Collection development in cyberspace: building an electronic library collection Author(s):Diane K. Kovacs, Angela Elkordy Library Hi Tec !

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Collection development in cyberspace: building an electronic library collection

Diane K. Kovacs, Angela Elkordy

The Authors
Diane K. Kovacs, Diane K. Kovacs is President of Kovacs Consulting Internet & World Wide Web Training, runs!ick, "#io, $%A. Angela Elkordy, Angela Elkordy is Director of &ibrary and &earning Tec#nologies at t#e 'ic#igan Isla(ic Acade(y in Ann Arbor, 'ic#igan, $%A. Abstract 0uilding a 1eb2based e2library may be t e most important t ing a library ever does. An important role *or librarians in all types o* libraries is t e planning and3or building o* 1eb2based e2libraries. 4**ers a practical discussion o* developing and implementing a collection plan *or building 1eb2based e2libraries. T e starting point *or developing any collection plan is an assessment o* t e *unction o* and need *or an in*ormation collection and t e audience it 5ill serve. Discusses some guidelines and practical strategies on 5 ere and o5 to *ind, identi*y, evaluate and select appropriate 1eb2based in*ormation resources. .ocuses on 1eb2based in*ormation resources rat er t an ot er electronic in*ormation resources suc as CD2)46 or *ee2based databases t at ave been discussed e7tensively in recent literature. Article Type: Tec nical paper Keyword(s): Collection development! 1orld 1ide 1eb. Content Indicators: )esearc %mplication 2 8 9ractice %mplication 2 888 4riginality 2 88 )eadability 2 888
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Introduction An e2library o* ig 2?uality 1eb2based or 1eb2accessible in*ormation resources is an ambitious pro@ect. %t is comple7 and involved precisely because it entails creating a ne5 collection o* un*amiliar resources in a variety o* *ormats.

Today, being a librarian means e7panding t e range o* resources t at 5e provide *or our patrons to include t ose available in electronic *ormat, especially 1eb2based or 1eb2accessible in*ormation resources. T e general pattern o* our pro*essional activities remains recogniAably similar to 5 at it as been *or t e last al* century and more. Librarians still evaluate in*ormation resources, connect patrons to t e in*ormation t ey need, and organiAe in*ormation *or easier access by our patrons. 1it t e advent o* 1eb2based resources, 5e are *inding t at our role as in*ormation intermediaries demands a ne5 sub2set o* ?uasi2tec nical skills and a5areness. Librarians must not only identi*y and *acilitate access to electronic in*ormation resources! 5e also must educate library patrons about o5 to access t em and 5 en to use t em. T e creation o* a locally available e2library collection is one 5ay o* making sure t at our library and in*ormation center patrons ave t e same kind o* evaluated, selected and organiAed access to t ese 1eb2based in*ormation resources as t ey ave ad traditionally to print and locally eld electronic databases. 9rior to t e %nternet, suc databases 5ere stored on CD2)46 and magnetic media or stored on main*rame computers made available to subscribers t roug dial2 up remote access. T e %nternet and 1orld 1ide 1eb ave enabled access to many types o* in*ormation resources t at 5ere previously di**icult to obtain. T ese include data and in*ormation in digital *ormats 5 ic may be po5er*ully manipulated or additionally processed suc as databases, *ull2te7t reports, books, articles and data sets, or materials t at are Buni?ueC to t e 1eb environment suc as ypermedia or online communities o* uman e7perts o* one kind or anot er. 4t er traditional types o* in*ormation D ne5spapers, ne5sletters, @ournals, books, dissertations, bibliograp ic databases, and even television and radio ne5s transcripts D are being made accessible, adapted or incorporated into ne5, 1eb2based products 5it po5er*ul additional capabilities. )esources once only available regionally in libraries or agencies are no5 accessible globally, e.g. government in*ormation, community or campus speci*ic in*ormation, library catalogs. .or t e most part, t e 5ritings on collection development o* electronic resources ave *ocused on t e t eoretical, or t e p ilosop ical issues rat er t an describing t e actual process o* locating and selecting 1eb2based resources. T is article is a practical discussion o* developing and implementing a collection plan *or building a 1eb2based e2library! 5e 5ill discuss considerations t at 5ill *orm t e *ocus o* your collection building activities suc as patron in*ormation needs, service levels and patron e7pectations. 1e 5ill also discuss starting points in terms o* 5 ere and o5 to *ind, identi*y, evaluate and select appropriate 1eb2based in*ormation resources. T is article *ocuses on 1eb2based in*ormation resources rat er t an ot er electronic in*ormation resources suc as CD2)46 or *ee2based databases t at ave been discussed e7tensively in recent literature.

Definitions: electronic library digital library !eb"based library and virtual library T e aut ors posted a ?uestion to t e :ettrain E%nternet trainersF discussion list, asking t e subscribers to elp in clari*ying t e *ollo5ing *our de*initions:

#. '. ;. &.

E#F electronic library Ee2libraryF! E'F digital library! E;F 1eb2based library! and E&F virtual library.

6ost people 5 o responded de*ined an e2library as a collection o* electronically *ormatted in*ormation resources *rom a variety o* sources, including t e %nternet and t e 1eb. E2libraries mig t consist o* 1eb2based or 1eb2adapted resources 5 ic ave been BcollectedC 5it a particular client group in mind. 9 ysically, suc a collection usually appears as a 1eb site or compilation o* links publis ed on a 1eb server to 5 ic D depending on t e content or ot er aspects o* t e library D t ere may be access *rom t e global %nternet. Digital library is t e most clearly de*ined concept. T e digital library is a collection o* scanned, *ull2te7t materials created *rom print or olograp ic primary documents. T e 1eb2based e2library is simply de*ined as a 1eb2publis ed collection o* 1eb2based resources. T e term 1eb2based library catalog re*ers to 1eb2accessible 49AC+. T e term Bvirtual libraryC is used almost interc angeably 5it e2library, 5it per aps a 5ider perceived scope o* providing services as 5ell as resources. T e term Be2libraryC allo5s *or all t e *eatures described as digital or virtual library. 1eb2based e2library is t e term c osen *or t e purposes o* t is article. A 1eb2based e2 library collection mig t include links to: 9rint resource directories or bibliograp ies, suc as print re*erence sources or special collections 5 ic ave been converted to 1eb pages or ot er electronic *ormat. A range o* services t at may ave been adapted to an online environment, suc as re*erence service, interlibrary loan and document delivery re?uest services. %nternal resources t at ave been digitiAed, suc as pat *inders, blueprints, reserves lists, *loor plans, images, descriptive in*ormation about t e library and its oldings. Content speci*ically developed *or t e 1eb environment, suc as interactive tutorials, yperlinked papers and online te7tbooks, 5orks ops or courses. "alue2added collections o* links to 1eb2based resources organiAed in a manner t at is meaning*ul to t e library client population. .ree and3or *ee2based electronic resources delivered over t e 1eb, suc as *ull2te7t, bibliograp ic or image databases Ee.g, 9ub6ed, Edgar, -+ patent and trademark databases, Le7is3:e7isF.

#iterature review A great deal as been publis ed on topics related to BcollectingC 1eb2based resources speci*ically in t e *ields o* digital Evirtual or electronicF libraries, %nternet resource discovery and evaluation, as 5ell as t e selection, ac?uisition and access o* electronic resources in general. Also e7tensively discussed are net5orking and licensing issues, access and retrieval o* 1eb2 based resources, in addition to debates on t e best BcatalogingC met ods, organiAational sc emes, metadata and automated agents *or collection development. Little practical in*ormation on %nternet collection development as been added to t e literature since #GG< 5 en Demas et al. and 9iontek and Harlock 5ere some o* t e *irst librarians to discuss practical guidelines *or collection development o* %nternet resources. A main t eme o* t e Demas et al. E#GG<F discussion is t at collection o* %nternet resources can and s ould use t e same collection criteria as more traditional resources. T e BTa7onomy o* %nternet resourcesC introduced by Demas et al., as been used by subse?uent researc ers and as a practical guide by many librarians. Demas et al. also clari*y t e analogous relations ips bet5een %nternet

resources and ot er types o* resource *ormats. 9iontek and HarlockIs E#GG<F article is primarily a 1ebliograp y3gop erograp y o* collection development tools. :orman E#GG>F, .edunok E#GG>F, Joc elson et al. E#GG>F and Coutts E#GG$F ave all t oroug ly revie5ed t e literature relating collection development o* electronic resources in general and %nternet resources in particular. :ormanIs article is t e report o* a study 5 ic surveyed #< mid5estern academic libraries on t eir andling o* electronic in*ormation source in t eir collection development policies and practices. T e :orman study is particularly use*ul as it not only surveyed *or t e andling o* commercial electronic resources suc as CD2)46, but also o* %nternet resources. Anot er use*ul aspect o* is study is t at :orman used t e Demas et al. E#GG<F article to guide is survey. +o e asked i* t e library ad been BmainstreamingC collection development o* %nternet resources. He *ound t at >; percent ad been and t e rest planned to. Demas et al. E#GG<F discussed t eir de*inition o* BmainstreamingC: To ac ieve t e BmainstreamingC or integration o* electronic *ormats, 5e must develop t e sta** skills in selecting, cataloging, and providing service 5it t ese publications. .or e7ample, 5e must buy t e e?uipment and build t e necessary computing and telecommunications in*rastructure to andle a variety o* electronic publications! and 5e must learn to educate our patrons in t eir use Ep. >'F. %n addition to er e7cellent revie5 o* t e literature prior to #GG>, .edunokIs E#GG>F article provides a synt esis o* #$ library electronic resource collection policy statements. Joc elson et al. E#GG>F 5rote a andbook *or Library o* Congress Brecommending o**icersC, 5 ic revie5s t e practical literature up to #GG> and also describes t e collection tools t at 5ere e7tant *or use in collecting %nternet resources. Coutts E#GG$F reports on collection development and electronic resources *or researc collections in t e -K. )osen*eld et al. E#GG<F! 6orville and 1ick orst E#GG/F! )iou7 E#GG>F! and Tennant E#GG$F all argue 5ell *or t e development o* Bsub@ect guidesC or Bsub@ect bibliograp iesC as t e proper role *or librarians in ameliorating access to %nternet resources *or our clients. )iou7Is metap or o* e2 library collection development as BHunting and gat ering in cyberspaceC is an amusing and use*ul 5ay to t ink about t e process. + e says: 4ver t e centuries librarians ave pretty muc got a andle on building collections o* resources in t e p ysical media like print and *ilm. T ere are revie5 @ournals, t e publis ing industry is 5ell2organiAed, and subscription agents are al5ays appy to elp keep t ings neat and tidy. %tIs a little like agriculture, 5 ere t e *armer3librarian goes into a 5ell2tended *ield to arvest a crop o* kno5n type and ?uality. Developing a collection o* %nternet, especially 1orld 1ide 1eb, resources is anot er situation altoget er. %tIs muc more like *oraging in t e @ungle! a trackless, vine2tangled 5ilderness *ull o* unkno5n species, some o* 5 ic look appetiAing but may be poisonous and ot ers o* 5 ic look drab and unappealing but may 5ell be t e most nouris ing. T e librarian collecting electronic resources is not a arvester o* cultivated crops but a unter and gat erer o* 5ild *ruits and ot er treasures Ep. #;(F. %n uilding Electronic &ibrary Collections) T#e Essential *uide to %election Criteria and Core %ub+ect Collections EKovacs '(((F, practical %nternet collection development strategies and skills are t e main t eme. -sing case studies o* e2library collections, 5it support *rom t e collection development literature, t is book provides support and practical kno5ledge *or e2library builders. T e book includes core collections and 1ebliograp ies o* collection development sources *or multiple sub@ect areas. $teps to create an e"library collection plan T e de*ining c aracteristics o* an e2library s ould re*lect t e librariansI or in*ormation pro*essionalsI e7pertise in identi*ying, selecting and evaluating in*ormation based on an in2dept kno5ledge o* t e patronIs needs and currently available resources. T e uni?ue and inspiring

