FW: 'official' versions of university documents

[Susan Brown]

I agree.  If a document is dynamic, the question of what to archive can 
become very difficult.  Do you preserve each version of the document or only 
preserve a version once a year?  There are no easy answers.

The other problem with a dynamic catalog (course listings and requirements) 
is that students typically have entered the college or university under a 
specific edition.  At several of the schools in which I have worked, a 
student may point back to that edition as the catalog (the graduation 
requirements) they would like to graduate under, even if the requirements 
change.  So if the catalog changes several times in the year, which version 
is an entering student held to?  Perhaps the answers to these questions are 
set into policy by each individual university.

Another archiving problem occurs to me.  Dr. Richardson is right.  The web 
can be so much more than the paper version.  If a catalog has links to a 
course syllabus or to a course page with assignments and student imput, does 
that get preserved as well?  Do you preserve the fact that there was a link 
but not worry about tha document that it was linked to?  But perhaps this is 
food for another list.

Susan Brown
Interdisciplinary Librarian
Colorado College

 ----------
From: web4lib
To: Multiple recipients of list
Subject: 'official' versions of university documents
Date: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 7:11AM

I think Dr. Richardson's observations are right on the mark with regard to
whether the Web or printed version is 'official'.  From a reference
librarian's point of view I would like to add one point.  As we move toward
dynamic documents in a networked environment we need to think also of the
archival function.  I am not infrequently asked at our reference desk for
copies of long out-dated college catalogs.  Usually this comes from
individuals applying to another school who need an exact description of the
course they took many years ago in order to receive credit for the work.  It
is up to us librarians and archivists to ensure that this sort of
information is not lost in the rush to revise and update electronic 
docuemnts.
Gary Fouty                              (612)-624-1851
108 Walter Library                      g-fout at tc.umn.edu
117 Pleasant St. S.E. #108
Minneapolis MN 55455