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Selection Guidelines for Internet Resources
IRC Collection Development Policy for Internet Resources Task Force
October 21, 1999
Purpose:
The mission of the University of Washington Libraries is to improve the educational, research, and service programs of the University through the dissemination of knowledge. To this end, the Libraries acquires, manages, and promotes the creation and use of knowledge in an atmosphere where information and ideas are readily accessible and freely exchanged.
Increasingly, information is being delivered over the Internet. Internet resources can provide unique content; they can also improve access to and enhance traditional collections, while reflecting the excellence, comprehensiveness, and authority expected in a research library.
While general collection development principles apply to all resources regardless of format, Internet resources present new and unique challenges for selectors and merit separate consideration. Most of the items available through the Internet are self-published and lack traditional editorial control. Unlike other formats that present familiar content in a new medium, the Internet provides access to millions of newly created documents and makes many items originally created in other formats newly available for collection. In addition, the fluid nature of the Internet is unprecedented. Few items in our current collection are bound together with the exponential complexity of hypertext. These and other challenges have prompted University of Washington Libraries selectors to request guidelines specific to this new environment.
Scope:
This serves as a guide for the selection of Internet resources, including paid, unpaid, serial, and monographic resources to the collection. Selection of resources simply because they are "free" should be weighed against the time necessary to describe and provide access to the site, provide registration or scripting, or other resources required to make the site available.
These selection guidelines provide a framework for selectors’ decision-making when considering adding Internet resources to the collection. In keeping with the user-centered orientation of the Libraries, selectors should bear in mind the information needs of our primary clientele as they make selection decisions.
The principles and guidelines outlined herein are intended to serve as a general guide for Internet collection development decisions. It is understood that there may be exceptions, and those are left to the discretion of the appropriate selector. Issues regarding licensing of electronic resources are not addressed in these guidelines. Licensing questions should be referred to the University of Washington Libraries Principles and Guidelines for Acquiring and Licensing Electronic Information.
Access and Location:
In general, records for Internet resources will appear in the UW Libraries Catalog and OCLC.
General Selection Principles:
Selectors have primary responsibility for selecting Internet resources in their assigned areas. Due to the shared nature of these resources, selectors are encouraged to
communicate selection decisions regarding interdisciplinary resources to
other selectors in relevant subject areas. As with the selection of other materials, selectors should follow general collection development guidelines (Operations Manual Vol. IV, Sec. B, No. 1) as well as the existing guidelines for their areas when selecting Internet resources. The following points, as noted in the general collection development policy, also hold for Internet resources, which should:
Specific Selection Principles:
Guidelines for selecting Internet resources fall into these categories: Authority, Content, Reliability, and Design & Access.
Authority:
Authority comprises issues dealing with the credibility, institutional affiliation, and reputation of the author or sponsor of an Internet resource. The following considerations should be weighed when selecting an Internet resource:
The qualifications and reputation of the author should be ascertained.
In general, preference is given to academic, organizational, and governmental sites. In some disciplines or contexts, however, commercial sites may be preferred.
Content:
Content should be suitable for higher education studies, and relevant to University of Washington disciplines. The following considerations should be weighed when selecting an Internet resource:
In general, preference is given to sites with a significant amount of coverage. Sites that contain full-text are preferable to sites that only provide tables of contents, abstracts, advertisements, membership or contact information. If, however, there is a record for a print journal in the online catalog, it is acceptable to link to a journal site that provides only table of contents information. Sites that provide information are preferred to those that mainly provide links to other resources, although well-organized and annotated collections of links may be judged useful by selectors. For electronic journals, selectors should include a note that indicates the level of coverage, (i.e., selected or limited years).
The resource should document the source of its information; for example, the source of data files should be indicated. If the selector is unsure of the accuracy of a site, a comparable resource should be checked.
Sites providing in-depth comprehensiveness are preferred, although a collection of high-quality links is preferred to a large number of links of mixed quality.
Currency should be appropriate to the topic.
If continued access to older data is desirable for resources that are updated either serially or continuously, ascertain if the provider plans on making all data available permanently or if there will be only limited retention. For some resources, particularly e-journals and other serially issued items, finding out the planned date coverage—if backfiles will be mounted—can also be helpful in making a selection evaluation.
Updates should be timely and appropriate. The last update should be indicated.
Reliability:
Reliability comprises issues dealing with continued support for an Internet resource and the performance and stability of the site. The following considerations should be weighed when selecting an Internet resource:
Non-commercial sites: Consider the reputation of the sponsor or provider and try to determine if they are likely to continue offering the resource and if they will maintain the site. Resources from academic, organizational, and governmental bodies are more likely to meet this criteria than are personal Web pages.
Commercial sites: If purchased through a vendor or other commercial provider, ascertain if the provider’s business record suggests that they will continue to make the product available and if they will maintain it via updates or new versions.
Links within a resource should be active and should lead to the expected place. Well-maintained links are an indication that the resource is being supported.
Sites that remain at the same address or have PURL addresses are preferable to sites whose addresses change frequently. Sites with consistently prompt response times are preferable to sites that are frequently unavailable or are slow to load.
Design & Access:
Internet resources should meet a high standard for user-friendliness and accessibility, and should be well-designed and organized. As noted in the general collection development policy, "all formats are open to evaluation but some may be more or less acceptable due to preservation considerations, cost, space requirements, or ease or difficulty of use"; these considerations especially apply to Internet resources in terms of design and access.
·
DesignWell-designed and organized resources should make clear what the site is about and what the user should do next. The title and layout of the page should be an accurate indication of its content; if not, a summary note describing the resource should be supplied by the selector. Navigation tools should be easy to use. User options should be clear and understandable. Layout should not prevent printing of the page.
·
CompatibilityResources should be compatible with current hardware and software available on Libraries terminals. Resources that are not compatible are held to a higher standard of scrutiny.
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AccessibilityAccessibility for users with disabilities must be considered during selection. The value of the resource must be weighed against the access difficulties presented. Selectors will find useful information on accessible Web design, at the University of Washington DO-IT home page <http://www.washington.edu/doit/>.
Deselection Principles
Given the dynamic and changeable nature of Internet resources, regular review of items selected is essential. Internet resources selected must remain viable and useful so that the Catalog does not become a graveyard of broken and outdated links.
Primary responsibility for review and deselection of Internet resources lies with the appropriate selector. Due to the shared nature of these resources, selectors are encouraged to communicate deselection decisions regarding interdisciplinary resources to other selectors in relevant subject areas.
Deselection Guidelines
Selectors should deselect an Internet resource that meets any of the following criteria:
Selectors should review selected Internet sources in their subject areas on a regular basis and deselect as necessary.
In addition to the deselection criteria listed above, paid Internet resources may be cancelled for a variety of other reasons, most importantly, a shortage or reallocation of funds. In cases involving paid resources, selectors should notify other selectors with interdisciplinary interests in the product of the decision to cancel, but the decision itself lies solely with the funding selector or group of selectors.
Selector Checklist
IRC Collection Development Policy for Internet Resources Task Force
October 21, 1999
All sites should meet the general selection guidelines concerning quality, content and the research needs of our primary audience.
Title of Site:
URL:
Content Considerations:
Access Considerations
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/990502.html
http://www.cast.org/bobby/
Further information on accessible web design issues is available at:
http://www.washington.edu/doit/Resources/web-design.html
License Considerations
For sites requiring a license, see the University of Washington Libraries Principles and Guidelines for Acquiring and Licensing Electronic Information.
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