tradition o* making resources *reely available over t e %nternet adds unusual c allenges and *reedoms to providing intellectual access to t em via 1eb guides or compilations o* links. T is *reedom involves librarians being able to c oose a variety o* %nternet resources 5e t ink are appropriate *or our collections, unconstrained by budgets. T e c allenge is to si*t t roug masses o* in*ormation to locate and identi*y ?uality resources. %t is important to remember, more so in t e 1eb2based environment t an ot ers, t at including materials in an e2library collection means an endorsement, a recommendation and an approval. Alt oug t is is tec nically true o* all our collection development activities, because most o* us 5ill cra*t our e2library collections *rom t e ground up, our muc 2a5aited e**orts 5ill usually be ig ly visible E*iguratively, and o*ten, politicallyF. A small, but care*ully conceived e2library collection can be an in*ormation centerIs public relations dream solution! a large collection organiAed poorly can be a nig tmare *or patrons and maintainers on every level. 9otential problems can be avoided by developing and *ollo5ing a t oug t*ul e2library collection plan. 0y aving a clear understanding o* 5 at is involved to create an e2library, you can ma7imiAe opportunities to educate management decision makers as 5ell as your users about t e process and its possibilities. A mission or statement o* purpose is essential *or s aping any collection development plan. T e issues you 5ill address in considering t e purpose o* your e2library 5ill direct your collection activities and selection o* resources. Alt oug 5e implicitly consider our patrons in c oosing in*ormation resources, because o* t e access met odology and delivery o* t e electronic resources, 5e must re2e7amine *amiliar issues, suc as: B1 o are our patrons and 5 at are t eir needsKC Also you must t ink about o5 5ill you organiAe t e resources and o5 your patrons 5ill access t em. 9er aps most important, you must ans5er t e ?uestion: B1 y do 5e need an e2library collectionKC +ince it is ig ly likely t at someone else as already created a 1eb listing o* resources in your topic areaEsF, i* you are planning to simply do t e same, in ot er 5ords, to make a list o* related links 5it out evaluating t em or customiAing t em *or your patron base D do not. +ave yoursel* a great deal o* time and energy and send your patrons to t ese 1eb sites instead. 4ur recommended steps are discussed in detail belo5. T ey are: +tep #. Determine t e purpose o* your e2library. +tep '. Develop a collection development plan. +tep ;. Collect, evaluate and select resources *or your e2library collection. +tep &. Design, create and maintain your 1eb2based e2library collection 1eb site.

$tep %& Determine the purpose of your e"library %t is essential t at *rom t e outset your goals *or t e e2library collection are 5ell de*ined, 5 ile allo5ing room *or gro5t . %n addressing t e issue o* t e purpose o* your e2library, consider t e *ollo5ing planning areas: Patron ,o,ulation. 1 o are t e potential patrons o* your siteK .or 5 om 5ill you be creating t e e2library collectionK -esources. 1 y collect 1eb2based resourcesK 1 ic resources s ould be collectedK 1 at sub@ect areasK 1 at dept o* coverage or educational level or resources s ould be includedK %ervices. 1 at is t e service *unction o* your virtual collectionK Access. 9 ysical D 5 ere and o5 5ill t e e2library 1eb pageEsF be publis edK Access, intellectual D 5 at skills or kno5ledge 5ill be e7pected *rom patrons in order to access t e e2library collectionK

Access, tec#nical D 1 at speed and type o* %nternet connection 5ill be available to your patron populationK 1 at 5ill be t e primary 1eb bro5ser used to access t e in*ormation and 5 at *unctions 5ill be available t roug t is so*t5areK

Patron population 1 o are your library patronsK 1 at service levelEsF and resources do t ey needK 1 at are t eir tec nological capabilitiesK Ho5 receptive or adaptable are t ey to ne5 tec nologies and trainingK 4nce oriented to t e 1eb environment, 5ill t ey be able to use t e e2library 5it out assistanceK As in*ormation pro*essionals, t is kno5ledge o* library patrons allo5s us to make in*ormed and critical decisions 5 en collecting any kind o* resources *or t eir use. 1 en developing an e2library collection, it is crucial to understand your target population in 5ays t at you may not ave previously considered. T is understanding o* t e in*ormation needs, tec nological capabilities and limitations is 5 at 5ill allo5 you to e**ectively add value to your collection bot in your selection o* resources and in t e design and organiAation o* your 1eb site. %s t e goal o* your e2library collection to serve all, or a segment o*, your patron population, and at 5 at levelK 1ill you be collecting *or an academic or researc community E*aculty and students, or *or researc sta** in a university, company, ospital, ne5spaper, or *or a division or departmentFK 1ill you be collecting *or t e general publicK .or c ildren E5 at age groupsFK .or people *or 5 om Englis is a second languageK )ecreational readersK 4r per aps providing a pool o* resources *or groups 5orking on researc pro@ects Edesigning a ne5 bridge, or researc ing t e impact o* +t ,o nIs 1ort in laboratory studiesFK 1ill you be providing library services in a distance learning situation, and i* so, to 5 omK Adult learners studying materials *or academic credentials, pro*essionals trying to earn certi*ication, *olk living in rural areas 5it out access to traditional ig er education, c ildren doing ome5ork, ome sc ooling *amiliesK %t is e7tremely important to look beyond t e obvious ans5ers to t ese ?uestions! *or e7ample, researc assistants or @unior members o* sta** may be conducting t e actual searc es *or pro*essors, researc ers or business decision2makers. %* t ey cannot access or make sense o* t e resources, t en t ey 5ill not be able to access, and t ere*ore to provide, appropriate and accurate in*ormation. Are t ere any patrons in your service population 5 o ave learning disabilities or ot er disabilities t at mig t a**ect o5 t ey vie5 or use electronic resources, suc as vision or earing impairment or dysle7iaK Do you receive public *unds t at re?uire you make your 1eb site accessible to users 5it special needsK E.or more in*ormation about making your 1eb pages accessible to users 5it disabilities, see t e Alliance *or Tec nology Access siteL#M, t e Center *or %n*ormation Tec nology Accommodation EC%TAF siteL'M or t e 1ebA0LEN+iteL;MF. Resources Electronic resources suc as computeriAed bibliograp ic databases, *ull te7t databases, articles, books, reports, and multimedia 1eb2based instruction are, in many cases, replacing traditional print resources or databases accessed t roug ot er mec anisms. +ome resources are only produced or designed in electronic *ormat, suc as T" or radio program transcripts, some sc olarly communications and researc publications, and all ypermedia. %t is important to note, o5ever, t at 1eb2based resources are not direct e?uivalents o* t eir print counterparts. )at er 1eb resources, 5 ic ma7imiAe t e multimedia and electronic databases aspects o* t eir

medium, appeal to a variety o* di**erent learners Evisual, auditoryF, as 5ell as providing ne5 strengt s suc as po5er*ul inde7ing and searc ing capabilities. 6aterials produced in ypermedia *ormat 5it activated links currently ave no non21eb counterparts. 4t er reasons 5e mig t c oose to build a virtual collection include our patronsI pre*erences *or t e medium. T ey may encourage us to *acilitate access and provide guidance to 1eb resources because t ey like t e immediacy o* electronic resources and t e *ormat more t an traditional resources. Electronic resources o*ten save time, access is o*ten immediate to end product, multiple inde7es can be searc ed simultaneously and patrons can ave a success*ul researc e7perience in less time t an by si*ting t roug print resources and possibly 5it out p ysically visiting t e library. Also, electronic resources can be updated more *re?uently t an paper editions, especially 1eb2based products. 1eb2based components combined 5it traditional te7ts are becoming increasingly popular. T e purpose o* t ese supplements varies *rom providing a multimedia aspect to t e 5ork Esuc as online ?uiAAes or glossariesF, to yperlinked tools Ee.g. KovacsI yperlinked 1ebliograp y on Collection DevelopmentF, 5 ic also *unction to keep material in static book *orm *res and up to date bet5een editions. %t is important to be selective 5 en building a collection o* electronic resources. C oose resources t at ma7imiAe t e potential o* t e 1eb as a delivery mec anism rat er t an 5orking in t e collecting2everyt ing2t at2e7ists2on2t e2topic mode. Having *irst determined t e scope o* your patron population you need to ans5er some ?uestions about t em in order to determine t e scope o* t e resources t at you 5ill collect *or your e2 library: 1 at types o* resources are t ey likely to needK .ull2te7t or bibliograp ic databasesK :e5sK LibrariesK E2@ournalsK 1ebliograp iesK Hypermedia tutorialsK Data setsK Audio recording or visualsK 1 at purposes 5ill t ey be used *orK )ecreationK )esearc K %n 5 at sub@ect areas are resources neededK :ursingK 0usinessK Legal issuesK LiteratureK Computer +cienceK "isual ArtsK )eady re*erenceK Educational resourcesK 1 at educational level and3or age group 5ill your e2library be servingK Does t e library and its intranet ave enoug computer resources to provide access to a given resourceK E1eb2based resources tend to demand a considerable amount o* computing *acilities to use because o* t eir grap ics, scripts and data storage and retrieval capabilities.F %s t e searc system easily usedK Are t e inde7ing and searc ing mec anisms ade?uate to locate in*ormation in t e databaseK Can t e database be net5orked or be used 5it a locally developed end2user inter*aceK

