ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries July /August 1987 / 393 prices from the introductory rate of $1,750 to $650 an n u ally for the q u arte rly updates, and from $2,000 to a $900 one-time charge for their back- files) . Could libraries share disks? Probably not, but again this may differ with each publisher. When asked about their policies concerning conditions of usage, publishers gave answers ranging from “no restrictions” to “copyrighted” to “public dom ain” to “standard software licensing agreement” to “use restricted to workstation level.”6 Inform ation pro­ viders expressing concern over how to m aintain control over “their” data need to work on this issue with librarians. 6Helen Gordon, editor’s note in Bruce Connolly, “Laserdisk Directory: Part I ,” Database 9 (June 1986): 15. Is this technology here to stay, or is this just a fad? Do you think the glass is half-empty or half­ full? No one can predict w hat will happen with op­ tical technology. New processes and applications are being discovered all the time. The new CD-I form ats m ay influence the CD-ROM form ats. Prices for CD-ROM databases may fall to reason­ able levels. Omnidrives which can play CDs, video formats, and WORM formats may be invented.7 The situation in some libraries may indicate that using certain databases on CD-ROM is less expen­ sive th a n accessing them online. W h at do you think? ■ ■ 7 Optical/Electronic Publishing Directory 1986, p. 19. P la n n in g for CD-ROM in the R eferen ce D ep artm en t B y G a il T . G raves Head, Reference Department University of Mississippi a n d B e th F . K in g Systems Librarian University of Mississippi L a u r a G. H a r p e r Head, Online Search Services University o f Mississippi How to select software and equipment. T he decision to purchase CD-ROM databases re- quires a commitment from librarians to adapt to a new technology, to approach bibliographic in­ struction from a new perspective, and to stay abreast of developments in a rapidly changing field. This decision cannot be made hastily. Im ple­ m enting this new service requires an initial com­ m itm ent of resources for equipment and a revision of the materials budget to absorb considerable on­ going expenses. The Williams Library at the University of Mis­ sissippi has a centralized Reference D epartm ent th a t provides prim ary service to all disciplines, with the exception of law, pharm acy, chemistry, and music. The library has offered a fee-based search service for ten years and acquired Info Trac two years ago. The head of reference and the online search coordinator had observed the development July /August 1987 / 395 of C D –ROM technology and were interested in in­ troducing this new service to our campus. Together with other reference librarians and the systems li­ brarian we discussed the impact CD-ROM would make on reference service, online searching, bib­ liographic instruction, and collection develop­ ment. We also considered staffing needs, space re­ quirements, and ongoing expenses for supplies and maintenance. We attended conferences, watched demonstrations, questioned vendors and other li­ brarians, and became more strongly convinced of the desirability of making this service available to our students and faculty. The opportunity for implementation came with an announcement in August 1986 of a competition for equipm ent grants through the University of Mississippi Associates Fund. Our grant application was approved with sufficient funding to purchase five CD-ROM workstations. Database subscrip­ tions and workstation supplies will be purchased with funds from the library budget. Selection of databases G rant guidelines specified that the equipment must be used for research. Therefore, our prim ary consideration was to purchase CD-ROM versions of the databases most heavily used by the patrons of our fee-based search service. We were eager to of­ fer our patrons access to these databases at no charge. The choices were obvious since the most popular databases here were among the first d ata­ bases available on CD-ROM: ERIC, Psychological Abstracts, and Dissertation Abstracts. ERIC is one of the least expensive CD-ROM databases and is currently available from DIA­ L O G , O C L C , and S ilv erP latter. O C L C and SilverPlatter prices are virtually identical at $1,199 and $1,200 respectively for an introductory pack­ age of archival disks plus a current quarterly sub­ scription. Future quarterly updates are priced at $600 for OCLC and $850 for SilverPlatter. Unlike OCLC and SilverPlatter, DIALOG does not per­ mit a one-time purchase of the archival disks. As a consequence, DIALOG prices for the complete, 1966 to present subscription are considerably higher, with a discounted introductory price of $1,450 and future subscriptions priced at $1,650. We were also interested in PsychLIT, which is available only from SilverPlatter. A proprietary database, it is much more expensive than ERIC. A PsychLIT subscriber cannot purchase the archival portion, but must subscribe to it each year. Sub­ scribers to the p rint index qualify for a discounted in tro d u cto ry price of $4,495 (as com pared to $4,995) for the complete 1974 to present subscrip­ tion, w ith a continuing subscription priced at $4,225. Although we felt that PsychLIT’s pricing of the archival portion is unreasonable, because of the popularity of its online version we decided to try it for a year and gauge its use. After a lengthy deliberation we chose SilverPlatter as our ERIC vendor because of its pricing and because users would not have to learn two search protocols if they wished to search both ERIC and PsychLIT. Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc is available solely from UMI. Like the others, it comprises several disks in archival and current portions. The archival portions (1881-1984) are available as a one-time purchase of $4,995, w hile the cu rren t portion (1985 + ) is available at $995. We were interested in acquiring Dissertation Abstracts because of its wide appeal to graduate students in all disciplines. A secondary consideration in database selection was to provide up-to-date access to information about companies for the many business students served in the library. Database prices and our us­ ers’ needs became im portant factors in evaluating available databases: Compact Disclosure, Datext Corporate Database, and Corporate and Industry Research Reports (CIRR). We discussed database features with business faculty. Compact Disclosure ($2,700) contains business and financial inform a­ tion on 10,000 companies that file 10-K reports with the SEC.1 Datext has 10-K reports and full- text investment reports plus abstracted articles from business journals, executive biographies, and stock price and trading d a ta .2 The full Datext Cor­ porate Database costs $12,250, including a modi­ fied Hitachi drive as part of the subscription. CIRR offers indexing for investment research reports on microfiche. Prices for the CIRR microfiche report collection range from $995 to $28,542 depending on the num ber of reports chosen, the update fre­ quency, and the retrospective coverage desired. The CIRR index on CD-ROM is $1,750 for the first year, $1,500 for subsequent years. We chose Com­ pact Disclosure on the basis of its anticipated high use and cost effectiveness. Yet another consideration in database selection was to compare Wilsondisc to InfoTrac, which has proved quite popular here. InfoTrac indexes ap­ proximately 1,000 business, technical, and general interest periodicals from 1983 forward. Wilsondisc consists of twelve familiar Wilson indexes available on separate disks wiih varying prices and coverage. The W ilsondisc search softw are offers several choices in search sophistication, from simple sub­ ject heading searches like InfoTrac to menu or command driven searches using Roolean logic. Be­ cause of its simplicity and because it is contained on one twelve-inch laser disk, InfoTrac has an advan­ tage in ease of use. A W ilsondisc p atro n m ust choose a database, place the CD-ROM in the drive, and choose a searching level before beginning a search. On the other hand, users who are seeking substantive articles on subjects other than business 1James R. Fries & Jonathan R. Brown, “Datext: Using Business Information on CDROM ,” Online 10 (September 1986):28-40. 2Michael Halperin & Ruth A. Pagell, “Compact Disclosure: Realizing CDROM’s Potential,” On­ line 10 (November 1986):69-73. 396 / C&RL News are usually disappointed in InfoT rac’s coverage. Wilsondisc has a decided advantage in subject cov­ erage if m ultiple indexes are acquired. Wilsondisc also offers a price advantage since a subscription to the Info T rac database w ith o u t the w orkstation costs $8,500, while subscriptions to five of the most popular Wilson indexes on disk would cost only $8,475 per year. W e are in the process of evaluating Wilsondisc for possible purchase by acquiring a dem onstration disk and p articip ating in a 90-day free trial of Reader’s Guide on disk. Selection of hardware M icrocom puter and Printer. The same rule of th u m b th a t applies to choosing other com puter h ardw are can be applied to choosing CD-ROM h ard w are: choose your softw are; th en buy the h ardw are th a t will run the software. The d a ta ­ bases we selected all require an IBM PC or com pat­ ible. W e were not ready to order equipm ent until six m onths after w riting the grant proposal. In the m eantim e, the database vendors had changed their system requirem ents and our IBM representative had stopped selling the basic IBM PC. W e have or­ dered IBM PC XTs, but have learned th a t IBM is phasing out this model as well. W e considered buy­ ing PC clones, but m any vendors could not com ­ m ent on the com patibility of their product w ith clones. As the m arket expands and libraries experi­ m en t w ith o th er m achines, m ore in fo rm atio n should be available on this issue. Vendors should be willing to cooperate w ith libraries th a t have PC clones by allowing them to test databases on a trial basis. Because we planned to install m