Volume 53, Issue 1

The spread of consortial licensing and the ‘Big Deal’ has been rapid and far-reaching. While there would appear to be many advantages associated with this purchasing model, there are also reservations about its impact on librarian choice and concerns that it may serve to further consolidate the dominant position of some of the biggest STM publishers. However, until recently little qualitative or quantitative research had been undertaken into the impact this purchasing model is having upon the scholarly communication system. This article summaries the findings of a research programme run by the Ingenta Institute in 2002 which consisted of three separate independent studies into the perceived advantages and disadvantages of the consortial site license for libraries, institutions, publishers and end-users. Preliminary conclusions suggest that while this model has brought many benefits to all stakeholders, it is unlikely to continue in its current form, with significant adaptation and development anticipated at the next round of consortial license renewal. While the number of consortial deals may indeed increase in the future, these deals will not necessarily be ‘Big Deals’.

The Digital Library (DigiBib) was founded in 1998 as a joint project of the University Library of Bielefeld and the Service Centre for University Libraries of North Rhine-Westphalia (HBZ), Cologne. The initial aim was to create an Internet portal furthering science, teaching and research for the libraries of universities and universities of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westfalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate. A uniform work interface to access the relevant digital sources (catalogues and scientific abstract, index and full-text databases) is offered while allowing the participating libraries to develop their own specific profile on the basis of the common platform. With the initial set-up established successfully, it is now planned to expand further and to integrate other user groups and libraries, such as public or school libraries. This article discusses different aspects pertaining to, and sections of, the DigiBib and shows the interaction of the modules with each other in order to achieve an integrated whole. In “Technical Administration and Development of the Digi Bib”, Anette Seiler gives an overview over the development and maintenance of the different modules of the DigiBib software. The section on content and acquisition (“Acquisitions for the Digital Library”, by Erwin Hardeck) deals with the legal, financial, managerial and technical background of acquiring electronic media such as databases and e-journals in, and for, consortia. In “ Public libraries and the DigiBib”, Heiko Jansen describes a groundbreaking project to include public libraries as users of the DigiBib. The section on Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery by Tatjana Mrowka (“The online-ILL module as an integral part of the Digital Library”) presents one of the latest building blocks of the DigiBib offering users immediate and comfortable ordering facilities subsequent to successful searching.

Auditing is a recognised management technique providing managers with an overview of the present situation regarding specific resource(s) and services within an organisation. Many different types of audits currently exist in the commercial world, including audits of information resources. Currently, as far as the researchers could determine, there exists no single accepted methodology for performing an information audit. In view of this, the researchers investigate whether it is possible (and desirable) to develop a standardised information auditing methodology. Investigating the nature and characteristics of the information audit as well as how a number of other audit types do this, e.g. the financial audit, the communication audit. The researchers conclude that none of these are the same as the information audit, although similarities exist. Various information audit methodologies are discussed, evaluated and classified. The researchers conclude that even though the principles of the financial audit cannot be used to develop a standardised methodology for information auditing, information professionals can look towards the accounting profession for support in developing a standardised, universally accepted method for accurately determining the value of information entities. Guidelines for a standardised information audit methodology are identified.

The low level of interaction between lecturer and student has led to a number of problems in the education and training of cataloguers through distance education and training. Students often need an immediate answer to a question or problem in a practical exercise for them to continue to the next step. The case study is a response to the need to conduct research on the provision of additional practice opportunities to students. The program development included a needs analysis phase, design phase, development phase, implementation phase and formative evaluation phase. Students' response to such a program is evaluated. The fact that an overwhelming majority of the students would use the program again and recommend it to others is an indication of the success of the program as well as the need to expand the program to include all the aspects pertaining to the cataloguing course.

This article identifies and discusses the issues and problems that need to be considered in the process of planning and implementing card-image public access catalogues (CIPACs). CIPACs are online library catalogues based on databases of digitised catalogue cards with more or less sophisticated mechanisms for browsing or searching. Solutions of this kind have been implemented by a number of libraries in various countries since the mid-1990s, mainly as inexpensive alternatives to full retrospective conversion of their old catalogues. Based upon a questionnaire and relevant literature, the article looks at the following aspects: cost, conversion speed, universal access, saving of space, preservational aspects, software selection, preparing the card catalogue for conversion, scanning and quality control, image standards, optical character recognition, manual and intellectual input, technological aspects, administrative tools, organisational aspects, peculiarities of old catalogues, presentation of CIPACs to the users, and life expectancy of card-image catalogues.