Services Do you 5ant to e7tend library services beyond t e ours t e library is actually open and beyond its p ysical scopeK 4r 5ould you like to provide basic guidance and access to 1eb2based resourcesK 4r bot K %n t e *irst case you mig t 5ant to include some kind o* e2mail based or c at based interaction 5it library sta**, or book reservation and catalog veri*ication services. %n t e latter, annotations and directions *or resource use s ould be su**icient. T e scope o* your service c oice is a matter primarily o* t e sta** available to provide t e services. %nvest time in providing t e services. Anecdotal evidence E*rom pro*essional listservs suc as 1eb&Lib, Dig)e* and :ettrainF is t at live re*erence assistance t roug c at and ot er *acilities is not eavily used, but e2mail access to re*erence assistance is *re?uently used and valued by e2library patrons. 4t er services t at are o**ered t roug 1eb2based e2libraries can include

rene5ing materials, interlibrary loan services and even document delivery services! some institutions are e7perimenting 5it digitiAing reserve materials. Access: physical T e c oice is based on t e *inancial or tec nological limitations o* your library, t e p ysical location o* your patron population, as 5ell as potential content. %n general t e p ysical access to t e e2library collection involves t ree possibilities made *or t e *ollo5ing reasons: #. E#F Available on t e %nternet Eanyone any5 ere 5it an %nternet connection and a 1eb bro5ser can access itF:

5 en t e patron population is t e general public on a variety o* sub@ects! 5 en t e patron population is internationally located! 5 en t e library can a**ord to run t eir o5n 1eb server, participate in s ared 1eb server services, or rent 1eb2server space *rom an %+9! and 5 en t e sub@ect matter o* t e e2library is o* general interest.

#. E'F Available only on a local area net5ork or on an intranet:

5 en t e library does not ave t e *acilities or resources Eincluding computer resources as 5ell as available sta** time and3or e7pertiseF available to support o**2site access! 5 en t e patron population is internal to t e libraryIs organiAation Ecompany, sc oolF! 5 en t e patron population is a ig ly secret researc group suc as in a researc and development division o* a company! and 5 en licensing agreements 5it database providers restricts access to on2site patrons only.

#. E;F Available only on stand2alone 5orkstations:

5 en t e library cannot a**ord access to a 1eb2server or to install and maintain a net5ork! 5 en t e library does not ave t e *acilities Ecomputer or uman resourcesF available to support o**2site access! 5 en t e patron population is internal to t e libraryIs organiAation Ecompany, sc oolF! and 5 en t e patron population is a ig ly secret researc group suc as in a researc and development division o* a company.

Access: intellectual what skills or knowledge Jou 5ill ave to assume a basic skill level *or any patrons o* t e e2library, 5 ile per aps planning to provide training *or patrons 5 o are not able to access t e e2library t roug lack o* skill in using t e %nternet and 1eb bro5sers. Training mig t be *ormal sessions taug t in t e library, simply providing one2on2one assistance at t e re*erence desk, or 1eb2based tutorials. Keep in mind 5 en planning your e2library t at some segments o* your patron population 5ill not be able to access and use t e resources.

Access: technical speed and kind of Internet connection T is is per aps t e most important access aspect to be considered *rom t e practical point o* vie5 in creating a 1eb2based e2library. Jou must ave at least a good general idea o* your patron populationIs tec nical resources. %* you are providing in2library access only via a LA:, intranet or standalone 5orkstations, t en you can ave a better idea o* 5 o is using your e2 library. %* you kno5 t e speed o* t e %nternet connection and you kno5 e7actly 5 ic 1eb bro5ser 5it 5 ic capabilities is available, t en you can design a 1eb page 5it *eatures suc as *rames, multimedia *iles, ig resolution grap ics, ,ava+cript menus and ot er interaction *eatures 5it out *ear o* e7cluding patrons *rom your e2library. Ho5ever, i* you are making your e2library available to t e general public you cannot assume t at t ey ave ig speed connections or even 1eb2bro5sers t at allo5 display o* grap ics, playback o* multi2media *iles, *rames or allo5 ,ava+cript or ,ava interactivity. )emember, it is al5ays possible to maintain t5o or more versions o* any 1eb site. Jou can ave a ig 2tec multi2media e2library and also provide a lo52tec , basically designed te7t version *or *olks 5it limited tec nological access, or 5 o may simply pre*er speed over grap ics. .or e7ample, individuals 5 o are visually impaired or 5orking 5it assistive devices 5ill be severely limited in t eir ability to access a 1eb2page 5it *rames, grap ics 5it out te7t alternatives, ,ava or ,ava+cript programs t at generate aspects o* t e page. $tep '& Develop a collection development plan Creating an e2library collection involves a large investment in time and personnel. %n order to @usti*y t ese signi*icant investments t ere must be a compelling reason to dive into t e realm o* ep emeral resources. T e most important reason is to provide en anced, customiAed services *or patrons based on in2dept kno5ledge o* your patrons, t eir needs and t e currently available 1eb2based resources. T e ongoing processes o* developing an e2library collection are essentially based in researc oriented and a**iliated activities. 0e*ore you start planning in earnest, it is also elp*ul to ave a sense o* 5 at ot er institutions are practising in terms o* collection development o* electronic resources. Alt oug t ere are no establis ed standards *or e2libraries, it makes sense to begin by building on or consulting t e 5ork o* ot ers and by becoming *amiliar 5it t e collection development BtoolsC available to you. As 5it any serious researc pro@ect you 5ill need to become ac?uainted 5it t e respected, revered and reviled 5orks in t e *ield. Additionally, t ere is simply no need to try to build an e2library collection *rom scratc *rom t e undreds o* t ousands o* %nternet resources currently available. T ere are undreds o* ot er e2 libraries, sub@ect 1ebliograp ies and ot er specialiAed in*ormation services Esee Appendi7: 1ebliograp y o* collection development toolsF. 0egin 5it some kind o* idea as to t e kinds o* in*ormation and resources t at you 5ould like to add to your collection. T is 5ill vary, o* course, according to your patronsI needs, but 5ill also vary 5it t e sub@ect matter E*or e7ample, collecting data sets mig t be elp*ul *or science, tec nologies or business, but not very elp*ul in t e visual artsF. Demas et al. E#GG<F described a ta7onomy o* %nternet resources 5 ic provides a use*ul *oundation 5 en supplemented 5it t e suggestions belo5. +o5ards E#GG$F discusses several possible typologies *or ready re*erence 1eb sites. A typical collection development met odology *or non2electronic media mig t consist o*: revie5ing curricular3*aculty3researc er needs! revie5ing current oldings! consulting Bsub@ect e7pertsC or guides suc as ALAIs ooks for College &ibraries Eout o*

printF! searc ing *or revie5s o* materials! soliciting suggestions *or ac?uisitions *rom patrons! and comparing t e current collection 5it ot er libraries, per aps by using automated analysis met ods suc as 1L:Is Conspectus or 4CLC3Amigos.

1it electronic media, o5ever, t ere are ne5 considerations, suc as t e 1ebIs unstructured nature, t e lack o* Bcore collectionsC and e7amples, and t e *act t at *or t e most part 5e are 5orking in ne5, unc arted territory 5it out standards, guidelines or precedents. %n addition to di**erent evaluation criteria and sources to consult *or Bac?uisitionsC, 5e must *acilitate access, bot , p ysically and pedagogically, to 1eb2based resources. All t is, 5 ile accounting *or t e ep emeral and rapidly c anging nature o* resources and t e reality t at t ey may disappear or c ange radically overnig t. +ome o* t e resource types t at you 5ill *ind and ave to make decisions about include: meta2sites or e2libraries! directories ElistingsF! sub@ect guides! associations and organiAations! current a5areness tools! e2@ournals Eand3or arc ivesF! electronic lists or con*erences Eand3or arc ivesF! electronic te7ts Eand3or arc ivesF! electronic reserves! databases available on t e 1eb E*reeF! government sources! image banks! products and services Esuc as ne5sletters, pro*essional development training, sub@ect or industry oriented current a5arenessF! pus tec nologies EcustomiAed ne5s, current events and ig lig ting o* resourcesF! ready re*erence! re*erence Esub@ect speci*icF! revie5 sites Esub@ect speci*icF! searc engines D general and sub@ect speci*ic! sub@ect gate5ays! specialiAed libraries or academic departments! statistical sources! survey sites Eby time period, generalF! and tutorials or 1eb2based training courses Esub@ect speci*ic, or resource speci*ic and o* course, 1ebF.