ultiple w orksta­ tions, we chose a h a rd w a re configuration th a t would accom m odate all of the databases. W e de­ term ined th a t each w orkstation w ould consist of an IBM XT w ith 840K of m em ory and a 20MB hard disk. O ur choice of monitors was based on cost. We were able to afford only one color m onitor, an en­ hancem ent but not a requirem ent for several d a ta ­ bases. W e discovered th at com puters are packaged in m any ways. We had to specify the type of m onitor and adapters, the kind of ports, the num ber of floppy disk drives, and the expansion capability. O ur basic question to vendors was “does this m a­ chine include everything needed to plug in a m oni­ tor and a printer, to install an interface card, and to plug in a CD-ROM drive?” O ur choice of printers was based on three consid­ erations: noise level, price, and experience. We had found the H ew lett-Packard T hinkjet printers to be satisfactory for use w ith our InfoT rac w ork­ stations because they are quiet and easy to service. Prices for com puter h a rd w a re change alm ost daily. O ur cam pus com puter center inform ed us of available discounts, and com puter magazines were helpful in finding prices of printers and interface cards. The com puters w ith m onochrom e monitors cost us $1,127 each; the model w ith a color m onitor cost us $1,430. For each com puter we purchased a 20-megabyte interface card at $499. Each printer cost approxim ately $400 including an interface ca­ ble. C D -R O M Drives. An essential peripheral for the CD-ROM w orkstation is the CD-ROM drive. This unit usually takes the form of a rectangular box, sm aller th an a CPU unit, w hich loads the disk from a draw er th a t slides out from the front or from a slot in the top of the unit. There are also internal CD-ROM drives on the m arket which are installed in the CPU unit in the space usually occupied by a disk drive. U nfortunately, CD-ROM technology is too new for any perform ance d a ta on CD-ROM drives to have been compiled. W hile there are several com peting m an u factu r­ ers of CD-ROM drives,3 H itachi and Philips are m entioned consistently in h ardw are specifications for CD-ROM databases. W e confined our choice to these drives for th a t reason. Because security of the com pact disk itself was a prim e consideration, our first choice was a stand-alone Philips drive w ith a built-in lock. Retail prices for drives range from $760 to $1,695. Several database producers offer drives at reduced prices. W e bought five Philips drives from SilverPlatter for $785 each. Because CD-ROM database software m ay be specific to type of drive, database orders should specify ihe drive to be used. CD-ROM drives require control­ ler cards, which must be installed inside the com ­ puter. Accordingly, orders for drives should specify the inclusion of controller cards. The CD-ROM consumer should also be aw are th a t certain drives are incom patible w ith certain IBM clone models. CD-ROM technology is currently in its infancy and potential buyers are aw are th a t no m atter how carefully they evaluate the current products, their choices m ay be outdated in a year or less. A m ajor difficulty w ith the current state of developm ent is th a t only one user can access one disk at a time. This means th a t a staff m em ber will be kept busy changing disks for patrons who wish to access older portions of the database. SilverPlatter’s “M ulti­ p la tte r” is one prototype under developm ent th a t m ay hold the answer to this problem . The “Multi- P la tte r,” if attached to a single PC, allows its user a choice of four disks to access. Alternatively, it can accom m odate up to four PCs, but this configura­ tion does not allow users to switch disks. It has four modem ports, w hich w ould allow dial-up access for rem ote users as well as access from the w orksta­ tion to rem ote systems such as D IA LO G or BRS. O ther m an u factu rers are also w orking to solve these problems and m ay have a solution soon. S a fety and Security D evices. W e considered surge suppressors an essential com ponent of our 3Wes Nihei, “CD-ROM Resource G uide,” PC W orld, April 1987, p. 256; and L inda W. Helger- son, “A Buyer’s G uide to CD-ROM D rives,” CD- R O M Review , O ctober 1986, pp. 60-61. July /August 1987 / 399 CD-ROM workstations because our library is par­ ticularly vulnerable to power surges. We decided to follow the advice offered in two articles in the May 27, 1986, issue of PC Magazine and buy the DSF SurgeSentry at $119.95.4 Two issues to consider in choosing security de­ vices are the security of the CD-ROM disk and the security of the hardware. After scouring computer supply catalogs and noting advertisements in li­ brary literature, it became apparent that there is nothing on the market that exactly fits the security needs of the CD-ROM workstation in a public ac­ cess location. In our library, the workstations will be located beside the reference desk. There are eleven hours per week when the building is open and the reference desk is not staffed, so it is essential that the workstations be secure from theft and from unsupervised use. The issue of security of the CD-ROM disks can be addressed in several ways. The disks might be is­ sued to patrons in return for identification cards. Alternatively, one can purchase a locking CD- ROM drive and have a staff member load the disks. SilverPlatter’s “MultiPlatter” offers the intriguing option of using a long cable to position the unit be­ hind the reference desk or in an office some dis­ tance from the workstations. 