Selection Criteria for Web-Based Resources in a Science and Technology Library Collection

Abstract

Introduction

There are several reasons to develop collections of Internet resources for libraries. Internet resources can be very convenient for users since materials are delivered quickly. They are delivered directly to a computer station without a patron having to collect materials from around the library building. When such materials can be delivered to a patron's home or office computer, convenience is increased even more, and is likely to result in greater user satisfaction. If a library can provide access from the user's desktop, in effect patrons have year-round, 24-hour access to materials.

Electronic media can often provide materials much faster than print publications. For example, journals and periodicals can release editions electronically that are available instantaneously, compared to the days it takes print to arrive by mail. Also some periodicals release their electronic versions before their printed versions, making them even more timely. For time-critical information this is of great benefit to the users. As more materials are provided on the Internet, users' expectations increase rapidly, often in excess of what the market or libraries can provide.

When a library, university system, or consortium, acquires a web-based product, it essentially provides multiple copies since the product can be widely distributed to a very large customer base. If the system components are spread over a large geographical area, this can provide much easier remote access to the materials. Increasing interest in distance education seems to be a trend at many educational institutions, and as a result, the need to supply library materials to distant locations is growing. Providing Internet access to full text materials for remote users is one solution to this service issue.

As many science and technology (S&T) libraries are either small branch or special libraries with limited shelf space available, the use of electronically stored materials that are usually remote to the site is a means of saving space. These space savings can be in the form of print shelf space or user space if patrons are remotely accessing the library's Internet resources.

Economic forces influence some publishers to switch from print to Internet-based publishing. The perception that it is less costly to produce and distribute electronic materials instead of printed versions is making many federal and state agencies move from print to Internet-based publications. For example, many state Agricultural Experiment Station and Extension Service publications are now published only electronically and are accessible only on the Internet. The Government Printing Office is gradually moving to Internet versions of most of its publications. To retain access to some information sources libraries have no choice but to provide Internet-based materials. But these cost savings to publishers do not usually result in comparable savings to libraries as many sources are becoming subscription-based at rates comparable or higher than print, and libraries must absorb the added cost of providing and maintaining computer hardware to access the Internet resources.

Selection Criteria

Internet-based materials that fit the needs of users of science and technology libraries include electronic journals and magazines, books and reference books, statistical sources, and databases. There are hundreds of S&T journals available electronically, most of them by way of the Internet. There are a few published by scholarly societies, academic, or government agencies that are free of charge. But most are commercially published by for-profit or society publishers and are subscription-based. Some are free with a print subscription, but most are an additional 7.5% to 25% above the cost of a print subscription when the library also subscribes to the print edition. Choosing to subscribe to an Internet version alone usually saves only 20% or less (Anonymous 1997). As with any materials, libraries must examine the cost/benefit ratio, in this case factoring in the accessibility and convenience of Internet periodicals being delivered directly to the users. In addition to individual Internet journal subscriptions, a number of vendors and publishers make Internet subscription packages of journal titles available such as EBSCOhost's Academic Search FullTEXT, Academic Press' IDEAL, and Elsevier's ScienceDirect. These commercial vendors may also act to aggregate journal collections, offering an interface to collections of other publishers. Potential price advantages to such arrangements include discounted prices and greater ease of use since each title has a common interface.

In addition to periodicals, a rapidly growing body of books and reference materials are becoming available over the Internet. Many standard reference titles that first appeared electronically as CD-ROMs have now been replaced by Internet versions. In the category of commercial reference titles adapted from print editions, most are subscription based. Publishers of subscription-based materials usually offer a free trial for a limited time or make available limited examples on the Internet for customers to examine. Some that are in the public domain are freely available. Another common means of commercial support is for Internet sites to include paid advertisements within the web sites to support free access to the users. All the usual types of reference materials are available: dictionaries, thesauri, encyclopedias, directories, guides and handbooks. The following is a list of examples:

Internet electronic materials have the advantage of supporting new information formats and new types of interaction with users. For example, a phone directory may include the ability to see a map of the location found and give driving instructions on how to get there from almost any place in the country. Another example is the ability to look at real-time weather data with maps showing the distribution and movement of clouds, rain, wind, and temperature. Multimedia encyclopedias and handbooks can include images, audio, and video to enhance and accompany the text. Many Internet chemical materials now include the option to view and interactively rotate and examine chemical compound images.

Statistical materials are available on the Internet. Some examples include free, time-delayed stock tickers supported by advertising; agricultural production, trade and consumption figures from government or international agencies; and historical climate and weather data from government agencies.

Access to databases of information may also be a valuable addition to the S&T library collection. One of the earliest and largest sources of freely available information over the Internet is the genetic sequence database. Genetic sequence databases for humans and many other organisms are used extensively by scientists in biotechnology and molecular biology research. Long sequences of letters (T, C, A, & Gs) representing genetic codes which make with no obvious sense to human readers, but which require accuracy in duplication, are managed best by electronic transmission of data files. Pages and pages of code could not be typeset or transcribed by humans without introducing copying errors. Thus electronic data file transmission was established as the standard mechanism for their storage and transmission. Originally set up as FTP sites, these genetic data banks have now migrated to web sites that let browser software handle the file transfers in a more user-friendly manner. Genetic map image files are also now a common feature at these sites. Many other types of scientific data such as chemical compound and safety information, consumer information, and engineering and agricultural extension data are freely available. Subscriptions to scientific bibliographic databases delivered via the Internet are the most popular commercial web application in S&T libraries.