$tep (& Collect evaluate and select resources for your e"library collection -ntil you are *amiliar 5it t e kind o* resources available, t is task mig t seem over5 elming 5 ic is 5 y it is especially important to remain *ocused and task2oriented. uilding Electronic &ibrary Collections) T#e Essential *uide to %election Criteria and Core %ub+ect Collections Kovacs E'(((F, along 5it its companion 1eb sites provides recommendations *or core re*erence collections *or a number o* sub@ect areas, 5 ic may be used as t e kernel *or your

o5n e2library. Jou may also 5is to use ot er e2library collections to *orm t e core *or yours, but remember t at t e annotations and en ancements added to t ese e2libraries are copyrig ted materials 5 ic belong to t e compilers and3or t eir organiAations. 1 ile it is permissible to add t eir collection o* links to your e2library, you must eit er cite t em or 5rite your o5n annotations and en ancements. %* you are in any doubt, seek permission be*ore linking. Alt oug serendipitous resource discovery on t e 1eb is great *un, it may also become a distraction *rom t e main task. %nitially it is most e**icient to stick to directed searc ing and bro5sing. +tay *ocused by aving de*ined, attainable goals EB1 at are t e best *ive *ree databases in t e ArtsKC or B1 at are t e important electronic @ournals in environmental engineeringKCF. -se t e evaluation essentials c ecklist and *lo5c art to elp you ?uickly make an initial assessment o* sites E*irst level criteriaF and to guide you t roug a more in2dept analysis. 6ake notations to t e sites t at you BvisitC, being sure to BcollectC links t at are interesting but irrelevant to t e task at and in an organiAed manner Eyes, t is takes time, but saves a lot o* con*usion later: B1 y did % save t is -)LKCF Jou may 5is tentatively to organiAe links by saving t em into directories, e2mailing t e -)Ls to yoursel* and organiAing t em into B*oldersC or by setting up 1eb pages on general topics and adding t e -)Ls as you go along. To stay organiAed, use an online bookmark manager suc as 6y -)LIsL&M or 0ookmarks ' HoL<M. 4nline bookmark managers are use*ul 1eb utility programs t at 5ill allo5 you to BcollectC and organiAe links EbookmarksF in cyberspace. -nlike bro5ser mec anisms 5 ic save bookmarks to a local *ile, 1eb2based online bookmark managers are mac ine independent and t ere*ore accessible *rom any computer t at supports %nternet access. Search for Webliographies and compilations Conduct literature searc es in Library Lit and ot er appropriate inde7es o* pro*essional literature suc as E)%C. %n addition to sub@ect2speci*ic terms, use key5ords suc as 1eb or %nternet or electronic, or online, combined 5it guides or directories or 1ebliograp ies or resources or per aps even revie5s. ,ournals suc as College and -esearc# &ibraries .e!s, Library ,ournalIs 1eb5atc , Ariadne as 5ell as many pro*essional publications suc as C#oice ave annotated 1ebliograp ies. Do not *orget to searc 1eb2based publications suc as t e Internet -esources .e!sletter *or revie5s o* 1eb2based resources. 1 en consulting t ese guides, consider t e *ollo5ing: 1 at is t e aut orIs *ocusK %s t is a Hovernment documents librarian 5riting about government sites o* general interestK 4r 5orking tools *or t e librarianK 1 at are t e most *re?uently cited resources *or your patron groupK Do you agree 5it t e aut orIs assessmentK

Search browse directories 1 en you begin to get a sense o* Bmust2 aveC resources, it 5ill be muc easier ?uickly to assess t e ?uality o* *inding aids suc as 1ebliograp ies or 1eb directories. T e ?uality and relevancy, or lack t ereo*, o* link compilations or virtual libraries 5ill ?uickly become apparent because o* t e inclusion or absence o* certain resources. :e7t, still building on t e kno5ledge o* ot ers, consult value2added directories or databases. +uc sources add annotations, rankings, ratings, classi*ication or descriptive cataloging to assist t e patron. %mportant sites in t is regard do not include t e ubi?uitous Ja ooNAlt oug a 5onder*ul resource in itsel*, t e patron is given no guidance regarding t e ?uality or t e sources included in t e directory. +ources t at do provide an assessment o* sites are tremendously use*ul 5 en

building a collection, especially sub@ect speci*ic resources. E7amples are included in t e annotated 1ebliograp y in Appendi7 # Ean online version is also availableL/MF. Web site evaluation a practical perspective 1 ile t e process o* evaluating 1eb2based resources may seem over5 elming at *irst, in practice your in2dept kno5ledge o* your patrons 5ill allo5 you to per*orm a rapid preliminary assessment o* a site. +ee .igure #, .igure #a and .igure #b *or suggestions *or key areas to evaluate *irst. %* t e siteIs per*ormance is poor in one o* t ese areas t ere 5ill be no point in *urt er evaluation. 4nly 5 en sites are acceptable in t ese ma@or key areas s ould you continue 5it t e more time2consuming aspects o* evaluating t e resource. %n general, t e *ollo5ing criteria s ould be considered 5 en critically evaluating and selecting 1eb2based resources *or your e2library: suitability *or audience! content! timeliness! presentation! ease o* use! appropriateness *or digital31eb2based *ormat! and special c aracteristics o* 1eb2based resources. T e application o* t ese criteria speci*ically to 1eb2based resources is discussed in more detail belo5. !valuation criteria: suitability for audience C oosing resources t at are appropriate *or your clients ac?uires ne5 dimensions 5it 1eb2 based resources! traditionally, 5 en 5e are assessing resources, 5e consider issues suc as scope or level o* coverage, accessibility Eis t e source 5ritten in language appropriate to t e discipline and understandable to t e target audienceKF, and presentation Eis t e in*ormation clearly and logically presented in a *ormat t at is use*ul to t e target audienceK .or e7ample, statisticians may *ind spreads eets and data visualiAation tools more appropriate t an data presented 5it in te7tF. 1it non2electronic resources, evaluating suitability *or your target audience is *or t e most part *airly straig t*or5ard, because t e entities ultimately responsible *or t e content are static and clearly kno5n. 1eb sites, o5ever, present uni?ue c allenges in t at t ey are t e sum o* t eir parts D t e content o* some o* 5 ic may not be directly controlled by t e 1eb site o5ners and 5 ic may c ange over time. 6any sites are sponsored by businesses 5 ic 5ill e7ert t eir presence in one *orm or anot er, suc as advertising banners, subtle Eor not so subtleF posturing, or links to t eir sites. +ometimes businesses may provide a service or product 5 ic may be elp*ul E*or e7ample, a commercial site on educational resources mig t provide a link to revie5s on so*t5are, a site on pet grooming tips mig t be under5ritten by a discount pet products supplierF. +ometimes, o5ever, t e businesses *unding or ot er5ise supporting a site Eper aps by reciprocal linksF may be inappropriate *or your audiences, so it is e7tremely important to kno5 5 ic organiAations are a**iliated 5it a site. )emember t at by including a site in your e2library you are endorsing site content! alt oug t e site content mig t be e7cellent, i* t e sponsors are not suitable *or your clients, look *or anot er site E*or e7ample, you may *ind an e7cellent compilation o* searc engines, but t e site provides links to a dating service D

clearly t is is not 5 at you 5ould provide *or a sc ool audienceF. %n t e same line o* consideration, it is also important to revie5 t e sitesI banner advertisements and link collections so t at you are a5are to 5 om your recommended resource is pointing E yperlinkingF as 5ell as t e apparent sponsors. !valuation criteria: content 1it 1eb2based resources, o*ten one o* t e greatest c allenges is to *ind out 5 o is responsible *or t e siteIs content. T is is not only due to poor 1eb design D sometimes t e entities 5is to do5nplay t eir involvement. +ince t e 1eb is a sel*2publis ing medium, anyone 5it a connection to t e 1eb and an opinion can publis materials. Kno5ing 5 o is responsible *or a 1eb site is critical to evaluating its content and, less obviously, *or establis ing bias or point o* vie5 o* site content. A simple e7ample: researc *indings on using Ec inacea 5ill ave di**erent emp ases and conclusions EbiasF depending on 5 et er t e aut oring agency is *or pro*it EcommercialF, an individual or an educational institution. %n order to evaluate t e material e**ectively, you 5ill need to ave an a5areness o* points o* vie5 or potential biases. 1 ile t is is true o* all resources 5e recommend *or our patrons, sometimes 5e are lulled into *orgetting to c eck t is crucial point 5 en a 1eb site daAAles us. Heneral rule: i* t e aut or is not clearly identi*ied Eusually at t e bottom o* every page or t e B omeC page Etop tierF, do not use itN 4* increasing concern to t e 1eb community is t e practice o* c anneling unsuspecting patrons to products or services. Companies may pay *or t is BserviceC or ave an a**iliation 5it t e re*erring 1eb site Eusually some kind o* reciprocal or *inancial agreementF. 1 ile advertising banners are obvious indicators o* site sponsors ip, ot er, less obvious relations ips may e7ist. E7amples o* t is include 1eb searc engines t at allo5 1eb site o5ners essentially to purc ase ig er rankings *or speci*ied key5ords. T is results in t eir sites appearing ig er in t e searc results listing and t ere*ore more likely to be selected. Additionally, many patrons are una5are t at portals 5 ic include searc engines and Bc annelsC Ecategories o* 1eb resourcesF may selectively list sites in 5 ic t ey ave a *inancial interest. +ince t e 1eb is gro5ing at suc a p enomenal rate, it is impossible *or any current searc utility to inde7 all t e ne5 Eand e7isting materialsF so it stands to reason t at some c oices are being made about 5 ic sites to inde7, at 5 at level and o5 *re?uently. T ese decisions a**ect t e contents o* 1eb databases and ence t e in*ormation available to t e user. T e main reason *or concern, o5ever, is t at even seasoned 1eb users are una5are o* t ese practices. Conversely, suc c anneling may be e7actly 5 at you are looking *or simply because someone as pre2selected sites o* potential interest to your clients 5 et er t ey are specialists or pro*essionals, c ildren, sc olars or seniors. +uc portal sites can be time savers 5 en used in conte7t and *or t e rig t audiences! *or ot er communities o* users, gate5ays *unction in a similar capacity gat ering toget er resources. Having establis ed t e aut orities responsible *or t e resource and t eir a**iliations, spend time assessing t e material on t e site. 6ost important, is t e in*ormation accurateK Are sources cited, most use*ully 5it a yperlinked 1ebliograp yK 1ould t e in*ormation actually be use*ul to your audiences in its present *ormat E*or e7ample, i* your clients need to manipulate data sets, an image o* statistics *rom a pd* *ile 5ill not be very use*ulFK %s t e language appropriate and accessible to your target usersK %s t e sub@ect matter covered in a suitable dept and scopeK Are t ere ?uality links to more in*ormation on t e topicK !valuation criteria: timeliness 4ne o* t e ma@or advantages o* t e 1eb is t at unlike print or ot er static media, 1eb sites may

