Building Electronic Library Collections: The Essential Guide to Selection Criteria and Core Subject Collections - Softcover

Kovacs, Diane

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555703623 ISBN 13: 9781555703622

Publisher: Neal Schuman Pub, 2000

Synopsis

Offers advice on selecting and organizing electronic resources for a library's collections, contains annotated webliographies, and includes tables summarizing site accuracy, timeliness, and security issues.

About this title

From Library Journal:

E-books and other electronically available materials have come to the forefront of library collection development concern. The question is not whether we will collect electronic materials but how to decide what to collect. Kovacs, a well-known Internet consultant, library trainer, and author (The Cybrarian's Guide to Developing Successful Internet Programs and Services, Professional Media, LJ 5/1/97), presents criteria for developing electronic collections, including guidelines for evaluating online resources and writing electronic collection development plans. Besides presenting case studies of actual library projects, Kovacs also lists core electronic collections for ready-reference, business, jobs and employment, health and medicine, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, and technology information resources. Purchasers of this volume will also have access to a companion web site with links to the sites listed. One quibble: Kovacs assumes that the electronic collection will be built on a web page separate from the library's catalog, and, while this concept is not necessarily a detriment to the information available in the book, it perpetuates the notion that online resources are not worthy of cataloging. Web-based online catalogs enable the user to link directly to electronic resources. If an item is worth collecting, it is worth the effort to catalog it. Despite this flaw, Kovacs's book is an essential purchase for all libraries.DMargaret Sylvia, St. Mary's Univ. Academic Lib., San Antonio
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Given the vast resources available on the Web, librarians need to approach it deliberately and scientifically to access the resources most relevant to the needs of users at a particular institution. Kovacs presents a two-part approach to developing a collection of Web-based resources. First, she provides help with preparing a collection plan, which is as necessary for electronic as for any other medium of resources. Then she takes five broad subject areas--such as business information, health and medical information, and legal information--and suggests a core collection of Web-based resources in each. She also devotes one chapter to developing a ready-reference collection and cites real case studies to exemplify. Edward Swanson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: Neal Schuman Pub
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1555703623
• ISBN 13: 9781555703622
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 217