Putting individual text CDs on a server for electronic access is possible - we had done that at my previous position - & it works very well for small branch offices. However, it can be costly & is less than perfect. For example, most text CDs are single user access, therefore only one person may access at once. While this may/may not occur very often, it can be very frustrating for users in a situation where several folks are researching the same issue/case. They may/may not know why they cannot access & this prompts calls to IT - or the library research center. Some text CDs do offer multi-user access but almost always for premium $$. In addition, extra server hardware to accomodate these texts costs IT $$$ & time(to install, monitor, reset, etc.). Understandably, IT would prefer you keep these CDs w/ the books - but IMHO, if you can overcome the cost, it certainly is more convenient for the users to have available online -
Karen Mahnk
>
> From: "Elaine B. Dockens" <Edockens@tsmp.com>
> Date: 2004/10/01 Fri PM 12:56:29 EDT
> To: "Law-Lib \(E-mail\)" <law-lib@ucdavis.edu>
> Subject: CD's that accompany print titles
>
> Dear Libbers -
> For the CDs that accompany your print titles, we have two ways of handling them: (1) We place them in the back of the print title, available for the user to pop into their own computer's CD drive or (2) we keep them in my office and the user has to ask for them and then return them to me when finished. For our branch locations that do not have this title, we ship them the CD via ups or fed-ex. These methods are unsatisfactory both from a customer service point of view and from the fact that we have (I think) some technology that would make the CDs available to all simultaneously. We are willing to meet all licensing requirements - it's the technolgy - the how do we do it better - that is the puzzler.
>
> Does anyone have a better way of handling the CDs that accompany your print titles?. I've discussed the matter with our IT person and he likes the back of the book method and I'm trying to get him to think of a better way to do this, like placing them on a server after we compy with any licensing requirements. Any and all suggestions are welcome on handling these CD's are welcome!
> TIA
>
> Elaine Dockens
> 312-627-4189
> edockens@tsmp.com
>
>
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