Collection Development Policy for Electronic Resources

INTRODUCTION

The William H. Welch Medical Library's current collection policy governing the funding, selection, acquisition, and retention of library materials and information resources applies to all formats including electronic resources. See Welch Medical Library Collection Development Policy.

As of 2002, the library gives priority to the acquisition of electronic resources. This results in easier use, wider access and more timely updates. New resources are suggested by any Hopkins faculty, staff, or student, and are submitted to the Electronic Collection Development Committee for consideration.

The Johns Hopkins University libraries work collaboratively to provide the broadest possible access (anytime, anywhere) to licensed electronic resources for all current faculty, students and staff at the Johns Hopkins University and the Johns Hopkins Health System. Cooperative acquisitions and cost sharing with university libraries and consortia (NERL or PALINET) are pursued when feasible to provide access to all Hopkins patrons.

Recommend a Book, Journal or Electronic Resource for Purchase.

VISION FOR THE DIGITAL LIBRARY

The availability of electronic resources opens new vistas for teaching, research, and patient care. Although acquiring materials in digital forms and organizing them for use is both costly and challenging, electronic resources will be a critical element of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and Johns Hopkins Health Systems of the future. The library will meet the demand for broader subject access and for cross-campus access with e-resources.

Material needed on a regular basis will be provided electronically. Remaining print materials will be housed onsite in the Institute of the History of Medicine and off-site in the Libraries Service Center.

SCOPE

  1. Format
    • E-journals: As with print journals, e-journals require a long-term commitment from the library in terms of financial and human resources to acquire and maintain. The library subscribes to an e-journal only if it is full text.
      • Bundled with Existing Print subscription
        1. The library provides access to the free web version of a print journal to which it subscribes when the access criteria is met.
      • Print and Online subscriptions
        1. The library continues to provide print subscriptions for high use items and for things that are not yet electronic.
      • Online-Only
        1. If they are available, all new titles will be subscribed to online only.
        2. If online access is bundled with print, the print issues are not checked in, but are maintained at the library for one year and discarded without binding. If contents of print copies and electronic versions have any differences, then print copies are kept. Where there is a compelling reason, i.e., print is the only choice or intense user demand for paper copies, the library orders print materials.
    • E-Books: The library will acquire when there is a demand from patrons.
    • Databases: General information and bibliographic databases are selectively acquired.
    • CD-ROMs/Diskettes/Other Multimedia: In general these formats are not collected. CD-ROMs that accompany print materials are retained only if the content is supplemental to the text. Web-based multimedia will be collected according to their relevance.
    • Web sites: These will be selected according to their relevance to the library's collection.
  2. Access
    • Resources may be accessed in a variety of ways but internet/worldwide web is preferred. The decision to select specific products depends on projected use, licensing requirements, support services either local or remote, and other access issues. Materials must be available on campus and remotely. Reserves and distance learning programs are included. Resources are accessed via the JHU online catalog and/or the library web site.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Library users, liaison librarians or Welch staff may make suggestions for acquisitions via electronic form, email, etc. to library's Electronic Collection Development Committee. Resources are previewed when possible, evaluated and recommended for acquisition by the Associate Director of the Digital Library Services. The following evaluation issues are considered before adding resources.

Evaluation Issues

  1. Needs of primary clientele
  2. Relevance of subject
  3. Cost-effectiveness: including availability and cost of updates, backfiles, future upgrades
  4. Scholarly and intellectual level
  5. Reputation and authority of producer
  6. Confidence in producer's commitment to maintenance
  7. Currency and validity of information and updates
  8. Access and network capacity: access preferably not requiring individual userID and passwords
  9. Uniqueness and completeness of information
  10. Added-value and advantages over other formats
  11. Technical ease and accessibility
  12. Legal issues including licensing requirement and restrictions
  13. Copyright and fair use issues
  14. Archival issues - availability, cost, limitations, storage, etc.
  15. Availability and quality of documentation
  16. Vendor's reliability in customer support, material availability, and quality of training programs
  17. Usage and/or limit access can be monitored

MULTIPLE formATS AND COPIES

In general, the library acquires any given material in one format only. Multiple copies of a print subscription have been evolving into one institutional copy and eventually will be replaced by electronic resources as archival issues are resolved.

The number of users in a multi-user license is determined by anticipated demand and available funding. If sufficient user demand is demonstrated, additional licenses may be acquired.

RETENTION AND RENEWAL

In addition to considering each factor in the SELECTION CRITERIA section, the library also studies usage statistics to determine if the use of a resource justifies its continued maintenance and accessibility. The following criteria are considered:

  • The cost of the journal
  • ISI Impact Factor
  • Whether and where a journal title is indexed
  • Whether articles from a particular title can be accessed online or obtained quickly and cheaply via interlibrary loan or by other means

    • LICENSING

    The library adheres to the following definitions and expectations regarding licensing.

    1. Library's authorized users include the students, faculty and staff of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions (JHMI) and Johns Hopkins Health Systems (JHHS) and all on-site visitors to the Library.

    2. "Site" is defined to include units of JHMI or JHMI with JHHS depending on licenses. Hopkins wide site licenses include all campuses.

    3. Kennedy Krieger Institute is included upon request.

    4. Students, faculty and staff of JHMI and JHHS are able to access all resources provided by the library according to access restriction code key attached with each resource.

    5. Currently, the preferred method for authenticating authorized users is via IP address ranges. If this method is not feasible, individual username and password access is acceptable as long as publishers agree to that user name/password information being posted on the Intranet IP access controlled web page.

      Small locations with some offices are not included in IP controlled access. Patrons from these locations should access the library's e-resources through the proxy remote access.

    6. Pricing is assessed based on number of FTE, simultaneous users or number of seats.

    7. The "fair use" provision or the U.S. Copyright Act applies to all formats. See Licensing Agreements, Intellectual Property and Copyright for more detailed information.

    8. The purchase of electronic information should include provisions for perpetual access to that information. Agreements should clearly state archival responsibility.

    9. The library investigates a variety of licensing arrangements with other Hopkins libraries and consortia.

    The Purchasing Officer of the Johns Hopkins University has the authority to approve and sign the finalized licensing agreements.

    NEW FUNDING MODELS

    Since providing access to all units of JHHS and KKI costs more depending on licensing, a new funding model has been created so that all cost centers provide funds to the library for e-resources.

    RESPONSIBILITY RELATING TO E-RESOURCES

    IMPLEMENTATION AND REVIEW

    This policy will be revised as appropriate to reflect changes in the emerging and constantly changing electronic information environment.