Resources will be acquired with the intent of supporting the curriculum - that is, meeting the information and research needs of Drake students and representing value for the money.

Faculty may request that a free electronic resource trial be initiated. The request should be addressed to the Librarian Liaison assigned to their College/School/Department, or by directing a request to Teri Koch (teri.koch@drake.edu).

The Library’s Electronic Resources Selection Committee (ERSC) will announce the trial via e-mail to the department(s) most closely associated with the subject content of the resource. A part of this announcement will include the encouragement of feedback to the Electronic Resources Selection Committee.

After the commencement of the trial, if the Electronic Resources Selection Committee (ERSC) has received two or more positive responses, the Library will consider subscribing to the resource based on criteria listed below.

Evaluation elements taken into consideration by the Electronic Resources Selection Committee (ERSC):

1. Content suitability
   • Accuracy, authoritativeness, and completeness of database
   • Potential users; usefulness for a variety of classes and/or disciplines, anticipated volume of use
   • Subject coverage; duplication of current library resources
   • Alternative products available that might better serve users’ needs
   • Format alternatives
   • Frequency of content updating
2. Search engine and interface
   • Ease of use for patrons and library staff
   • Quality of retrieval and search engine
   • Frequency of updating of search engine, user interface updating and new searching features
   • Availability and quality of documentation
   • Treatment of graphics, formulae, and other non-standard characters
3. Vendor reliability
   • Vendor’s reliability and stability and reputation for producing quality products
   • Availability and responsiveness of technical support
4. Archiving and Preservation
   • Access to the back files of the data after the license has expired or if product is removed from market
5. Technical compatibility
   • Capacity and requirements for remote access - Password vs. IP authentication (The library will give priority consideration to those resources that can be accessed via IP authentication)
   • Requirements for Library hardware and software
   • Network compatibility
6. Licensing and other legal concerns
   • Licensing terms and restrictions
   • Number of simultaneous users or unlimited usage based on FTE
   • Remote access
7. Service Implications
   • Ease of training potential users
8. Cost and Budgetary constraints
   • Cost/value analysis
   • Availability of funds
   • Historical and potential inflation factor of the resource

Note also that the library will consider joint purchasing through grant and Departmental funds. Purchases with joint funds will require special negotiations.