indexes, subscriptions, and internet links

[Hal]

Hello all,

I have generally been a lurker on this list 'stealing' tidbits of helpful
information.  Tom Tipsword brought up the excellent point that we have
recently gone away from the technical and more towards the theoretical on
this list.  I believe my question will pull us back in the other
direction.....or perhaps not.

Anyway....I have been looking at numerous academic library web sites and
have noticed something....this is that there is generally a separation of
subscription-based links/indexes and freely available web links.  This
often results in there being 2 separate sections of say business & economic
information.  I'm curious to know what the rational is for separating these
links...when it would seem to me to be more efficient to combine them and
provide a 1-stop shopping concept for users.  An example of this can be
seen at http://137.238.9.12/subject/be.htm

This page combines access to specific Firstsearch databases, several other
subscription-based resources and then a selection of useful, reliable Web
sites.  Why is the trend away from this?

Just curious....reply directly to me or to the list.

-hal

Hal Kirkwood
Information Technology Librarian
S.U.N.Y. at Geneseo
Geneseo, NY 14454
716/245-5524
Fax: 716/245-5003
hkirk at uno.cc.geneseo.edu
http://137.238.9.12/~hal/hal.html

"I find that sometimes it's easy to be myself"
"and sometimes I find that it's better to be somebody else"
                -Dave Matthews Band