[WEB4LIB] Database Trials - details

[Dan Lester]

Thursday, October 24, 2002, 12:17:11 PM, you wrote:

JC> So I have a series of questions--

JC> * Do you throw trials open to your entire campus community?

Absolutely.  They're the ones who are going to be using them.

JC>  If so, how
JC> have vendors reacted?

Never a question about it at all.

JC>  Did you notice degradation of info delivery from
JC> having a number of campus users hitting the trial databases?

No.  If the databases can't handle the load when they're on trial, how
could they when they're licensed?

JC> * Do you limit trials to faculty only?

No.  There's no practical way to do this in our organization.

JC> So far that's where we're at on
JC> this round.  We can log faculty into our website and using EZproxy
JC> allow them remote access too.  Not to denigrate the value of our student
JC> users, but from a political standpoint I want our faculty to feel that
JC> they've had some level of input to the decision-making process.  Am I
JC> crazy to limit to faculty only?

Yes.  We'll take input from anyone.  Now there aren't a whole lot who
actually provide it, but they're surely encouraged to.

JC> As a note, FirstSearch, as many of you know, already normally throws the
JC> trial dbases in with existing subscriptions on the same authorization
JC> anyway, so an astute user can click on "List of Databases" and see the
JC> trial.  I still want to give our faculty a secure area, though, with
JC> supporting info and data. In other words, I'll duplicate links to
JC> FirstSearch databases on my faculty trials page.

We don't have any trials up at the moment, but they go right on our
standard page  http://library.boisestate.edu/indexes/  with a note on
the deadline for the trial, and a link to click to send in comments.

JC> To post preliminary pricing on a secure web page for faculty to see?

We don't disclose pricing as a part of the trial.  These are
subscriptions, so we handle the money.

cheers

dan


-- 
Dan Lester, Data Wrangler  dan at RiverOfData.com 208-283-7711
3577 East Pecan, Boise, Idaho  83716-7115 USA
www.riverofdata.com  www.gailndan.com  Stop Global Whining!