[Original posting on this topic appeared in COLLDV-L no. 1249 and is
reproduced below; the responses follow it.]
From: YEHLB_at_holly.hsu.edu
We are a small academic library of 250,000 volumes with a materials budget
of under $300,000. We have ten cd-rom subscriptions with a few "ready
reference" cd-roms, e.g., encyclopedias, waiting to be installed. Our
money for new equipment is extremely limited. Our materials budget from
which cd-rom purchases are taken is also very tight.
We have had requests from several departments for cd-roms (of the non-
subscription, non-index type) for which we do not currently have room for
on our stations. Given their specific subject nature, these cd- roms are
not likely to be ones that we would purchase at the present time for public
use on our stations or for the campus network. However, currently these
departments do not have funds for cd-rom purchases although they are
getting money for the hardware.
How are other libraries handling these cd-rom requests? Do you decline to
purchase these cd-roms that would be of very limited use in the library or
on the campus network? Is this a case where each department should be able
to spend its portion of the materials budget as it sees fit? Are cd-rom
titles purchased with library funds and then loaned "permanently" to the
department? On how many campuses do departments have funds for cd-rom
purchases for their own departmental use?
Thanks for your responses.
Robert Yehl
Director of Learning Resources
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR 71999
PH: 501-230-5014
email: yehlb_at_holly.hsu.edu
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(1)From: "Lee A. Krieger" <Lee.A.Krieger_at_cc.gettysburg.edu>
We are a somewhat larger library of around 300,000+ volumes & a materials
budget twice that of yours, but we still have the same problem to deal
with. We have categorized requests for CD-ROMs by the intended usage. If
it's a general reference that would be of use to a larger audience, we
would look at it from the point of having the drives to run it in a tower
or stand-alone station as well as its 'reference' value. Those titles
requested by faculty tend to have a specific curriculum goal in mind and we
are treating those like monograph requests, but housing them at the
circulation desk for security purposes. What platform the CD runs on
depends on what it's likely use will be. We tend to buy Windows or MPC
compatible programs, but for some disciplines like music, Mac seems to be
the preferred platform.
Since more students & faculty are getting multimedia capable machines, we
see this as something to check out like other media, i.e., videocassettes.
They could go to depts. on a term-length loan. The product would have to
be a very specialized product for us to recommend depts. purchase it out
of their own limited funds.
Lee A. Krieger Ph.:717-337-7007
Delivery Team/Acquisitions Librarian Fax:717-337-6251
Musselman Library email:lkrieger_at_gettysburg.edu
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA 17325
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(2) From: taubej_at_hjc.cc.md.us (John Taube)
We are working with our paralegal program to make several legal resources
available on CD-ROM for their students. The library got involved on the
condition that they make these resources available across our campus
network to all students and staff. The cost is being split between the
library, the division and the dean of instruction. We are looking at legal
forms, U.S. Code Service, American Law Reports, and AmJur.
John Taube
Hagerstown Junior College Library
taubej_at_hjc.cc.md.us
Received on Wed Oct 23 1996 - 18:38:12 EDT