Electronic resources at the E.S. Farley Library include research databases, online journals and journal collections, and electronic books and electronic book collections that require a computer or mobile device to access. The goal of the library is to purchase or maintain subscriptions to resources that are necessary and vital in support of our curriculum and appropriate to the size of a small academic library collection and to supplement these with other electronic resources as the budget allows.
The library does not acquire, maintain, or provide access to any electronic subscriptions purchased with funds outside the library budget.
Selection
Selection of electronic resources is the responsibility of librarians in cooperation with faculty. Responsibility for the acquisition and licensing of electronic resources rests with the Electronic Resources Librarian.
Electronic journals are ordered in August and subscriptions begin the following January. There is no designated deadline for ordering other electronic resources.
Selection Criteria
Electronic resources will be judged based upon the following criteria: cost, uniqueness of the content, necessary accreditation, user-friendly interface, accessibility, usability, search functionality, and potential usefulness to the greatest number of our students and faculty.
The licensing terms must be in accordance with the library’s needs. The library prefers to hold perpetual access rights. Limited access rights will be considered in instances when scholarly value of the material is sufficiently high. The library considers access and ownership equally acceptable collection models and makes the decision to subscribe or purchase on a per resource basis. Considerations include, but are not limited to, subscription cost versus annual access fee, subject, and long-term scholarly value of the material.
The resource must be easily accessible and usable. Remote access is essential, and unlimited concurrent users and IP recognition are preferred. User limits will be considered if the number of concurrent users is sufficient for the program supported by the resource. Username/password authentication will be accepted only in the instance when the scholarly value of the resource is sufficiently high and the resource supports a small number of users or programs.
Evaluation
Since this collection represents an ongoing financial commitment that increases annually with inflation, the library will regularly evaluate each resource based on its scholarly value relative to its cost. The annual evaluation of electronic resources is designed to ensure that the collection has met the goals laid out in this policy. Through this process, electronic resources may be added or cancelled. Many factors inform this review, including but not limited to cost, usage, overlap of content, and relevance to the curriculum.
Return to the Table of Contents