be easily updated. T is means t at site content may t eoretically be updated mont ly, 5eekly or even ourly. Ho5 o*ten t e site s ould be updated really depends on its content! ne5s services must almost continuously update stories, 5 ile online e7 ibitions or sites o* istorical interest may c ange only periodically. 1 en evaluating resources, be sure to consider i* currency is an issue E*or e7ample, it may not be 5ise to discount an arc ival documents site because it as not been updated 5it in t e last t5o mont sF. Kno5ing 5 en t e site 5as last updated is important, o5ever. %* t e nature o* t e content re?uires *re?uent updating, is t is being doneK 1 ile some resources may be sel* contained and not need regular updating, it is important to kno5 t at it is still an BactiveC pro@ect and not a Bg ostC pro@ect. Ho5 o*ten e7ternal links are being updated is important. A ig percentage o* dead links is a good indicator t at t e resource is no longer being maintained and ence, o* limited use*ulness. 1it traditional resources, t e aut or, *or e7ample, 5rites a book or an article and 5e do not e7pect t is material to be updated. %* c anges are made, ne5 editions are publis ed. 1it 1eb2based materials, o5ever, t e issue o* 5 et er or not a site is actively maintained is e7tremely important, no matter 5 at t e nature o* t e content. E7ternally linked sites may move, cease to e7ist, or c ange content. +imilarly, t e internal links may c ange 5it 1eb ostsI maintenance and updates. !valuation criteria: presentation 0ecause t e 1eb is suc a visual medium, presentation is e7tremely important. T e 5ay in 5 ic in*ormation appears and is accessed on a site s ould be appropriate *or t e targeted audiences D *or e7ample, garis grap ics do not instill con*idence *or legal researc ers, but may t rill young adults. T e siteIs user inter*ace s ould appear uncluttered, easy to use and re*lect t e siteIs underlying content or in*ormation arc itecture. :avigational elements s ould be clearly and reasonably siAed so t at t ey are obvious to detect and not di**icult to select. Links to ot er pages s ould be clear and easy to *ind. %n ot er 5ords, users s ould be able to trace t eir @ourney t roug t e site, get back ome, and kno5 5 ere t ey are at all times. T e siteIs grap ics and ot er images s ould be appealing, en ancing and supplementing t e material, and not supplanting t e content. %t is important t at t ey s ould load ?uickly. .or grap ics intensive sites, 5 ere appropriate, look *or Bte7t2onlyC options *or users in a urry. 0e sure to c eck o5 t e site appears in t e bro5ser most commonly deployed by your users. Also, screen *or potentially annoying *eatures suc as *las ing or pop2up banners, overuse o* animated gi*s, visually abrasive color sc emes or poor use o* 5 ite space D all o* 5 ic may make accessing and actually reading in*ormation *rom t e screen di**icult. %* you ave users 5it learning disabilities or special needs, veri*y t at t e layout o* t e site 5ill be easy to use Eor at least not di**icultF. 9ay particular attention to type siAe, t e *unctionality o* t e *rames implementation Ei* usedF, and t e e**ective use o* grap ics and color contrasts. !valuation criteria: ease of use Closely aligned 5it presentation is ease o* use! i* t e resource is not designed to *unction almost intuitively *rom a userIs perspective, it 5ill simply not be use*ul. Jour *irst task s ould be to e7amine t e siteIs navigational elements. %s it clear o5 to maneuver t roug t e pages Et at is, are icons and buttons clearly labeledFK Are menus elp*ul and 5ell t oug t outK %s it clear 5 ere you are E5 ic sub2levelF, o5 you got t ere and o5 to return to t e *irst tier Emain levelFK %s t ere a map s o5ing t e siteIs structureK %* B*ramesC are used, be especially care*ul, since t ese can be con*using i* not implemented in a meaning*ul manner Ei.e. t at adds *unction and utility to t e siteF.

T e 5ell2planned siteIs navigational and labeling elements en ance and re*lect t e underlying structure o* t e site. 4rganiAation o* in*ormation s ould be logical, and elements s ould be 5ell t oug t2out *rom t e usersI perspective! 5 ile it makes sense *or a circulation librarian to go to an element called Blibrary catalogC to rene5 materials or to revie5 a patron record, unless told, a user 5ould not necessarily make t is connection. Labels Eused to describe or name sub2levelsF at 1eb sites *unction as indicators o* t e content available 5it in sub2levels! t ey s ould be concise and descriptive. Content or in*ormation arc itecture is t e key to t e storage and ence to t e retrieval o* t e actual substance o* t e site. %* t e site is searc able using an internal searc engine t is is an added plus. Ho5ever, i* *ull te7t inde7ing is not available Emeaning t at t e searc utility does not searc 5it in t e actual te7t o* 1eb pagesF t e user must rely on 5 atever met od o* inde7ing is used *or t e site. %* t is inde7 is not complete or is poorly conceived, t e user may not *ind somet ing, even t oug it is present at a site. T is is particularly t e case in large organiAations suc as universities 5 ere units prepare essentially t eir o5n Bsub21eb sitesC under t e umbrella o* t e main 1eb site. 0e a5are t at 5it out a central database, inde7ing may be uneven! di**erent units may inde7 at di**erent levels using a variety o* key5ords and di**er on maintaining or rebuilding t e inde7 a*ter signi*icant c anges. 4* course, i* t e site you are evaluating is a searc utility itsel*, remember t at no database contains all 1eb pages. )at er evaluate presentation o* results as 5ell as actual results by submitting t e same ?uery to several searc engines to @udge relevance. 1it practice and e7perience it 5ill become clearer 5 ic databases are geared to5ards your target population Eand t ey 5ill be most grate*ul *or your educated recommendationsNF 6ore practical considerations: you s ould also consider o5 accessible t e site isK %* it is popular Eand per aps di**icult to access at timesF are t ere mirror sites 5 ere t e material is replicated in *ullK Also, o5 long does t e site take to loadK %* it is loaded 5it grap ics 5it out a te7t alternative, do t ey really add enoug value to motivate your users to be patient 5 ile t ey loadK Does t e site re?uire plug2ins suc as B+ ock5aveC t at may be di**icult *or your clients to install or time consuming to do5nloadK Do strange t ings appen 5 en you are trying to print *rom t e site E*or e7ample, because o* t e use o* *rames or a 1eb designersI use o* 5 ite type 5 ic does not al5ays s o5 up on paper 5 en printedFK %n conclusion, 5 en evaluating a 1eb site *or your e2library, be sure to assess t e learning curve o* using t e resource *or t e users o* your e2library. T is s ould be 5eig ted against t e siteIs use*ulness. T e bottom line is t at clients 5 o ave a c oice simply 5ill not invest t e time, i* a site appears Eor isF di**icult or con*using to use. T e 1eb environment also propagates and sustains a user base t at 5ants ?uality in*ormation instantaneously. !valuation criteria: appropriateness for digital Web"based format +ince so many traditional print resources no5 ave 1eb2based counterparts, it is important to ?uestion 5 et er t e resource takes advantage o* uni?ue c aracteristics o* t e medium or is it @ust a bad BtranslationC *rom a print resourceK %* t e ans5er is no or i* a print Eor ot erF source *its t e in*ormation need better t en c ances are it is not 5ort it to t e user to invest t e time to use Eyet anot erF resource. T ere s ould be some aspect t at makes t is resource use*ul in electronic *ormatK E1 y not use printKF. 1eb2based resources s ould provide en anced access or improved presentation o* in*ormation over t eir print counterparts. +ome 5ays in 5 ic 1eb2 based versions o* print resources are an en ancement or improvement include: simultaneous use by multiple users! portability Ecan be saved, printed, and used at multiple locationsF! searc ability Euser can *ind speci*ic in*ormation t ey are interested in rat er t an reading t roug all o* a te7tF!

ease o* use E omogeneous inter*ace, *unF! ability to manipulate digital data3*ormat Ecan copy digital in*ormation *or use in ot er applications D grap ics, statistics, te7t, so*t5are, presentationsF! interactivity Elinks, *orms, tutorials, c at, course5areF! and uni?ueness o* resources available Esearc able, arc ives o* discussion groups, ne5sgroups, e2@ournals, imagesF.

Roundup A*ter some practice and e7perience, evaluating 1eb2based resources *or your e2library 5ill become second nature. -ntil you reac t is point it is sometimes di**icult to @udge 5 ic criteria are more important! a*ter all, mass produced computer2based interactive media suc as t ose on t e 1eb are relatively ne5. !valuation checklist flowchart T e c ecklist in .igure # suggests a systematic met odology o* evaluating 1eb sites. .irst level criteria are time savers in t at you s ould be able to assess ?uickly 5 et er or not t e site is 5ort investing more time analyAing. Tier t5o elements re?uire more time2consuming investigation o* t e siteIs content and access to it. 1 ile tier t ree elements are also important, t ey do not necessarily de*ine t e ultimate use*ulness o* t e site. Selecting Internet resources Developing an e2library is an e7citing c allenge. %n doing so, o5ever, 5e are continuing a tradition o* selecting ?uality resources *or our patrons based on t e same very basic criteria t at librarian and in*ormation pro*essionals ave al5ays used to build ?uality collections *or our patrons: contains use*ul in*ormation! language and level appropriate! easy to use! produced by kno5ledgeable e7perts! en ances e7isting sub@ect oldings! and sub@ect matter is supportive o* community needs.

$tep )& Design create and maintain your !eb"based e"library collection Creating an e2library is a time2consuming process. %n addition to t e usual collection development responsibilities suc as revie5ing ne5 in*ormation resources and deciding i* t ey are needed and appropriate *or our patrons, 5e must learn about: 1eb bro5sers and proprietary plug2in so*t5are to vie5, listen, or 5atc Et at is, so*t5are t at provides some interactivityF! di**erent access and printing met ods including a variety o* non2standard *ormats suc as Adobe Acrobat, or )eal9age!

in*ormation and content arc itecture E o5 s ould t e data be best organiAed *or e**ective as 5ell as logical access and retrieval in t e 1eb environmentF! 1eb site design Eand i* you are t e library 1eb manager, 1eb development and constructionF.

