Alternative Resources to Online Journals An Adventure In Research

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Alternative Resources to Online JournalsAn
Adventure In Research

• Gary Smith
• Vice President, Global Sales
• The Gale Group

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On Libraries

• You must think of the library, whether popular
  or scholarly, circulating or reference, as an
  essential part of our system of education.
  Whatever it has been in the past, this is what it
  is to be in the future and, while it will still
  do a great work in furnishing innocent
  recreation, even this feature will be utilized to
  develop the taste for better books, thus making
  the main work of educating and elevating the more
  practicable. --Melvil Dewey, A.M.

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Why?

• By nature of what you are communicating to us,
  there is a danger of useful and much needed
  materials being eliminated
• Vendors use publications such as Online,
  Searcher, etc. to gauge future product
  enhancements
• Recent article count was 80 banners declaring
  the death knell for anything non-electronic

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Is the Hype reality?

• In the first days of Microfilm, the industry
  was convinced this format would completely
  replace paper.
• -Heinz Dettling UMI

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Other Examples of Hype

• Z39.50
• The Paperless Office
• All Information Being Free On The Internet

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Sometimes It Is Good To Examine Hype

• Who is attempting the Hype?
• Where is the Hype coming from?
• Is there a common sense basis for it?
• What massive investments and changes will we have
  to make with regards to it? (No matter what
  youre told, hype is expensive.)

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Why Did We Pick This Topic

• In 1999, the Gale Group Released a New Concept
  Called RESOURCE CENTERS.
• Every library we visit simply wants to look at
  the journal content, and will not take into
  account the other content available within the
  subject based centers.
• Were trying to understand Why?

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Interviewing Librarians

• We started asking librarians, and got the
  following answers
• Were moving to E-Journals
• We need document delivery
• Since no one else has comparable materials, we
  have to compare evenly. (?)
• This is simply too new.

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Interviewing Librarians (Continued)

• We asked if librarians were actually supposed to
  encourage the use of alternative materials?
• The answer was Yes.

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Part of The Problem

• Through our interviewing process, it became
  evident the biases and attitudes were mainly
  being caused by the limits of the classification
  into which materials are purchased for the
  library. (Budget designation.)
• Libraries are still concerned regarding the
  leasing and non-ownership of information.

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Print Index Decline

• Although we use subject encyclopedias, print
  directories, and other basic factual sources in
  print, we rarely touch print indexes any longer.
  Even if we get patrons over to the print index
  section, it is clear they are not interested
  unless they are doing historical retrospective
  searching.
• -Online 1998

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Print Journal Collections

• Patrons expect full text. Patrons now seem
  surprised if a source is not full text. They keep
  asking what button to push in PsycInfo to get the
  full text."
• -Online 1998

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What Are Some Of the Effects?

• Primary research is being redone, as electronic
  databases only go back so far.
• According to some librarians, the sources found
  via the Internet carry more weight in the
  students mind than print.
• What is being missed?

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Recent Examples

• Fire Stone Tires being recalled in 1972 for same
  problem as now, but no one (to date) in the media
  has realized this.
• A recent paper by a fellow business student cited
  his assigned companys Web Page as a primary
  source of gathered material.

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How Can You Help?

• The role is changing from the storing and sorting
  of information - to the guidance to the
  appropriate content.
• It is recommended not to become caught up in the
  holy wars of formats, but to recommend the most
  appropriate content stream for the user, no
  matter what the content stream is.

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What Are Some Strategies?

• Web Pages
• Subject Based
• Recommended Readings in library (Yes, BOOKS!)
• Other things available (Audio, Video, etc.)
• Suitable Web sites
• Local documents available electronically and in
  print
• Primary source materials available
• Links into the institutional OPAC with the
  pre-defined materials.

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What Are Some Other Strategies?

• OPAC Integration
• Changing the mind-set in the library itself - buy
  into the hype when it is proved to be reliable
  and cost effective.
• Viewing content streams as total tools in the
  library whether print, electronic, or microfilm.

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What We Do To Help

• Resource type centers providing a subject library
  in an electronic box.
• Reliable materials with integrity backed by a
  professional editorial process.
• Doing some of the work and sorting so you dont
  have to, freeing up your valuable time
  resources to truly help.

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Example 1 Of An Electronic Resource Center
(History)
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Electronic Resource Center Example 2 (Business
and Company)
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Thank You