Pauline Melgoza, Pamela A. Mennel and Suzanne D. Gyeszly
Unlimited access to the Internet and the widespread availability of both full‐text electronic resources and printed materials in many academic libraries offer almost unrestricted…
Abstract
Unlimited access to the Internet and the widespread availability of both full‐text electronic resources and printed materials in many academic libraries offer almost unrestricted access to users for their research and curriculum needs. Yet the overwhelming availability and supply of information forces users to sort and filter through the wealth of information and sometimes make educated guesses regarding their validity and reliability. In order to determine user priorities and preferences for information resources and their selection criteria, questionnaires were distributed to faculty, graduate, and selected upper‐level undergraduate students of the Departments of Economics, Political Science, and the George Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. The survey results show that for scholarly research or serious curriculum needs the use of printed materials is still popular among faculty and graduate students, while undergraduates primarily prefer to use Internet services.
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Jane Stephens, Pauline Melgoza and Gang (Gary) Wan
The purpose of this paper is to determine the overall currency of electronic books in the Safari database; to determine currency and release policies of the individual publishers…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to determine the overall currency of electronic books in the Safari database; to determine currency and release policies of the individual publishers who contribute books to the Safari database; to compare the usage patterns of Safari books to their print counterparts at Texas A&M University; and to discuss the impact of the Safari e‐book collection and chosen purchase model upon collection management at the university.
Design/methodology/approach
To determine currency of titles in Safari, the availability of the most recent edition of a title in the Safari database was checked against the availability of the print edition on the publisher's website. To determine the publishers' release policies, a questionnaire was developed and e‐mailed to them.
Findings
Of the titles in the Safari database 98.4 percent were the most current edition available. Release policies of the major Safari publishers (O'Reilly and Pearson) indicate that the electronic version of a title is released when the print version is sent to press. No Starch Press, a minor Safari publisher releases its books in Safari 90 days after the print goes on sale. Thomson would not make this information public and the remainder did not respond to the questionnaire.
Practical implications
Subscription to the Safari database (current file) makes available to multiple users the most current computer science and information technology books released by popular publishers. It eliminates the need to expend funds for multiple and replacement copies of this highly requested material.
Originality/value
The current file purchase model assumes that the most recent editions of these popular books are available in Safari. The study indicates that librarians and patrons can be assured that they are accessing the most current editions available.