ISSN 0147-6882, Scientific and Technical Information Processing, 2009, Vol. 36, No. 2, pp. 92–95. © Allerton Press, Inc., 2009.Original Russian Text © Yu.N. Lutsik, 2009, published in Nauchno-Technicheskaya Informatsiya, Seriya 1, 2009, No. 4, pp. 28–29.

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The renewal of the higher professional educationsystem, which is aimed at bringing Russian universi-ties to a high international level is taking place inRussia at present. It is evident that creation of basicinternational educational programs is impossible inisolation from the global information space of sci-ence, the full-value access to which is provided byacademic information resources. The strategic guid-ance drawn up by the state policy in the sphere ofeducation exerts a direct influence on the practice ofuniversity libraries in the sphere of stock acquisition.This is particularly relevant to the acquisition ofelectronic resources. Russian libraries have masteredthe wide stratum of commercial scientific informa-tion of foreign and domestic producers for a shortperiod, having achieved much success in the sphereof the management and use of electronic resources.This work with electronic information has permitted

the potential of the librarian–bibliographic service ofreaders to be considerably widened but, at the sametime, forced librarians to face considerable prob-lems. The process of selecting resources for elec-tronic collections can be mentioned among the keyproblems of this field.

A library acts as an intermediate between infor-mation brokers (information suppliers) and finalusers in the situation of selection. The library isinfluenced, on the one hand, by the strategic tasks,functional and structural properties of an educationalorganization, whose subdivision it is, and, on theother hand, by the realities of the information mar-ket, generators and vendors of information, andlibrarian consortia. This situation can be schemati-cally presented as follows:

The dotted arrows in the scheme designate theinformation flows exerting an influence on the pro-cess of acquisition inside a library (1,3), and the

continuous arrows indicate the processes of trans-mitting the results of reprocessing the informationflows (2,4).

A library A University

A generator

A generator

1

2

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1

2

consortium

Creating the Electronic Collection of a University Library: Criteria for Selecting Online Access Resources

Yu. N. Lutsik

Received January 22, 2009

Abstract

—The process is described and the basic models are distinguished of a university library’s acquisitionpolicy. The parameters of evaluation and structured scheme of requirements to subscribed resources are con-sidered.

Key words

: university library, stock acquisition, electronic resource, information market.

DOI:

10.3103/S0147688209020051

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The data on the main characteristics of resources,conditions of information supply, etc. are the content ofan information flow that comes into a library from gen-erators directly or through intermediary of consortia.After processing the information received, the librarytransmits a message about a decision on the organiza-tion of subscription. The exchange of informationbetween the library and a patronage organization (inthis case, a university) goes on in parallel with this pro-cess. The indicated process is continuous, it takes placebefore, at the moment, and after the completion of sub-scription; it can be considered as being dominant in thissystem. Acting as the main investor, a university playsa determinant role in the acquisition process. The pro-cessing of information flows by a library finally resultsin creating a stock of electronic resources (an electronicsubscription) of high quality.

The exchange of information with subdivisions andexternal organizations results in forming a system ofparameters for evaluating the quality of a resource andthe expediency of its acquisition. These parameters canbe divided into two conditional groups: objectiveparameters (the quality of information, reliability of avendor, possibilities of archiving, etc.) and subjectivefactors (the value characteristics of information that areacceptable for a given educational institution).

The organizational culture and strategy of a highereducational institution give the information about theprofile and value orientation of acquisition to a library.The profile of acquisition is determined by the syllabusof a university and main directions of research; thevalue characteristics are subjective for an organizationand determine the priorities of acquisition. If the acqui-sition of a university’s subscription materials is consid-ered as an investment project, then the application ofthe method for analyzing the correspondence of a sub-scription to the strategic goals of an organization per-mits one to form the optimal set of resources, which isable to arouse the interest of a potential investor and toobtain the necessary volume of financing.

A library draws the information about the objectivecharacteristics of resources (the quality of information,reliability of a vendor, possibilities of archiving, etc.)from external sources. Information suppliers them-selves, i.e., generators placing similar informationabout rendered services and products on their plat-forms, and intermediates between them and a library,i.e., consortia, are most often considered as a source ofsimilar information. Consortia determine the characterof the interaction between a library and segments of theinformation market that are profile for it. A consortiumrealizes the procedure for selecting resources and sup-pliers by objective criteria at its level, and libraries haveonly to choose profile collections from a suggested set.However, this situation is not as unambiguous as itseems at first sight, since each library included in theconsortium has its financial possibilities and informa-tion needs, and there are times when it is difficult to

coordinate them. In many cases the representatives of aconsortium, in return, refuse to enter into negotiationswith suppliers of narrow-profile resources, and librariesare obliged to carry out the resource selection proce-dure independently.

