Celia,

My suggested solution is purely pragmatic and based on practise and
experience maintaining Web pages that provide links to services for our
users.

Rather than try to fit a service into a category why not ask what
functions it performs? If it provides the full text of journals list it
under 'e-journals', if it provides bibliographic searching list it under
'bibliographic databases', if it is subject related list it with other
resources on that subject.  Better still put all your possible resources
into a database and add as many subject and service-type tags as you wish
to each record. Then you can create lists according to some pre-designed
criteria or allow the users to search the database according to their
criteria.

If you are providing a guide to users then what matters is whether your
service successfully points users to resources appropriate to their needs.

Regards,

John Smith,
The Templeman Library,
University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.

On Tue, 10 Jun 2003, Celia Correia wrote:

> Dear John Smith
> I appreciate your attempt to help, but the problem remains: how to
> categorize links when many are the result of countless proposals which make
> them almost unique? In many cases, the answer is not so straightforward. I
> am taking part of project still under development, and find that what is
> needed is (at least an attempt of )defining what is what when categorizing
> links. Do you have any suggestions of literature please?
> Many thanks
> Celia Correia
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: An informal open list set up by the UK Serials Group
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of J.W.T.Smith
> Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2003 10:21 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: databases versus e-reference
>
>
> Fatmeh,
>
> If an e-resource belongs in two (or more) categories put it in both.
> Unlike a physical object like a book which can only be in one place at one
> time (at one classmark) you can have as many pointers (links) as you like
> to an e-resource. If an e-journal host service also provides a
> bibliographic search function put it in both categories.
>
> Regards,
>
> John Smith,
> The Templeman Library,
> University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.
>
> On Tue, 10 Jun 2003, Fatmeh Charafeddine wrote:
>
> > We are having a hard time categorizing our e-resources on our library web
> page.
> > We find an overlap between, what could be classified under an E-Reference,
> Electronic Database and Electronic Journals ?
> >
> > some examples:
> >
> > An indexing and abstracting database (with potential link to full text)
> should go under e-reference or e-databases ?
> >
> > A package subscription to scholarly journal such as ASME, ASCE, ACS web
> edition, IEEE explore, ACM
> > digital library .. should go under e-journals or e-databases or both ?
> >
> > Standards, statistics, country reports ..? e-reference or databases ?
> > Fatme Charafeddine
> > Serials Librarian/University Libraries
> > American University of Beirut
> > )
> >
>