6aintaining a large listing o* links re?uires diligence or t e listing 5ill become ?uickly outdated. 9atrons 5ill ?uickly lose con*idence in your site i* t ey come across an ill2maintained page 5it broken or outdated links. 6aintenance o* t e e2library can be t oug t o* in terms o* Bcollection managementC, rat er t an 1eb server administration. E2library maintenance involves maintaining t e ?uality and content o* t e e2library collection. T is does not mean t e e2library manager does not need to kno5 anyt ing about t e tec nology. 0elo5 are *ive suggestions t at 5ill elp to guide you in planning and implementing e2library collection maintenance: #. E#F %tay in touc# about soft!are u,dates and c#anges. %t is no @oke t at 5 en upgrading so*t5are or ard5are, 1eb server administrators may alter access to e2libraries by adding or deleting directories structures, c anging input permission status *or database access, and ot er related system c anges. Developing and maintaining good communications 5it 1eb server administrators can ensure t at you are not taken by surprise and t at you 5ill ave input into any ma@or c anges t at are planned. '. E'F -evie! and c#eck links. C ecking links manually allo5s you also to revie5 and veri*y t at t e 1eb site not only still links properly, but t at it still provides t e same in*ormation as it did 5 en you originally annotated and added it to your e2library collection. %t is recommended t at you do t is periodically as t ings really do c ange or go a5ay. %magine your surprise i* a library client discovers t at t e great kids games and puAAles site you linked to is no5 a porn site. T is is a true story and really appened to an e2 library builder D 5 o 5is es to remain anonymous. .ortunately t e problem 5as discovered Linkby a responsible adult be*ore c ildren 5ere e7posed to t e c anged site. c ecking so*t5are can be used *or regular link2c ecking. %t saves time but it 5ill only reveal to you 5 et er t e links are 5orking and not 5 et er t e 1eb sites ave c anged. +ubscribe to 1eb&lib or searc t e arc ives to *ind ot er recommended link2 c ecking so*t5are. %n*ormation about Cyber +pider Link TestL>M andLinkbot L$M can be *ound on t e 1eb. T ese t5o link2c eckers 5ere recommended by 1eb&Lib subscribers in spring, #GGG. Ho5ever you manage, c eck your links *re?uently. Dead2links means *rustration *or your clients and de*eats t e purposes o* t e e2library in providing good access to in*ormation. Depending on t e content o* your pages, a good sc edule to maintain is a site link c eck every t5o mont s or less. ;. E;F %olicit client feedback. 9rovide a mec anism *or e2library clients to evaluate and comment on t e e2library 1eb site contents and organiAation, and take t eir comments into consideration. A simple mail2to link or a 1eb *orm s ould be provided so t at e2 library clients can comment or evaluate t e e2library contents and structure. T is kind o* *eedback 5ill allo5 you to make in*ormed decisions about o5 5ell your e2library is serving your clients. &. E&F -evie! your organi/ation and reorgani/e as necessary. .or e7ample, a revie5 o* t e 49L%: e2library 1eb site revealed a large number o* resources under t e broad category o* B0usiness in*ormationC under t e sub2topic o* B%nternational businessC. %t 5as decided to *urt er organiAe t ose resources under sub2 eadings by continentLGM. <. E<F -evie!, u,date, and gro! t#e contents. Content s ould al5ays be revie5ed on an ongoing basis. T e only limitation to t e gro5t o* an e2library collection is disk space on t e 1eb server and t e time and energy o* t e collectors and maintainers. Collection development and current a5areness tools *or e2library collections continue to develop E*or a collection o* elp*ul current a5areness resources see B1eb2savvy: keeping current 5it 1eb2based resourcesCL#(M. :e5 and better revie5 sources as 5ell as ne5 and

better 1eb2based in*ormation sources are made available literally every day. Limitations o* time and t e print medium ave a**ected t e speci*ic revie5 sources and resources s o5cased in t e previous c apters. T e 1eb itsel* provides a marvelous solution to t is. T e companion 1eb site to KovacsI 5ork 5ill continue to annotate and include ne5 or ne5ly discovered or recommended e2library collection development tools, as 5ell as additions to t e BCore %nternet re*erence collectionsC. Click on t e link BClick ere to be added to t e 6ailing List *or -pdates and :e5s,C i* you 5ould like to be e2mailed 5 en resources are added or updated.

Conclusions: a word or ten about politics Kopp E#GG>F 5as understating t e case 5 en e recommended: +eeking to understand t e politics o* t e virtual collection and to learn o5 to 5ork 5it t e political process at all levels 5ill aid considerably in t e realiAation o* t e virtual collection. 1it out t at e**ort and accomplis ment, t e virtual collection is very likely to remain a utopian vision EKopp, #GG>, p. GGF. %n a rat er surprising and uni?ue 5ay, internal politics can invigorate or ?uas an e2library pro@ect. T e proposed 1eb presence at any institution is a 5idely visible and ig ly anticipated pro@ect. .re?uently, because o* its importance 5it in t e organiAation, t e library or in*ormation centerIs 1eb site is particularly important. +o *ar, t is sounds like good ne5s, so 5 at are t e possible pit*allsK T is 5ill vary according to t e institution but t e kind o* BpoliticsC t at could ?uas t e pro@ect include: -pper management agrees 5it t e importance o* t e pro@ect, but does not allo5 time or resources *or planning or implementation leading to t e poorly planned and managed 1eb site. u-pper management and t e board micromanage! t e everybodyIs2a21eb2e7pert strategy 5 ere micromanagement by t e misin*ormed and good2intentioned bring t e pro@ect to a alt 5it con*licting demands. Decision makers ave con*licting or inappropriate visions about t e 1eb site 5 ic may di**er *rom t e in*ormation centerIs mandate to collect and make in*ormation accessible EBt is s ould go up *irstC, Bremember t is is a primarily public relations tool, not a source o* in*ormationCF. -pper management c anges t e 1eb siteIs direction3grap ics3structure in mid2stream, usually based on poor researc or re2evaluation o* Btarget audienceC. Alt oug t is is a pessimistic assessment, it is important to be a5are t at 5 en you are 5orking on a 1eb site *or an institution, suddenly everyone as a vie5point D Ban important perspectiveC D t at must be addressed. 4nce2*riendly colleagues ave eated e7c anges about t e in*ormation arc itecture, site navigation, or t e number o* sites to include, and almost everyone as an opinion about 5 at kinds o* sites are BessentialC and Bmust avesC. 9er aps even 5orse is t e colleague 5 o *eels over5 elmed 5it all t e 1eb 5ork and does not participate at any level. +ome o* t is Binter*erenceC is unavoidable. Ho5ever, care*ul planning and being a5are o* potential problems can elp minimiAe t eir impact. 0uilding a 1eb2based e2library may be t e most important t ing a library ever does. %t demonstrates to our library clients and our communities and organiAations t at 5e are committed to *ul*illing t eir in*ormation needs. %t also represents a 5illingness to c ange and progress as t e tec nological in*rastructure o* our international community and global economy s i*ts *rom t e paper2based transmission and storage o* in*ormation to t e computer based

transmission and storage o* in*ormation. T e survival o* libraries and t e institution o* librarians ip is related to t at 5illingness to progress and c ange. T e maintenance o* ig standards o* selectivity and in*ormation ?uality and an underlying p ilosop y o* education and service ave made librarians ip an essential pro*ession in t e -nited +tates and around t e 5orld. 0ringing t at pro*essionalism to t e %nternet 5e 5ill certainly be 5elcomed as citiAens D BnetiAensC D in t e international community o* t e %nternet EKovacs, '(((, p. #G&F. *otes #. '. ;. &. <. /. >. $. G. #(. ttp:33555.ataccess.org3 ttp:33555.itpolicy.gsa.gov3cita3 ttp:33555.1ebable.com ttp:33555.murl.com ttp:33555.b'g.com3 ttp:33555.kovacs.com3collectools. tml ttp:33555.cyberspyder.com3 ttp:33555.tetranetso*t5are.com3 ttp:33555.oplin.lib.o .us3business ttp:33555.t elearningsite.net3cyberlibrarian3elibraries3cybecurr. tml

+igure % Education essentials

+igure %a

+igure %b

,eferences

Coutts, 6.6. E#GG$F, OCollecting *or t e researc er in an electronic environmentO, &ibrary -evie!, "ol. &> :o.<3/, pp.'$'2G.. Demas, +.H., 6cDonald, 9., La5rence, H. E#GG<F, OT e %nternet and collection development: mainstreaming selection o* %nternet resourcesO, &ibrary -esources and Tec#nical %ervices, "ol. ;G :o.;, pp.'><2G(. E.edunok, +.F, O#GG>O, in Hammurabi and t e electronic age: documenting electronic collection decisions EEdsF,-0, "ol. ;/ :o.#, pp.$/2G(.. Kopp, ,.,. E#GG>F, OT e politics o* a virtual collectionO, Collection 'anage(ent, "ol. '' :o.#3', pp.$#2#((..

