Magazines

[Tom Raffensperger]

Dear Katherine,

I've had experience with both UMI (in CD and Internet form) and IAC
(Internet). Currently, we have access to both Internet-based products. I
haven't done any structured in-depth statistical analysis myself (for
that, see the citations below), but I have observed student use and
watched the performance of these products in different environments. As
you read my comments, please be aware that the students we currently
deal with here are ESL (English as a Second Language) students, but they
are fairly comfortable with computers and the Internet.

UMI on CD ROM has all the advantages and disadvantages of full image.
Full image articles give the look and feel of the publication and
include such important features as charts and graphs (see the Peter
Jacso article cited below). The downside of the full image format is
that it can increase response time and makes manipulation of retrieved
material more difficult. We had some difficulties running the CDs on our
network and found that it took much more maintenance time than the
Internet version. The biggest problem with UMI on the web is the
download time for full image articles. Students often become frustrated
and move on before the image can download. Another difficulty is the way
that retrieval choices are displayed. There are five columns of
retrieval choices that our students find confusing. They end up spending
a lot of valuable search time looking for the "right" format. IAC allows
a fairly straightforward way to select all the full-text articles from a
search (note that we rely *heavily* on electronic over paper resources
at this college). One thing I particularly like about UMI is the
standardized navigation buttons. My favorite IAC feature is its default
Subject search. This has really helped our students understand subject
hierarchies and their value in searching.

As far as content, UMI seems to have better depth and IAC better
breadth, but that is dealt with more completely in the
Richter/Wesley article cited below.

In general I favor web-based indexes because they do not need to be
specifically "installed" on individual workstations. Any workstation
with a browser and an Internet connection will do. I find that IAC
(Internet) is easier for new users to navigate and quickly find what
they need than UMI. However, experienced users will probably not find
UMI too difficult to navigate. UMI (Internet) is an excellent product,
but the download time for full image can be excruciatingly slow. We also
find that UMI is often "down for maintenance" during our peak hours.
Then again, we are 9-12 time zones away from the mainland US  ;-)

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Tom Raffensperger  ( traffens at hct.ac.ae )
Librarian and Instructor
Ras Al Khaimah Women's College ( http://rkw.hct.ac.ae )
Ras Al Khaimah
United Arab Emirates


- Jacso, Peter. "CD-ROM databases with full-page images." Computers in
Libraries. Feb 1998  v.18  n.2  p. 33(3)

- Richter, Carole J. Wesley, Theresa L. "IAC and UMI go head-to-head on
full text: a comparison of Expanded Academic Index via SearchBank and
Periodical Abstracts Research II with PowerPages." Database (Weston,
Conn.). v. 19, Aug./Sep. 1996, p. 62-6.



Katherine Kendall wrote:

> Dear Friends,
>
>         We are in the process of evaluating magazine databases.
> I have seen comparisons of academic databases but not public library
> databases.  We need general magazines and business magazines.
> We have Ebsco through the State (Ohio), but would like to compare
> IAC and UMI.  We can go either CD-ROMs or Internet.
> Now to the questions:
>
> 1.  Who has the most full-text?  How about relevancy?
> 2.  Do the web-based interfaces search as well as the old
>         CD-ROM interfaces?
> 3.  Who has rights (either of these guys or a different vendor)
>         to the Time Inc. magazines now?
> 4.  Is printing more precise off the web?
> 5.  Do patrons prefer web to CD-ROM because it's easier to use?
>         Is it easier to teach?
> 6.  Has anyone "gone bare" by using only the OPLIN-provided
>         databases and how has that worked out?
>
> Any input appreciated - not just from other Ohio libraries.
> We're all in the same squeeze with journal subscriptions.
> Thanks!
>
> Katherine Kendall, Head of Technology Services
> Mentor Public Library
> Mentor, Ohio
> mailto:kk at harborcom.net