web based products

[Stacy Pober]

> From: "Higgins, Caroline" <HigginsC at zeus.dt.uh.edu>
> How do you and your colleagues feel about web-based proprietary
> databases?  We currently buy UMI, SilverPlatter and Wilson
> products on CD-Rom and are thinking about migrating to
> web-based products.  
> 
> What do you think about the reliability of these web products?

Mixed.  We have several from SilverPlatter, ProQuest Direct from UMI, and some 
others from OCLC.   We've had downtime from all of them at times.   We also 
have EBSCO's Academic Abstracts and some other CD-ROMS plus Dialog searches 
(through the librarian) as back up.

>How do you feel about using funds but getting no physical product?

When they work, I don't mind.  When they're down, it's a little frustrating if 
you don't have an equivalent backup.

>Do you fear that you will be locked into purchasing the product
>even if there were to be a dramatic increase in price?

Not much more so than with some information we get in hard copy or on CD.

>Will you continue to buy paper and/or CDs when you migrate to web?

Yes, if only as a backup.  It's frustrating for librarian and patron alike when 
an essential database goes down without any comparable source available.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stacy Pober                   Internet: spober at manvax.cc.manhattan.edu
Information Alchemist         http://www.manhattan.edu/library/mclmenu.html
Manhattan College Libraries   Phone:  718-862-7980
Riverdale, NY 10471           Fax:  718-862-7995
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~