Collection Management Policies: Electronic Resources

Guidelines for Electronic Resources

Requests must meet the General Guidelines for Selection.
Requests must be made through a departmental library liaison to the appropriate librarian.
If special hardware or software is required to access the resources, beyond what is readily available on campus, it will be necessary to consult with the liaison librarian and the Technology and Government Information Librarian.
Records will be added to the CONSORT online catalog for all purchased resources.

For Internet resources (databases, digital media) that must be purchased or leased, we generally rely on those negotiated and purchased centrally through OhioLINK, OHIONET, or other consortial entity.
We will subscribe to individual electronic journals outside of those purchased centrally through OhioLINK, OHIONET, or other consortial entity. See the Electronic Journals Collection Development Policy.
License language must not require use of a password, must allow full, campus-wide IP access (class B subnet), and must allow for use by all authorized campus users (including non-college patrons using library resources in the College libraries).
Records for freely-available resources on the web may be added to the CONSORT online catalog if the site is stable and offers substantial scholarly content.

The libraries generally do not purchase computer software. It is expected that Information Technology will provide such software to support campus-wide needs, or that academic departments will purchase specialized course-related software as needed.
Books or other printed materials purchased by the libraries may come with accompanying CD. These will be added to the circulating collection if licensing terms permits such use.
Any such additions to the collection may be placed in Reference, in Media Reserves, or in the Circulating collection, based on the judgment of a librarian.