Introduction to the Statement

Dartmouth College Information Environment

Types and Formats of Materials

Cooperative Arrangements

Access Modes

Local Access to Resources

Remote Access to Resources

Selection Criteria

Licensing Agreements

Archival Responsibilities

Task Force Recommendations

Introduction

Information in electronic format is integral to many academic disciplines represented in the Dartmouth College Library collection. However, problems and questions continually arise as we select, acquire, process and make these resources accessible.

The purpose of this policy is to outline the decision-making process, factors influencing the selection decision, the range of available formats and access options in Dartmouth's information environment. This policy is a response to the growing need among bibliographers for guidelines to assist them in answering questions raised in selecting, processing and making accessible information in electronic format.

This is a format-related guide intended as a collection management resource for bibliographers. It describes the subject's scope, Dartmouth's information environment, the types of electronic information considered. Finally, it presents a detailed outline of considerations in the decision-making process.

The task force's goal was to develop a useful policy for bibliographers. We suggest testing the policy's usefulness by having a bibliographer consult and use it when next considering the purchase of an electronic information resource. Through this, we hope to better understand from a collection management perspective what information is most helpful to bibliographers when selecting information in electronic format.

Dartmouth College Information Environment

The annual publication, Computing and Information Technologies, summarizes the campus information environment. Dartmouth has an impressive history of computing innovations, including the BASIC computer language, and a time-sharing system that served dozens of other educational institutions at its peak. The Kiewit Computation Center, built in 1966, serves as the administrative and support center for computing activities.

In 1984 Dartmouth first recommended the purchase of Macintosh personal computers to incoming students and began the process of wiring all buildings on campus for access to the campus network. This coincided with the Library's Online Catalog being made available experimentally on the network and the development of the Dartmouth Name Directory to facilitate electronic mail.

Today, Dartmouth is primarily an Apple campus. IBM-PCs and UNIX-based workstations are used as well, particularly at the Tuck, Thayer, and Medical schools. Apple computers running DOS and Windows-based applications are available. Undergraduate students are required to purchase Macintosh personal computers.

Users of Dartmouth's computing services can access the Internet, Usenet news groups, discussion groups, the Gopher system, and other resources. Participation in electronic bulletin board services and other online forums is commonplace. Blitzmail, the College's electronic mail service, has revolutionized campus communications.

The Online Catalog is one component of the Dartmouth College Information System (DCIS), under continuous development as a joint project of the Library and Computing Services. The Public File Server is the primary mechanism for shared electronic files, documents and programs, including Keyserver-controlled (shared) software.

Types and Formats of Materials

The types of electronic information in this policy include: bibliographic, text, numeric, graphic and multimedia files. The formats include tape-loaded products (for mounting on the campus network), cd-rom products (networked and stand-alone), and remotely-accessible files of many types available via Internet.

The software needed to run an electronic information product is within the scope of this policy. The policy excludes general-purpose applications such as word processing or database management software; it also excludes integrated library systems such as Innopac.

Materials selection is an intellectual decision best made by each bibliographer for his/her own particular subject areas. Consultation with colleagues and relevant Library groups may assist the bibliographer in answering the technical questions raised by selecting and acquiring information in electronic format.

Cooperative Arrangements

Electronic information resources are often very expensive. Their acquisition may involve negotiations with publishers or vendors, particularly when networking is involved.

Cooperative development and purchase arrangements negotiated with other institutions stretch our funds and make more services available to the Dartmouth community. At this writing, cooperative projects have been done and are being planned with Middlebury College and Williams College, respectively. The Director of Collection Services helps initiate and manage such arrangements.

Access Modes

For electronic information resources, bibliographers can provide one of two modes of access to the Library's users, local or remote. This section outlines issues and considerations in both cases.

Local Access to Resources

A.1. Access via the Network

This provides the broadest access to our users. When files are mounted using the existing DCIS/DCLOS interface, it also provides a familiar method of searching. This is often the preferred method of access, but licensing fees and mainframe storage costs necessitate a discretionary selection process.

As a general rule, the Library supports network access for materials of utility to the greatest number of Dartmouth users. Interdisciplinary materials of use to a variety of users in diverse locations also receive priority treatment. Those databases which provide enhanced bibliographic access to existing library collections [i.e. Early American Imprints, Marcive, Wilson Indexes] are also appropriate for networking campus-wide.

When bibliographers wish to recommend an electronic resource be networked on DCLOS, they should discuss the feasibilty of mounting the resource with the Director of Library Automation. If it is more appropriate to DCIS because of the need to use PAT or another search and retrieval software, they should discuss the proposal with the DCIS Project Director. Cost estimates for both the staff resources to mount the files and the disk space to store them should be assessed. If funding is available to support the acquisition, and the material can be networked within the Dartmouth environment, a proposal detailing costs and benefits should be submitted to the CMDC sub- committee which we propose in this document.

A.2. Access via the Fileserver

The Dartmouth Fileserver predates the existence of Gopher and other Worldwide Web servers widely available today on the Internet. Computing Services have set up a Gopher and a Mosaic Home Page at Dartmouth, and the Library has experimented with their utility as document storage mechanisms and as links to other resources.

