25 Mar. 2002.

An updated definition is available on the OCLC Website at http://www.oclc.org/support/documentation/worldcat/cataloging/electronicresources/

Type of electronic materials
  • Full-text
  • Music
  • Numeric databases
    o Statistics
  • Reference materials
    o Bibliographies
    o Indexes
    o Abstracts
    o Tables of contents
    o Almanacs
    o Encyclopedias
  • Software
     
    Issues
  • Licensing
    o # of users allowed at one time
    o Remote access
    o ILL or sharing allowed?
  • Selection criteria applicable to electronic format
    o Ease of use
    o Searching capability
    o Operating system platform
    o System hardware requirements
    o Ease of downloading
    * Emailing
    o Printing capabilities
    * Downloading
    o Access
    * Full MARC cataloguing, links on library Web site, etc.
    o Selection when same “title” available in various formats and versions
    o Access vs ownership
    * Who is able to use the database?
    * Must subscribe to gain access.
    o Preservation (will it always be there?
    * There may not be paper copies of all electronic resources.
    o Duplication/overlap between print and electronic resources
    * Do you want both?
    * Weigh pros and cons
    o Technical concerns
    * Staff/patron training
    * Technical support
    * Ease of installation
    * Compatibility with existing hardware/software
  • May not be able to upgrade easily
    * Availiability/reliability of telecommunications, servers, etc. for materials accessed remotely
    * Viruses
Web sites
 
Auer, Nicole J. “Bibliography on Evaluating Internet Resources.” 20 Aug. 2001. 26 Mar. 2002. http://web.archive.org/web/20020127084051/http://www.lib.vt.edu/research/libinst/evalbiblio.html Contains link to interactive module on evaluating Internet resources.

Selection tools
 
American Library Association, Association of College & Research Libraries. C&RL NewsNet: Internet Reviews Archive. 14 Feb. 2002. 26 Mar. 2002. http://www.bowdoin.edu/~samato/IRA/
Contains reviews of Internet resources written by librarians.

AcqWeb. Online Information Vendors and Electronic Publishers. 26 Mar. 2002. http://acqweb.org/pubr/online.html
 
Choice. Reviews Web publications.

Published every Friday both on the web and by email. It provides a way to stay informed of valuable resources on the Internet. Professional librarians and subject matter experts select, research, and annotate each resource. From University of Wisconsin.
Nonprint selection criteria
Programming
  • Formal instruction
    o How will it be used?
  • Recreational use
    o Buy, not show in group, show at home nit pick, rent a movie show at home to friend
  • Audience (adults, children, all ages)
  • Circulate/in house
  • Member resource sharing network
This is especially true for the more traditional nonprint, audio and visual. When going to acquire a book (shop, jobber, online) , get a discount for a wide variety of selection. There is a much easier paper trail. Must preview videos for their suitability before presenting. Chapters sell CDs and videos, a few educational, more commercially; few bookstores sell many AV materials. Go to distributor – they are just selling the product, not making it. Ask for a preview before committing to buy, check the suitability. Non-print materials aren’t as widely reviewed as print materials. Also rent videos if they won’t widely be used for a period of time.
 
Content
  • Primary purpose?
    o Entertainment
    o Educational
  • Length appropriate?
  • Topic of long term interest?
    o Will it be here today, gone tomorrow?
  • Material well organized?
  • Story line easy to follow?
  • Popularization accurate?
  • Copyright date?
    o Tends to be longer than on books.
  • Will visuals or audio date quickly?
    o Visuals impact audience. It needs to look current to appeal.
  • Multiple uses?
Technical
  • Visuals necessary?
  • Visuals in proper focus, composition effective, shots appropriate?
  • Skillfully edited?
  • Does background audio contribute to overall impact?
  • Good synchronization of visuals and audio?
  • How may format be used?
    o Small/large groups, both?
    o Darkened/semi lightened/fully lighted room?
Format
  • Best format for producer’s stated purpose?
    o How to needs to be repetitive
  • Least expensive format of those appropriate for content?
  • Will format stand up to amount and type of anticipated use?
  • If damaged, is repair possible or purchase of replacement required?
  • Maintenance required?
  • What are equipment requirements?
 
Sources of reference
Evan, G. Edward, and Margaret R. Zarnosky. Developing Library and Information Center Collections. 4th ed. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 2000. (Z 687 E918 1999)
 
Gregory, Vicki L. Selecting and Managing Electronic Resources. New York: Neal-Schuman, 2000. (Z 692 G74 2000).

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