Kovacs, D. E'(((F, uilding Electronic &ibrary Collections) T#e Essential *uide to %election Criteria and Core %ub+ect Collections,, :eal2+c uman, :e5 Jork, :J., . 6orville, 9.+., 1ick orst, +.,. E#GG/F, O0uilding sub@ect2speci*ic guides to %nternet resourcesO, Internet -esearc#) Electronic .et!orking A,,lications and Policy , "ol. / :o.&, pp.'>2;'.. :orman, 4.H. E#GG>F, OT e impact o* electronic in*ormation sources on collection development: a survey o* current practiceO, &ibrary 1i Tec#, "ol. #< :o.#2', pp.#';2;'.. 9iontek, +., Harlock, K. E#GG<F, OCreating a 1orld 1ide 1eb resource collectionO, Collection uilding, "ol. #& :o.#, pp.#'2#$.. )iou7, 6. E#GG>F, OHunting and gat ering in cyberspace: *inding and selecting 5eb resources *or t e libraryIs virtual collectionO, in C ristiansen, C., Leat em, C. EEdsF,Pioneering .e! %erials 2rontiers) 2ro( Petrogly,#s to Cyberserials , -niversity o* :e5 6e7ico, Albu?uer?ue, :6, pp.#'G2;/.. )osen*eld, L., ,anes, ,., "ander Kolk, 6. E#GG<F, T#e Internet Co(,endiu(, :eal +c uman, :e5 Jork, :J., . +o5ards, +.1. E#GG$F, 2irst 'onday, ttp:33555.*irstmonday.dk3issues3issue;P<3so5ards3inde7. tml, "ol. ; :o.<, pp.#2#&. Tennant, ). E#GG$F, OT e art and science o* digital bibliograp yO, &ibrary 3ournal, "ol. #'; :o.#>, pp.'$2G.. Joc elson, A., Ammen, C., Huidas, ,., Harvey, +., Larson, C., 6cHinnis, 6. E#GG>F, OCollection development and t e %nternet: a brie* andbook *or recommending o**icers in t e umanities and social sciences division at t e Library o* CongressO, ttp:33lc1eb.loc.gov3ac?3colldev3 andbook. tml, . 0ald5in, C.6., 6itc ell, +. E#GG/F, OCollection issues and overvie5O, $ntangling t#e Web, ttp:33555.library.ucsb.edu3untangle3bald5in. tml, . Cay5ood, C. E#GG/F, OLibrary selection criteria *or 111 resourcesO, ttp:33555/.pilot.in*i.net3carolyn3criteria. tml, . Cooke, A. E#GGGF, .eal4%c#u(an Aut#oritative *uide to Evaluating Infor(ation on t#e Internet, :eal2+c uman, :e5 Jork, :J., . Demas, +.H. E#GG&F, OCollection development *or t e electronic library: a conceptual and organiAational modelO, &ibrary 1i Tec#, "ol. #' :o.;, pp.>#2$(.. E#GG>F, in DiaA, K.). EEdsF,-eference %ources on t#e Internet) "ff t#e %#elf and onto

t#e Web, Ha5ort 9ress, :e5 Jork, :J., . Elkordy, A.0. E#GGGF, OEvaluating 1eb2based resources: a practical perspectiveO, ttp:33555.angel*ire.com3in3virtuallibrarian3eval. tml, . E#GG/F, in .ales, +.L. EEdsF,*uide for Training Collection Develo,(ent &ibrarians , American Library Association, C icago, %L., Collection 6anagement and Development Huides, :o.$, . Kaag, C.+. E#GG$F, OCollection development o* online serials: 5 o needs to do 5 at, and 5 y, and 5 enO, %erials &ibrarian, "ol. ;; :o.#2', pp.#(>2''.. Kuny, T., Cleveland H. E#GG$F, OT e digital library: myt s and c allengesO, I2&A 3ournal, "ol. '& :o.', pp.#(>2#;.. 6itc ell, +., 6ooney, 6. E#GG/F, O%:.46%:E: a model 1eb2based academic virtual libraryO, Infor(ation Tec#nology and &ibraries, ttp:33in*omine.ucr.edu3pubs3italmine. tml, . 6ogge, D., Kovacs, D. E#GG$F, A-& Directory of Electronic 3ournals, .e!sletters Acade(ic Discussion &ists, Association o* )esearc Libraries, 1as ington, DC, ttp:33555.arl.org3scomm3edir3, . )osen*eld, L. E#GG$F, Infor(ation Arc#itecture for t#e World Wide Web, 4I)eilly and Associates, +ebastapol, CA., . E#GGGF, in +tielo5, .. EEdsF,Creating a 5irtual &ibrary) A 1o!4To4Do4It 'anual for Integrating Infor(ation -esources on t#e Web, :eal +c uman, :e5 Jork, :J., . T omsen, E. E#GG/F, -eference and Collection Develo,(ent on t#e Internet ) A 1o!4to4 Do4It 'anual, :eal +c uman, :e5 Jork, :J., . 1alter, 1.H., Demas, +.H., +te5art, L., 1eintraub, ,. E#GG$F, OCollecting aggregations o* 1eb resourcesO, Infor(ation Tec#nology and &ibraries, "ol. #> :o.;, pp.#<>2/(..

Appendi-& !ebliography of collection development tools .eneral items Alp asearc D ttp:33555.calvin.edu3library3as Contact: remeltQcalvin.edu +earc by 5ord or p rase *or revie5ed gate5ay sites! bro5se t em by resource type, discipline, or alp abetical listing.

T e Argus Clearing ouse D ttp:33555. clearing ouse.net Contact: clearing ouseQ argus2 inc.com +ites are annotated, revie5ed and rated by sub@ect e7perts ElibrariansF. +earc or bro5se t e ierarc ically arranged directory. 0arnes Learning )esource Center D ttp:33555.galter.n5u.edu3libin*o3lrc Contact: galter2 lrcQn5u.edu T e L)C ouses t e libraryIs non2print collection, including anatomical models, computers, so*t5are Eincluding 5ord processing and e2mailF, computer2aided instruction ECA%F resources, videocassettes, audiocassettes, interactive laser videodiscs, bot audio and multimedia CDs, and ;<mm slides. 0artlesville 9ublic Library D ttp:33555.bartlesville.lib.ok.us3 Contact: 1ebmast Qbartlesville.lib.ok.us .ull +ervice online library. 0eaucoup D ttp:33555.beaucoup.com Contact: Teri 6adden, 1ebmasterQ beaucoup.com 4ver ',<(( searc sites, including topics o* parallel36eta, )evie5ed31 atIs :e5, 6usic, +cience, Healt , Employment! coming soon, searc ing t e searc engines. 0eyond 0ookmarks: +c emes *or 4rganiAing t e 1eb D ttp:33555.public.iastate.edu3CJ0E)+TACK+3CT1. tm Contact: Herry 6ckiernan, H6CK%E):Qg5gate. lib.iastate.edu 4vervie5 o* di**erent 5ays t at 1eb2based in*ormation mig t be organiAed. 0eyond t e 0lack +tump D ttp:33 ome.mira.net3lions3ane5. tm Contact: Adam Todd, commercialQau.net Lists t e latest3ne5est 1eb sites in reverse c ronological order. Also searc 111 by category. 0-0L 3 <:#< D ttp:33bubl.ac.uk3link3 Contact: Alan Da5son, a.da5sonQstrat .ac.uk or bublQbubl.ac.uk )elevant, librarian2evaluated resources on all academic sub@ect areas. Cali*ornia Digital Library D ttp:33555.cdlib.org3 Contact: ,o n 4ber, ,o n.4berQucop.edu An integrated 1eb gate5ay to digital collections, services and tools. C oice D Current )evie5s *or Academic Libraries D ttp:33555.ala.org3acrl3c oice ttp:33555.ala.org3acrl3c oice3G$sup. tml Contact: %rving E. )ock5ood, %)ock5oodQala2 c oice.org BTimelyC, BConciseC, BAut oritativeC and Beasy2to2useC revie5s by e7perts o* books and electronic media. Cyber+tacks D ttp:33555.public.iastate.edu3CJ0E)+TACK+ Contact: gerrymckQiastate.edu BCentraliAed, integrated, and uni*ied collection o* signi*icant 1orld 1ide 1eb E111F and ot er %nternet resources categoriAed using t e Library o* Congress classi*ication sc eme.C T is service emp asiAes t e *ields o* science and tec nology, but ot er topics are no5 available, suc as geograp y, medicine, social science, and la5. T e %nternet Tourbus D ttp:33555.tourbus.com3 Contact: 9atrick Douglas Crispen, crispenQnets?uirrel.com or 0ob )ankin, bobrankinQulster.net BT4-)0-+ is a virtual tour o* t e best o* t e %nternet, delivered by e2mail to over $(,((( people in #'( countries.C Learning Q 1eb.+ites D ttp:33555.ecnet.net3users3gdlevin3 ome. tml Contact: d2levinQ

govst.edu +earc able Bguide intended primarily *or senior ig sc ool educators 5 o 5ould like to en ance t eir curriculum and instruction using t e %nternetC. Detroit 9ublic Library D ttp:33555.detroit. lib.mi.us3 Contact: mktgQdetroit.lib.mi.us Art5ork 5as developed *rom actual bits o* t e library arc itecture, 5 ic is a 5ay to connect t e p ysical location to t eir compre ensive virtual services. Digital Librarian D ttp:33555.servtec .com3mvail3 ome. tml Contact: 6argaret "ail Anderson, mvailQservtec .com Ba librarians c oice *or best o* t e 1ebC. Directory o* :et5orked )esources D ttp:33555.niss.ac.uk3sub@ect'3 Contact: nissQniss.ac.uk +earc alp abetically, by sub@ect or by B-DCC Elibrary s el* classi*icationsF. 6any gate5ays available at t is site. Electronic Library 9rogramme D ttp:33555.ukoln.ac.uk3services3elib3 Contact: elibQukoln.ac.uk %n*ormation on 5orks ops, studies and con*erences. BegroupsII D ttp:33555.egroups.com3 ,oin a discussion group regarding speci*ic areas o* interest Eeducation, business, umanities, etc.F or start one o* your o5n. Encyclopedia 0ritannica %nternet Huide D ttp:33555.britannica.com Contact: editorQ britannica.comtec nical or 1ebmasterQ britannica.com BClassi*ies, rates, and revie5s t ousands o* 1eb sitesC t en clearly and concisely describes, rates according to consistent standards, and inde7es *or easy retrieval. Helman Library D ttp:33555.g5u.edu3gelman3sub@ects3sub@ects. tm Contact: 6artin Courtois, courtoisQg5u.edu %nternet )esources divided into *ive categories t en subdivided to more speci*ic topics. Also links to a virtual re*erence desk. %n*omine: +c olarly %nternet )esource Collections 8 D ttp:33lib2555.ucr.edu3 Contact: +teve 6itc ell, Co2ordinator! smitc Qcitrus.ucr.edu or 6argaret 6ooney, co2ordinator! mmooneyQcitrus.ucr.edu B%n*omine contains over #&,((( links. +ubstantive databases, electronic @ournals, guides to t e %nternet *or most disciplines, te7tbooks and con*erence proceedings are among t e many types o* resources.C %nternet Library *or Librarians D ttp:33555.itcompany.com3in*oretriever3 Contact: "ianne Tang + a, + a1Qmissouri.edu BA compre ensive 1eb database designed to provide a one2stop s opping center *or librarians to locate %nternet resources related to t eir pro*ession.C E)e*erence, collection development, arc ives, administration, automation etc.F %nternet 9ublic Library D ttp:33555.ipl.org3 Contact: iplQipl.org Huge site 5it many easy2to2 use *eatures, including: yout , teen and @ust2*or2librarians sections, virtual e7 ibits, re*erence collection E5it Ask A Ruestion *eatureF. T e %nternet +leut D ttp:33555.isleut .com3 Contact: *eedbackQisleut .com +earc over ;,((( annotated databases, categoriAed sub@ects, not revie5ed. Kno5ledgeCite Library D ttp:33555.kno5ledgecite.com3 Contact: marcrQkno5ledgecite.com

