Despite increasing library expenditure on large electronic resources, or
datasets, very little help is available to those involved in acquiring
them. All information and library professionals involved with collection
development are currently confronting the challenge of how to make informed
decisions in the face of the bewildering array of electronic resources
available.
The new book, Building an electronic resource collection: a practical guide
by Stuart D. Lee, addresses this situation by guiding the information
professional step-by-step through building and managing an electronic
resource collection. It outlines the range of electronic products currently
available in abstracting and indexing, bibliographic, and other services -
such as OCLC products, Web of Science, e-journals, etc. - and then
describes how to effectively select, evaluate and purchase them.
Invaluable insights are given into e-collection planning and budgeting
implications, and a system is proposed for coping with this increasingly
important area. The case studies and models used are fully international in
their application. Issues covered include:
What is a dataset? Why buy one?
Formulating an electronic collection development policy
What is on offer? The electronic resources landscape
E-journals and e-books
What should one buy? Assessing and acquiring the dataset
How does one deliver the dataset? Networking, user interfaces, usage
statistics.
This invaluable guide identifies best practice and highlights the pitfalls
involved in building an electronic resource collection. It includes a
select bibliography of journals and e-mail lists, articles, monographs and
reports for further reading. This is an essential book for the professional
or student new to e-collection development, as well for the experienced
practitioner.
February 2002; 160pp; paperback; 1-85604-422-X; £24.95
The author
Stuart D. Lee MA PhD is Head of the Learning Technologies Group at Oxford
University Computing Services, where he has undertaken many digitization
projects, including the Wilfred Owen Multimedia Digital Archive. He sits on
the JISC DNER Working Groups for Images and E-books, and is Chair of the
JIBS User Group. He is the author of Library Association Publishing’s
successful Digital imaging: a practical handbook.
Publisher’s notes:
Library Association Publishing publications are available from:
Bookpoint Limited, 130 Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4SB
Tel: 01235 827794
Fax: 01235 400454
E-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
For more information contact:
Mark O'Loughlin
Marketing Executive
LA Publishing, 7 Ridgmount St, London, WC1E 7AE
Direct Tel: 020 7255 0597
From April 2002 LA Publishing will become Facet Publishing - see
www.facetpublishing.co.uk for further information
|