For the present, resources that are useful to have on the network, but are kept as documents and are not indexed/searchable files, may be stored on the Public Fileserver/Library folder. Materials archived in this manner should be represented in the Online Catalog, with the necessary location to link the user to the resource.

B. Access via Networked CD-ROM

Resources that are of interest to a more limited clientele, or to a group of users primarily served by an individual library within the Dartmouth College Library, should be considered in a CD-ROM format. If access via one workstation is not sufficient to meet demand, or if providing ease of access to clientele linked by an existing local network is an important factor, the Bibliographer should consider purchasing a license agreement to network the CD-ROM product.

C. Access via Stand-Alone Workstation

Electronic products of interest to a limited number of users, or those difficult to network due to the size of the data, restrictive licensing agreements, specialized software needed for operation, prohibitive cost, etc., should be considered for purchase in a stand-alone workstation environment.

Remote Access to Resources

Bibliographers may also provide access to and inform users about electronic information resources located outside Dartmouth. Those resources include: catalogs; bibliographic, text, numeric, sound, image and data files; software; discussion lists, etc.

External data sources available via Telnet, Gopher, Mosaic are selected based upon expected utility and ease of access. Proven stability of the resource, and the host institution's intention to maintain an archive, are important factors for a bibliographer to consider when deciding to provide remote access. In general, if a desired resource is maintained and made accessible at a remote host site, it is preferable to provide a pointer to it within the Dartmouth College Information System rather than store archival files on-site.

In general, the provision of full bibliographic control via the library's Online Catalog is limited to materials that are owned and stored locally (including on the Library Fileserver). Resources that are pointed to will generally not be cataloged, unless the connection requires expenditure of materials funds.

A number of factors influence how access to external information is provided:

• means of access
  • telnet, ftp, Gopher, Mosaic, Netscape, Wais
• hardware and software requirements to get and receive files
• file characteristics
  • size, type -- image, text, sound, data, etc.
  • database search capabilities
  • type of indexes
• expected frequency of potential use
  • this may help bibliographers decide if the resource
  • should be made available in the Navigator (implies
  • frequent use) or in the Gopher (less-than-regular use)
• options for saving text, viewing or browsing

Bibliographers should refer identified external resources available through the Internet to the Internet Resources Subcommittee of LOSC. Subscription materials available over the Internet should be processed through normal acquisitions channels.

Selection Criteria

Selecting an electronic information resource is similar to selecting other formats for the Library's collection. Bibliographers base selection decisions, regardless of format, on relevance to Dartmouth programs, the curriculum, and faculty and student research.

Cost is always a consideration because bibliographers must fund purchases from their respective materials budget, and they must continually balance the cost of information against importance and relevance to the collection.

Several bibliographers may share the cost of a purchase when they conclude a resource is relevant yet too expensive for one bibliographer's budget. Electronic information sources are often more expensive than print and may be appropriate candidates for central funding or split funding.

Points to Consider Before Purchase

• If there is a choice of formats, consider the advantages and disadvantages to be sure the electronic form is the most useful. Frequency of updates, inclusion of additional information, ability to manipulate data, and the ability to network all add value to the product.
• Consider only fully-documented products with well-known system requirements. Helpful sources in this regard: comments from relevant listservs, vendor presence in the Library community, vendor's reputation, other products owned by the Library from the same publisher or vendor.
• Consider whether the Library has the necessary staff resources and expertise to support the hardware and software, including installation, maintenance, troubleshooting etc.
• From a user services perspective, consider the staff time that may be needed to prepare user guides and to teach faculty and students how to use the product.
• Specify the type of hardware (Mac, IBM or compatible) and hard disk and RAM capacity required.
• Note any video or audio requirements.
• Based on any knowledge of the product gained from the literature, product reviews, conferences etc., evaluate the user interface, any additional product features (downloading, for example) and users' familiarity with the software.
• Investigate potential for saving and manipulating search results (i. e. printing, saving to a disk, to a hard disk, e-mail, or ftp). Also, can the results be imported into a word processing program?
• Check possible exposure to computer viruses resulting from a choice of media and access.
• Look at ways to access archival issues.
• Investigate ways to assure compliance (is monitoring software provided?) with license agreement or copyright requirements.
• Consider the level of access most appropriate for the product (should it be on the campus network? on a lan? etc.) and consult appropriate people or groups.
• In the case of compact disk databases, consider possible obstacles or constrictions: network speed, cd reader speed, printing bottlenecks.
• Note stability and adequacy of hardware; for example, high- capacity disk drives will be needed to read high-density disks.
• Decide on a location and necessary furniture for optimum access and use; investigate ergonomic considerations in setting up the workspaces
• If an electronic acquisition duplicates a print product currently received, consider whether the print subscription can be cancelled.
• If the product exists in electronic form in the library system, consider whether it could be networked instead of duplicated.