BS Limited to individuals a**iliated 5it one o* our subscribing institutions.C A re*erence tool providing Bmulti2disciplinary searc ing across doAens o* researc 2grade databases in a 1eb environment.C LibrarianIs %nde7 to t e %nternet D ttp:33lii.org3 Contact: Carole Leita, cleitaQsunsite.berkeley. edu Evaluated, annotated and searc able collection o* %nternet resources Eacademic and popularF organiAed by sub@ect. LibrariansI )esource Centre D ttp:33555.sla. org3c apter3ctor3toolbo73resource3inde7. tml Contact: 6argaret Hross, mgrossQcam.org +elective collection o* in*ormation, resources and databases organiAed by clientsI needs D public service, pro*essional and tec nical. T e Library o* Congress D ttp:33lc1eb.loc.gov3library Contact: lc1ebQloc.gov +ervices *or researc ers, publis ers, educators. 6any collections. Library +pot D ttp:33555.libraryspot.com3 Contact: *eedbackQlibraryspot.com Link to la5, medical, musical libraries as 5ell as online libraries! ot er *eatures include arc ives, reading room and librariansI s el* Etools, umor, career in*ormation and moreF. 6ind+pring Enterprises D ttp:33corpcom.mspring.net3corpcom3cgi2bin3?uery2*ormb.cgi Contact: ttp:33555.mindspring.net3mail. tml +earc *or sites *rom a large category list, bot academic and popular sub@ects. 6iningco D ttp:33555.miningco.com Contact: reac usQminingco.com B/(( guides mining t e net on t ousands o* topicsC D academic and popular. 6orrisville College Library D ttp:33555.morrisville.edu3pages3library3 Contact: 1il*red Dre5, dre55eQmorrisville.edu Heneral, specialiAed Eaut oriAation needed on someF, and periodical databases. 6EL D 6ic igan Electronic Library ttp:33mel.lib.mi.us Contact: +ue Davidsen, Director! davidsenQumic .edu 0ro5se t e %nternet by sub@ect and use t e electronic re*erence desk at t is 1eb site. :ational Library o* Australia D ttp:33555.nla.gov.au3internet. tmlTalls Contact: )od +troud, rstroudQnla.gov.au B+elective sub@ect lists o* evaluated %nternet resources t at are easy to bro5se SC Also contains sub@ect lists o* e2mail discussion groups, online ne5spapers by country, and re*erence materials. :ational Library o* Canada D Electronic Collection D ttp:33collection.nlc2bnc.ca3e2coll2e3inde72 e. tm Contact: e.publications.eQnlc2blc2ca T e beginnings o* an electronic collection 5 ic incorporates *ormally publis ed Canadian online books and @ournals! compre ensive site directory. :eedle in a Cyber+tack D ttp:33 ome.revealed.net3albee3 Contact: ,o n Albee, albeeQrevealed.net -se t e Bneedle navigatorC to locate t e databaseEsFneeded *rom a large selection o* options.

T e :e5 At enaum D ttp:33members.spree. com3at enaeum3mguide#. tm Contact: )obert ,. Tiess, r@tiessQ5ar5ick.net. B6etaguide to %nternet resource guides developed by libraries and library pro*essionals all over t e 5orld.C :ort Carolina +tate -niversity Library D ttp:33555.lib.ncsu.edu3disciplines3inde7. tml Contact: ericPmorganQncsu.edu Listing and links to bot researc and internet resources by sub@ect. 9inakes: A +ub@ect Launc pad D ttp:33555. 5.ac.uk3lib1113irn3pinakes3pinakes. tml Contact: Dave 0ond, d.a.bondQ 5.ac.uk or )oddy 6acLeod, r.a.macleodQ 5.ac.uk T is 1eb site is a set o* Bgrap icC links Eeasy to useF to t e Bma@or sub@ect gate5aysC. Lycos D Top .ive 9ercent D ttp:33point.lycos.com3categories3inde7. tml Contact: 1ebmasterQlycos.com Top .ive 9ercent is a directory o* revie5ed sites. +earc , or bro5se by broad sub@ect arranged by rankings. 6i7 o* popular and academic resources. )amapo Catskills Library +ystem D ttp:33555.rcls.org3 Contact: ,erry KuntA, @kuntAQ rcls.org Electronic library consisting o* searc tools EkidsI searc toolsF, directories, and multiple sub@ect database listings. )ettig on )e*erence D ttp:33555.gale.com )evie5s o* traditional and %nternet resources *or re*erence by ,ames )ettig. 6ont ly publication *rom Hale )esearc is available *ree o* c arge to all %nternet users. )4AD+ E)esource 4rganisation and Discovery in +ub@ect2based +ervicesF ttp:33555.ukoln.ac.uk3roads3 Contact: roads2liaisonQbris.ac.uk BT e so*t5are allo5s you to set up a sub@ect gate5ay.C T e +cout )eport D ttp:33scout.cs.5isc.edu3scout3report3 Contact: scoutQcs.5isc.edu B9ublis ed every .riday bot on t e 1eb and by e2mail, it provides a *ast, convenient 5ay to stay in*ormed o* valuable resources on t e %nternet. 4ur team o* pro*essional librarians and sub@ect matter e7perts select, researc , and annotate resource.C +eattle 9ublic Library D ttp:33555.spl.lib.5a.us3 Contact: Debora L. ,acobs, city.librarianQspl.org .ull service library 5it online databases, ?uick in*ormation center, re*erence, etc. +ervices to Librarians D ttp:33555.library. okstate.edu3dept3sed3prestamo3anne<. tm Contact: Anne 9restamo, prestamQnotes. okstate.edu Database o* in*ormation *or librarians: resources *or net training Emany areasF, re*erences, periodicals, listservs, libraries. +tate Library o* 4 io D 1orld 1ide 1eb %n*ormation :et5ork D ttp:335inslo.state.o .us3 Contact: Heorgiana "an +yckle, 1ebmasterQ 5inslo.state.o .us Lists state and *ederal government in*ormation, online databases, 4 io 9ublic Library 4nline E49L%:F. +c ools and Libraries Division D ttp:33555.slc*und.org3 Contact: ?uestionQslc*und.org +ite *or sc ool and library regarding *unding in*ormation, announcements and *orms. +cout +elect 0ookmarks: +ub@ect2based 6etasites D

ttp:33555scout.cs.5isc.edu3scout3toolkit3bookmarks3inde7. tml Contact: scoutQcs.5isc.edu "ery selective list EBc osen *or selectivity, breadt , and dept o* coverage scope and aut orityCF o* metasites in seven academic *ields. +cout )eport +ignpost D ttp:33555.signpost. org3signpost3 Contact:signpostQcs.5isc.edu +earc able, bro5seable EsicF database o* t e +cout )eport D critical summaries o* %nternet and mailing lists. +ocial +cience %n*ormation Hate5ay D ttp:33sosig.ac.uk35elcome. tmlor ttp:33scout#$.cs.5isc.edu3sosigPmirror3 Contact: :icky .erguson, Director! nicky.*ergusonQ bris.ac.uk B+ocial +cience %n*ormation Hate5ay is an online catalogue o* t ousands o* ig ?uality %nternet resources relevant to social science education and researc . Every resource as been selected and described by a librarian or sub@ect specialist.C "irtual "isit o* t e 6ultimedia Library D ttp:33mediat e?ue.ircam.*r3in*os3vrml3inde72e. tml Contacts: ttp:33mediat e?ue.ircam.*r3messages3mail. tml :eed to do5nload special so*t5are to vie53use t e BvirtualC library. Can access 5it out t is, t oug . Heavy emp asis on music. 1orld 1ide 1eb "irtual Library D ttp:33555.vlib.org3Home. tml %ndividuals maintain t e separate collections o* t is library at separate locations. Contact person listed at eac site. 4ldest catalog on t e 1eb. Annotated collection o* searc able %nternet resources arranged by sub@ect. Collection development related discussion lists, ne5sgroups and e2serials ACC)%2L D Discussion o* %nternet resources *or anest esiology and critical care. Arc ives: contact t e moderator *or details. +ubscribe: send e2mail to listservQuabdpo.dpo.uab.edu 5it t e command: +ubscribe accri2l yourname. Contact: A.,. 1rig t, meds(('Q uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu ACR:ET D Discussion *or ac?uisitions and collection development librarians. Arc ives: ttp:33555.library.vanderbilt.edu3la53ac?s3ac?s. tml +ubscribe: send e2mail to listprocQlistproc.appstate.edu 5it t e command: +ubscribe ac?net yourname Contact: EleanorCook cookeiQappstate.edu A+%A2111264:%T4) D Discusses 1eb sites *or social science studies in and about Asia. Arc ives: ttp:33coombs.anu.edu.au3asia25552monitor. tml +ubscribe: send e2mail to ma@ordomoQcoombs.anu.edu.au 5it t e command: subscribe asia25552monitor your e2mail address. Contact: Dr T. 6att e5 Ciolek tmciolekQcoombs.anu.edu.au 0%4+C% D Hroup o* bio2science discussion lists and ne5sgroups. +ubscribe: ttp:33555.bio.net Contact: biosci2 elpQnet.bio.net 0uslib2L D 6oderated electronic *orum t at addresses all issues relating to: t e collection, storage and dissemination o* business in*ormation 5it in a library setting D regardless o* *ormat. Arc ives and subscribe: ttp:33555.5illamette.edu3gklein3buslib. tm Contact: Hary Klein. Cancer5ire D ttp:33555.r5neill.com3publis ing3 Cancer5ire is an e2ne5sletter 5 ic publis es

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