Consequently, librarians taking part in forming anelectronic collection must develop for themselves thesystem of criteria for evaluating electronic resources,on the basis of which the acquisition priority system issubsequently formed. Foreign specialists suggest eval-uating information products using the following param-eters:

- content;- the conditions of access;- updatability;- convenience of cataloging;- longevity;- convenience of use;- the statistics of use;- the technical characteristics and quality of service;- the factors of value added;- the structure of price formation [1].The quality of a resource’s content (substance) is a

priority factor determining the decision-making aboutsubscription. The quality of digital content and that ofprinted content is determined according to a number ofparameters, among which are the authoritativeness of aresource, its value, completeness, exactness, clearness,newness, uniqueness, and correspondence to academicstandards.

The conditions of access are the next important fac-tor determining the efficiency of using a resource in anorganization. At this point, two constituents are takeninto account: the limitations connected with copyrightlaw (this is relevant to copying, transmission, and stor-age of electronic documents) and the method for iden-tifying authorized users.

The modern updating of a resource and addition ofnew numbers, in the event of subscribing to the elec-tronic version of periodicals, should be also taken intoaccount. Many people believe that an electronic versionpasses ahead of a printed analog in its time of appear-ance, but this opinion is not always justified. The plac-ing of preprints is the prerogative of publishing housesand generators. Aggregators providing users with awide set of journals of different publishing houses on asingle platform often provide access to the journalswith a considerable delay (from 12 to 24 months) dueto the conditions of agreements with publishers. Thisperiod is called the period of embargo. The standardsfor updating each electronic edition must be stipulatedin a license agreement under the condition of packetsubscription.

The cataloging of electronic resources is a necessarycomponent for management of an electronic subscrip-tion. When large data packages that number several

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thousands of items are bought, the accessibility andquality of bibliographic descriptions are very impor-tant. The information about a resource must includemetadata on all issues presented in it. Entering into asubscription to a resource in the absence of metadata isequivalent to buying a book without a title page andsubject heading.

The longevity of a resource implies the correspon-dence of the subscription cost and the organization ofaccess to the resource to its long-term cost as a non-material asset and value for a concrete search of infor-mation products. When organizing a subscription, it isvery important to determine the presence of rights forthe conservation of archival access to the paid part ofthe collection. If a vendor leaves the right for the con-stant use of a resource to a subscriber, it is necessary tospecify a format in which the archive will be stored.The cost for storage of electronic information some-times greatly exceeds its purchasing price.

The convenience of use is one of the most importantcharacteristics determining the success of a resourceamong the users. As a rule, it is possible to getacquainted with this quality of a subscribed productduring a test access. The convenience of use impliessimplicity of interface, optimal graphical design, andpresence of qualitative navigation instruments.

The statistics on using a resource provide an oppor-tunity to judge the efficiency of the financial investmentin purchasing a data package.

Technological support and a high quality of serviceguarantee the stable work of an electronic resource and,not less important, the operative substitution of dam-aged blocks.

The factors of the added value of an electronic doc-ument increase its worth in the opinion of users. Amongthem, one can mention the followings:

- the possibility of creating virtual interconnections(hyperlinks) between different documents, both insidea resource and outside of it. This can be exemplified byan article’s bibliography equipped with hyperlinks;

- the possibility of combining several searches in acommon interface;

- the possibility of creating a personal user’s profile,inside of which the thematic samples of sources, texts,searches (alerts), etc. can be stored.

The developed system of additional servicesincreases the value of a resource in the opinion of theuser community. Their presence should be taken intoaccount when selecting resources in a subscriptionpackage.

The criterion of the cost of a resource is the last inthe list but by no means the last in practice. Price for-mation in the electronic information market is ratherflexible. Unlike printed journals that have a basic costwith a possible rebate, electronic resources can changein price depending on the level of access to their con-tent, the presence of additional options, the status of the

selling organization, quantity of potential users, coun-try, etc. The price can be changed as a result of negoti-ations or divided into several parts. At this point, it isnecessary to remember once more the role of consortiain the process of creating an electronic subscription.The level of membership in an organization helps toconsiderably decrease the expenditures for electronicinformation.