1. The Product
   • Are product reviews available?
   • Do relevant listservs exist to query colleagues?
   • Is the product user-friendly?
   • Can product quality and database content be easily appraised? (can one request a demo?)
   • What workspaces are necessary and appropriate?
   • What is the currency of content and frequency of updating?
   • Could information be supplied by other vendors? If so, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each, including cost?
2. The Vendor
   • What is the reputation of the vendor?
   • Do we have other products from the vendor and if so, what are bibliographers' impressions?
   • Are terms and conditions of contracts and access arrangements negotiable enough to meet Dartmouth's needs?
   • Is customer service and support available?
3. Necessary Equipment
   • What equipment -- hardware, printer(s), specialized accessories such as a math co-processor -- is needed to run the product?
   • Is existing hardware adequate or will new purchase(s) be necessary?
   • What software is needed?
   • What technical expertise and support is available?
   • Is new furniture needed to adequately house the product?
4. Service After the Sale
   • Is equipment maintenance/support/service available?
   • Is vendor support available after the sale?
   • What is known about hardware reliability?
   • Is documentation included and is it adequate?
5. The Bibliographer's Communication and Decision-Making Environment
   1. Bibliographer and colleagues with whom he/she consults
   2. Bibliographer's means of learning about electronic resources
      • listservs
      • newsgroups
      • product reviews
      • colleagues
      • faculty and student recommendations
   3. Library committees and departments
      • Library groups: LOSC, Internet Resources Subcommittee, Automation, Tecor
      • Computing Services: IBM Specialists, Academic Computing Coordinators
      • College Attorneys
   4. Budget

   As noted earlier previously, bibliographers fund purchases for the collection from their respective budgets. As the cost of electronic information may exceed the ability of one bibliographer to fund it, several bibliographers may collaborate on a purchase. In addition, the Director of Collection Services may be consulted to explore other funding possibilities. In the case of bibliographers working in a library associated with the professional schools, operating with acquisitions budgets separate from Arts and Sciences, these decisions rest with the Department Head, who may in turn consult with the Director of Collection Services.

6. Information Format and Type
   1. Cd-rom Databases
      • hardware and software requirements
      • stand-alone systems
      • networked for one location
      • networked across zones
      • terms and conditions of use, including licensing and contracts
   2. Magnetic Tape Databases
      • hardware and software requirements
      • constituencies served
      • terms and conditions of use, including licensing and contracts
   3. Remotely-Accessible Files
      • files are accessible using various tools, including ftp,
      • Gopher, Mosaic
      • text, images and data -- software and hardware
      • requirements at the requestor's workstation
   4. Types of Information Content
      • bibliographic, text, numeric, graphic and multimedia
   5. Augmented Collection Services
      • tables of contents providers and/or
      • document delivery services
7. Information Access
   1. Local Access
      • Fileserver Resources
      • Dartmouth Gopher
      • DCLOS, DCIS
   2. Remote Access
      • Internet-accessible resources such as newsgroups
      • Commercial online services
        • pricing options: discounted for educational use,
        • fixed-price, off-peak pricing
      • Access Tools
        • ftp, Mosaic, Gopher, Wais, WWW, Veronica, etc.
        • hardware and software requirements to gather and receive data

Licensing Agreements*

1. In general, it is the responsiblity of the College Librarian or her/his designee to negotiate and sign licensing agreements. In the instance of simple CD-ROM agreements this responsibility may be delegated to the Unit Head in the holding library.
2. The Director of Collection Services will maintain a file containing copies of all licensing agreements and database contracts, regardless of the original Library signatory
3. The library unit which houses or provides access to an electronic resource is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of licensing requirements.
4. Final responsibility for compliance with licensing agreements rests with the College Librarian or her/his designee in consultation with appropriate College offices, as appropriate.

*derived from University of Southern California Library. Draft Collection Policy Statement #2 for Information in Electronic Formats.

Archival responsibilities

The Library's responsibility to preserve electronic information is equal to its responsibilities for collections of printed materials and other formats. Priority should be given to locally-produced and unique resources that are irreplaceable via standard commercial means. Attention should be given to electronic information in the development of a preservation plan for the Library.

Task Force Recommendations:

Recommendation 1: Because of the rapidly-changing nature of electronic information relevant to the Library, this policy should be reviewed at least every two years.

Recommendation 2: We recommend that CMDC form a permanent electronic information resources sub-committee to develop a priority list of electronic resources that bibliographers want to acquire for the collection or make accessible to the Dartmouth community. The sub-committee should serve as a resource for bibliographers in answering the questions raised when electronic resources are considered for acquisition.

Recommendation 3: In light of this new collection policy statement, review the document, "Bibliographic Control of Computer Files" [Appendix to the Bibliographers' Manual, CH.IV]. Since that document covers materials processing and handling aspects of access, it should be a companion piece to this policy.

Recommendation 4: Working with bibliographers, Library Systems should provide the support necessary to mount stand-alone datafiles and cd-rom databases. Library Systems could also be a resource for bibliographers and help them answer questions such as what hardware and software are appropriate for different products, and how networking can best be accomplished.

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Last updated January 28, 1999 by: CMDC@Dartmouth.Edu (jdh)