4Winn L. Rosch, “Power Corrupts (But You Can Protect Your PC),” PC Magazine, 27 May 1986, pp. 107-13; and Phil Wiswell, “Surge Suppressors: An Ounce of Prevention,” PC Magazine, 27 May 1986, pp. 115-46. Computer supply catalogs offer a variety of anti­ theft devices from piercing alarms to security cabi­ nets. We liked the security cabinets and printer stands that came with our InfoTrac workstations. Upon contacting the manufacturer, Doss Indus­ tries in San Francisco, we learned that they could be purchased for $299. This system does not protect the monitor or CD-ROM drive. An advertisement in Small Computers in L i­ braries alerted us to the existence of Armor Lock's “Datalok” ($113 + ) and “Flexlok” ($62 + ) sys­ tems.0 The “Datalok” system consists of a bracket and tray that holds the CPU and is bolted to the ta­ ble. The keyboard is secured with a cable through the coil and the monitor can be secured with a steel bracket locked into the tray. Peripherals can be at­ tached with the “Flexlok” cable which is bolted into the casing of the peripheral. We decided to purchase this security configuration along with a PC security lock for the CPU switch ($34.95). For $5 per unit, Armor Lock agreed to a custom modi­ fication of the Datalok base to accommodate the PC security lock. Conclusions The total outlay for equipment for five worksta­ tions was $15,774 or approximately $3,154 per workstation. We will spend $14,385 the first year on four database subscriptions and two archival 5”Micro Tools,” Small Computers in Libraries 7 (January 1987): 39. 400 / C&RL News purchases. At present rates, future subscriptions to these four databases will total $8,240 per year. Based on the present cost of supplies for our Info- T rac workstations, we estim ate th a t a m axim um of $1,300 per year will be needed for paper and ink cartridges for our five new workstations. Choosing CD-ROM products for a Reference D epartm ent is a complex process. This rapidly de­ veloping technology has problems today th a t m ay be solved tom orrow . Vendors cannot answer every question and prices are subject to change. Several vendors offer dem onstration disks th a t are helpful in m aking decisions and others send sales represent­ atives to dem onstrate their products. Librarians who are w illing to try out the new technology have the opportunity to m ake a m ajor im pact on product developm ent. L ibrarians can provide inform ation on m aking the databases m ore usable; vendors can provide inform ation on ob­ taining hard w are inexpensively. This is an oppor­ tunity for entrepreneurs to package com puters es­ p ecially designed for p u b lic C D -R O M use, to design security devices to protect all w orkstation components, and to w rite m anuals for end-users. Most significantly, this is an opportunity for lib ra r­ ians to evaluate the effectiveness of CD-ROM tech­ nology in m eeting the user’s inform ation needs. ■ ■ C h argin g fo r o n lin e se a r c h serv ices in a c a d e m ic lib ra ries B y M a r g a r e t L. B r e e n G overnm ent D ocum ents Assistant Swarthm ore College Can you afford the high costs of free access? R e l a t i v e l y recent technological advances have enabled m any libraries to supplem ent their tra d i­ tional inform ation resources w ith online searching of national databases. This new service comes at great cost in terms of equipm ent, personnel, and access fees. D eterm ining how these costs are paid has sparked heated controversy on a theoretical level and little concurrence on policy and proce­ dure in actual practice. The purpose of the traditional American library is to select, preserve and organize the records of h u ­ m an achievem ent w hich collectively represent so­ ciety’s “public know ledge.”1 The library and its 1National Commission on Libraries and Infor- services are perceived as public goods: they are funded through taxes and tuition money and exist for the good of the entire society. For these reasons, it is very difficult for people, often especially lib rar­ ians, to accept the idea of charging fees to users of the new online searching services. O n the surface it seems h ard to justify creating tw o very sim ilar end- products w ith tw o different price tags: a m anually- created bibliography w hich is unquestionably free and an electronically–created bibliography w hich is rarely free and seldom ch eap . m ation Science, The Role of Fees in Supporting L i­ brary and Inform ation Services in Public and A ca­ d em ic L ibraries (W ashington, D .C .: N C L IS , April 1985).