Implementation Criteria

The need to limit access to subscription Internet materials to authorized, affiliated users requires some mechanism for valid user verification. One common security measure is to supply the commercial service with a list of acceptable Internet Protocol (IP) addresses that represent the domain of an institution. Some vendors also require logon with a user ID and password. Two possible methods to distribute logon identification to the library's users are to set up a gateway web page that lists the ID and password next to a link to the resource or to set up a gateway web page with a link to the resource that contains an embedded CGI script that seamlessly transmits the ID and password for the users. In both of these cases an IP address check is still also required to prevent unauthorized access. IP address checking can create a problem for users trying to access Internet materials from home if they use a commercial Internet Service Provider (ISP) that would give them a non-approved IP address. One method to solve this is for the library to set up a gateway proxy server that requires a separate valid user logon ID and password that then gives the user a valid temporary IP address.

Because of the uncertainties of how well current copyright laws will protect electronic products from unauthorized distribution that would cut into potential revenues, most publishers and vendors rely on contracts and product licenses to restrict and control access to their electronic products. In addition to distribution and access concerns, the need to delineate the pricing scheme, which may be very complex compared to a simple one-time purchase or typical subscription for print, to arrange for archival access, and to satisfy other new concerns unique to electronic resources encourage the use of product licensing. No standard for such licenses yet exists, and each product requires examination of its license and possible contract negotiation before acquiring a resource. The librarian must determine that the terms of a license are acceptable with respect to limiting access for users or to permitted uses of the material such as printing or downloading. For example, if a resource is being "site licensed" for an institution, what is the vendor's definition of the institution's site? The license may define it as a certain geographic region in a particular city and a specified number of miles around that location. This may be acceptable for the majority of the users but would exclude most distance education users, users at remote institutional experimental facilities, or corporate users in another city. This instance might require negotiation of a new broader site definition to include legitimate remote users. Contract negotiation is a new area of expertise for most librarians to develop. But in most institutions or companies, the librarians can not make the final contract negotiations or sign contracts, as this is a process usually reserved for the institution's legal counsel. The librarians should participate in establishing workable terms by maintaining contact with the legal staff and apprising them of critical aspects on which to hold firm in the negotiations. This negotiation and licensing process can significantly delay acquisition of a resource.

Acquiring web browser client software is generally not a hurdle as Netscape's Navigator or Communicator software has always been freely available to educational institutions such as academic and public libraries, and Microsoft's Internet Explorer software or NCSA's Mosaic software are free for anyone to download and use. As a result, most users either have basic client software or they can readily obtain it from a download site. Some Internet applications, especially those with interactive multimedia features such as chemical molecule viewing, require the use of "helper application" software which must be downloaded and installed. This could require extra setup time for library computers and instruction for remote users on downloading and helper software installation. The advent of Java-capable browsers and application loading and setup on the fly by Java-based applications may alleviate this potential consideration.

Internet materials can be mounted on either a local UNIX-based web server or on a remote server. The advantage of locally mounted materials is generally faster access times for local users, but this is offset by the expense to the library of the server hardware, software and their maintenance and administration. Problems may arise with Internet materials on remote servers due to access delays resulting from the amount of traffic on the remote server or on the intervening Internet trunk lines, but the library does not have local server costs.

The cost of Internet based materials can be handled in a number of ways. To some degree the cost of print resources can be traded for the cost of replacement Internet materials. Especially in smaller corporate special and academic branch S&T libraries, the savings from the reduced need for additional shelf space can be significant. But, for most libraries, the overall cost of Internet resources results in a net increase in equipment and materials expenditures so that new sources of funds must be realized. In the academic environment, the implementation of library use fees, or an increase in existing fees, can be used to fund new Internet resources. If the student users can be educated about the advantages of Internet delivery of information resources such as availability of full text journal articles and convenience of remote access, then they may be less resistant to increases in fees. Another option is a fund raising campaign to set up an endowment for the increased electronic resources. This idea can be sold to alumni on the prestige of using new technology and to corporate donors on better preparing the graduates to effectively and efficiently contribute in the corporate world.

The challenge of user education and communication about Internet resources needs careful attention. For the library to create web-based help pages or frequently asked question (FAQ) pages, there may be costs to consider. Most commercial subscription resources have some form of help pages, and their clarity and effectiveness should be among selection criteria. In some cases a library can adapt or link to help pages produced by another library that are superior to those of a vendor, saving on local development costs. Publishing the phone number of the library's reference desk to answer Internet questions is another means of user assistance. Putting an e-mail link on the library's web page to receive e-mail questions is also an option.

Long Term Access Criteria

The replacement of print materials by Internet access creates a longevity of access criterion. If materials are subscription based, what is the time period for access by the library and its users? With a print subscription, long term access is assumed, but for Internet access the time must be determined. For example with a journal subscription, is access only for the period of the subscription or are perpetual access rights granted for any publishing time period when a subscription is in force? If "perpetual" access is guaranteed, how capable is the publisher to uphold this promise? One must examine just what long term access is being guaranteed and in what format. Given the rapidly changing nature of the Internet electronic environment, does the provider specify that its materials will all migrate to future forms of electronic accessibility? What economic incentive does a provider have to uphold such promises?

World Wide Wait

Another course of action is to notify vendors when their servers are responding slowly due to high numbers of users and encourage them to add more server capacity. If vendors are unresponsive to such complaints and service remains poor, then libraries should take their business to another source. Some vendors are making more use of Java applications to decrease the amount of data bits they must transmit to users by supplying information and applications only when needed instead of having pages that are very load-intensive initially.

Cataloging Internet Materials

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

References:

Fedunok, S. 1997. Hammurabi and the Electronic Age: Documenting Electronic Collection Decisions. RQ 36(1):86-90.