Selecting and evaluating electronic resources

[Rowan Brownlee]

I'm interested in criteria used to select and evaluate electronic 
resources (such as locally mounted cdroms and information services 
subscribed to over the web - eg. WilsonWeb, Proquest, IAC)

I'd like to hear from libraries that have developed procedures used 
in this area.

I searched the Web4Lib archive and found two relevant sites.  Details 
follow.

regards

Rowan

=====================

http://www.ola.bc.ca/eln/pands/fulltext.htm

The B.C Electronic Library Network site discusses the following 
areas.

Fulltext Initiative Project Overview 
Product Evaluation Committee 
Database Selection Criteria 
Trial Database Descriptions 
Product Evaluation Form [PDF format] 
User Feedback Form [PDF format] 
User Feedback Form [HTML format] 

The forms are interesting and include an online web based version for
user feedback 

Under "Database selection criteria", they include the following areas
Access and authentication 
Content 
Functionality 
Integration and interoperability 
Licensing issues 
Output options 
Pricing 
Statistical reporting 
Technical format


Another site is provided by the St. Norbert College Library, called
"Criteria for the Selection of Full-Text Databases"

http://www.snc.edu/~mankmm/criteria.htm

They talk about...
Size and content
Depth
Ease of use
Advanced search features
Quality of indexing
Currency
Ease of use for staff
Added overheads (hardware, staff, )
Integrity of the company
Vendor commitment to preservation/continued access
Technical support
Technical aspects
Cost

============================


Rowan Brownlee
Electronic Resources Coordinator
Information Technology Division
State Library of New South Wales
Macquarie St, Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
rbrownle at slnsw.gov.au
ph: 02 92731708