[Eril-l] [External] Re: EXTERNAL: Inquiry on guidelines for A-Z Database lists

Tue Apr 9 09:53:47 PDT 2024

I’m not sure I understand the reasoning behind not including every collection in the A-Z list.  As an end user, if my instructor highlights a particular collection/resource, I expect to be able to find it from the catalog/library web site.  If I’m looking for resources on a topic, I expect that every resource available on that topic is listed.  Similarly, I don’t understand the logic behind not including links to all ebooks in a subscription full-text package.  PQ Literature One has a lot of classics in ebook form, but we don’t necessarily include the records in our catalog.  As an end user, if I want to access a title, I search the catalog – if it’s not there, I presume access is not available.  I would not think to look into every literature collection searching out that title.

I can understand that a subject/course-oriented LibGuide would not necessarily every single collection that may have relevant content.  The LibGuide is meant to be selective, although it would be nice to be able to easily link to a list of all relevant resources (e.g., a comprehensive subject list of all resources relevant to any one subject).  If the concern is that such a list is overwhelming, perhaps a short list could be highlighted, followed by the complete list.

As a Collection Assessment Librarian, I’ve found that usage is highly dependent on findability.  If a collection is not findable from the catalog or library Web site, it’s usage will suffer.  If they can’t find it, how can they use it?

Karen R. Harker, MLS, MPH
Collection Assessment Librarian
University of North Texas Libraries
1155 Union Blvd.
#305190
Denton, TX 76203-5017
940-565-2688

From: Eril-l <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org> On Behalf Of Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l
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Subject: Re: [Eril-l] [External] Re: EXTERNAL: Inquiry on guidelines for A-Z Database lists

Hi there,

I once tried to pare down our a-z list because I don’t feel we needed to have a database entry for every single little collection but I received a lot of pushback from librarians in public services. They like the way their lists look and no matter how hard I tried to lower the number of databases, it was an uphill battle I wasn’t going to fight.

Best,
Ilda

From: Eril-l <eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org<mailto:eril-l-bounces at lists.eril-l.org>> on behalf of Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l <eril-l at lists.eril-l.org<mailto:eril-l at lists.eril-l.org>>
Date: Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 8:02 AM
To: Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list <eril-l at lists.eril-l.org<mailto:eril-l at lists.eril-l.org>>
Subject: [External] Re: [Eril-l] EXTERNAL: Inquiry on guidelines for A-Z Database lists
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Hi all,
We are also in the process of updating our A-Z list. We list mostly everything we subscribe to/pay for as well as a few open access resources, but we are also not exhaustive about these and may end up eliminating them at some point for easier maintenance. We currently have about 200 databases in our A-Z list.

One constant challenge I am curious about is how others handle collections from Gale. We currently have 200 databases in our A-Z list and nearly 70 are from Gale. We don't even include all the sub-collections in Archives Unbound. It is a lot to maintain and while listing all of them versus just some seems to be easier for tracking, I know many are not used and am tempted to hide them at the least. There is also the challenge of the periodic database name change and the maintenance that comes with that. If others have an approach to these collections, it would be great to hear.

Best,
Nancy

On Tue, Apr 9, 2024 at 10:26 AM Electronic Resources in Libraries discussion list via Eril-l <eril-l at lists.eril-l.org<mailto:eril-l at lists.eril-l.org>> wrote:
Everything we pay money for is on the list.  I check it a couple of times a year to make sure everything is still responding, URLs haven't changed, and so forth.  (Large database vendors are pretty good about stable URLs and forwarding old URLs, but some of the smaller places... oy vey!).  We get most of our databases as part of a package deal from the Texas State Libraries and Archives Commission, so I monitor their mailing list and website for announcements of database changes and additions.

We also include some open access resources if they are reasonably general and/or relevant to our university's instructional goals (e.g., the Directory of Open Access Journals several free music databases for our very busy music department, the Occupational Outlook Handbook for our career center, etc.) but we don't obsessively track down every OA resource ever.

We have (currently) 98 databases and other resources, so we worry a bit about having too many databases for our students to reasonably keep track of.  I suspect that most of them just use our discovery portal and search everything, even if it would be better to focus more tightly on one database...

Tony Zbaraschuk

Tony Zbaraschuk

Public Services Librarian, Assistant Professor – Library

Chan Shun Centennial Library

100 West Hillcrest Street | Keene | Texas | 76059

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Subject: EXTERNAL:[Eril-l] Inquiry on guidelines for A-Z Database lists

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Hi, everyone --

We are gathering information on guidelines for alphabetical lists of databases and/or electronic resources. How do you all decide which subscription resources to include in your library’s Database list? Does your list also include Open Access resources? If so, how do you decide which OA resources to include/exclude? Even if your library doesn't have formal guidelines, it would be great to hear from you.

Please feel free to email me directly. Thanks in advance for any information you're willing to share!

Best,
Karen

---
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