Networking CD-ROMs -Reply

[KAREN SCHNEIDER]

Our experience is that we were able to migrate to
Internet-accessible databases for nearly all of our products, and
have been very happy with them.  Less work for mother, people
like them, and they're accessible in the farthest corners of the
region, unlike our CD towers.  

On the other hand... there were some problems to consider:

1) Not all products are available over the 'net.  We have a few
boutique CDs available in the Library, for that reason.   This
works for us, but it may not work for you.

2) Your network operating environment may not be ready for the
databases you select.  When we first considered moving from
CDs, we were using an antique Sun as our intranet server.  It
could not support the version of Solaris required for the Unix
version of Webspirs (the Silverplatter client required for their
databases).  We were promised a new NT server.  I bet that this
server would be six months late, and I was wrong--it was eight
months late.  Fortunately, I had licensed Cambridge's products,
which don't require local software.  That wasn't brains, it was
dumb luck; the two products were under consideration "upstairs,"
 and one package came out infintesimally cheaper than the other,
for our sites and the package we were looking at.

We have two networked CDs, because they were unique to
SilverPlatter, and though the NT server is here, we've been
busy doing other things and haven't "turned them on" yet.  

Don't assume anything; test, consider, get your gurus in on this,
plan.  I think overall moving to Internet-accessible databases is a
really good idea, but think of it as that--an idea--and examine it
closely before plunging in.

Karen G. Schneider/schneider.karen at epamail.epa.gov
Contractor, GCI/Director, US EPA Region 2 Library
http://www.epa.gov/Region2/library/