In the practical activity of a library, the basic criteriafor selecting electronic resources (both subjective andobjective ones) become the basis of a document, regu-lating the process of creating an electronic subscription.Documents of this type have the name of the “Elec-tronic resources collection policy” in foreign libraries.The collection policy is a supplement to the strategyand mission of a library. The hierarchic order of criteriaand practice of their use in the collection process areestablished in the flow of strategic goals and tasks. Thegeneral structure of a collection policy is varied. To dis-tinguish the main models, we have considered the reg-ulations of ten US libraries, members of the Associa-tion of Research Libraries (ARL), the expenditures ofwhich for electronic resources exceed 6.5 million USD,according to the statistical data of the ARL [2]. Accord-ing to the results of the research, three basic modelshave been distinguished:

(1) the collection policy built on the enumeration ofthe main criteria for selection that are common for alltypes of electronic information, provided for a fee (usedby Columbia University) [3];

(2) the policy suggesting the block of general rec-ommendations for selecting resources with the addi-tional specifications for separate types of electroniceditions, viz., books, journals, abstract databases (usedby the University of Texas) [4];

(3) the block strategy represented by a thematicallystructured system of questions, which a selector mustanswer before making a decision about subscription(used by the University of Washington) [5].

Derivatives of the “evaluation form” that contain thebrief list of the main characteristics of a resource and asupplier’s company are used in the process of creatingthe strategies (see the Appendix). The data that are nec-essary to primarily evaluate a resource, compare it withalternative sources of data and make a decision aboutsubscription are successively presented in this form.The main text of the library’s strategy, its mission,tasks, and strategic plans of separate collections (in par-ticular, digital collections) are used for the adaptationof the unified form to the properties of concrete librar-ies, they impart an orientation to the specific propertiesof a higher educational institution to the “electronicresource evaluation form,” determining the priority ofseparate points. The elements of the form are subse-quently used in the process of purchases, when register-ing resources included in an electronic collection, whenplanning actions on the promotion of electronicresources (trainings or seminars), and when placing the

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information about an electronic subscription on alibrary’s site.

The use of the structured scheme of requirementsfor subscribed resources enables one to successfullyintegrate a fund into the information infrastructure of ascientific and educational institution and, of no smallimportance, to obtain the qualitative instruments formeasuring the efficiency of using an electronic collec-tion by readers of a scientific library. This approach hasproven its efficiency in the practice of the leadinglibraries of the USA and Europe and seems to be prom-ising under the conditions that the practice of electronicsubscription management is in progress in libraries ofRussian universities.

REFERENCES

1. Building a virtual library. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Inc.,2002. 230 pp.

2. ARL Statistics 2006-2007 (an electronic resource),Association of research libraries (ARL) (site). [2008].URL: http://www.arl.org/news/pr/arl-statistics-18dec08.shtml. (accessed date 20.01.2009).

3. Columbia University libraries collection development:Digital libraries (an electronic resource), the ColumbiaUniversity (site). [2008]. URL: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/services/colldev/digital-librarv.html (accesseddate 20.01.2009).

4. Dillon D. Digital Library Collection Development Pol-icy (an electronic resource), the University of Texas(site). [2008]. URL:http://www.lib.utexas.edu/admin/cird/policies/subiects/framework.html (accessed date20.01.2009).

5. Selection Guidelines for Internet Resources [an elec-tronic resource] // University of Washington Texas (site).[2008]. URL: http://staffweb.lib.washington.edu/bob/irc/policies/internetselguide.htm (accessed date 20.01.2009).

APPENDIXAn electronic resource evaluation blank (form)Full name of the specialist who filled in the blank:The name of a supplier’s companyThe contact information of a supplier/intermediate

(address, telephone number, e-mail)

The role of an electronic resource in the informationsupport of a teaching/scientific activity:

a) an electronic resource provides the informationsupport of all directions of a teaching/scientific activity;

b) an electronic resource compensates for the insuf-ficient information support of separate areas of a teach-ing/scientific activity;

c) an electronic resource strengthens the informa-tion support of the priority directions of a teaching/sci-entific activity

The sort/type of an electronic resource (an abstractdatabase, full-text database, numeric data, etc.)

The brief description of a resource’s content (quali-tative characteristics, chronological, geographical, andlanguage coverage)

The possibility of obtaining test accessThe conditions of access: the convenience of work

with an interface, the stable work of a system, the rateof executing queries

Access points: a university’s PC, access from anexternal PC through a proxy-server

The structure of creation of prices for a resource(possible rebates)

The possibility of retaining access to archives afterthe finish of a subscription period

The duplication of printed editions from a library’sstock by resources, the percentage of intersection ofdata with electronic resources that have been alreadysubscribed to

The characteristics of software support and commu-nication facilities. Is it necessary to use a specializedsoftware support for work with a resource

The possibility of obtaining the statistics on the useof a resource. A format of statistical accounts

The presence of bibliographic data included in aninformation resource. Methods of export

The information support of users (the possibility ofholding training, seminars, individual consultations)

The presentation of advertising materials for promo-tion of a resource

The presence of an operative and effective feedback