Building an Electronic Resource Collection : A Practical Guide

All information and library professionals involved with collection development are currently confronting the challenge of how to make informed decisions in the face of the bewildering array of electronic resources available. This practical book addresses this situation by guiding the information professional step-by-step through building and managing an electronic resource collection. It outlines the range of electronic products currently available in abstracting and indexing, bibliographic, and other services and then describes how to effectively select, evaluate and purchase them.

Electronic resources are a fast moving area so the new revised edition of this invaluable guide has been brought completely up to date; emerging new areas such as Virtual Learning Environments and reading/resource list software are considered, and the helpful bibliography of sources expanded.
Issues covered include:

• What is on offer? The electronic resources landscape
• E-books and e-journals
• What to buy? Assessing and acquiring the electronic resource
• Delivering the electronic resource.

Readership: This invaluable guide identifies best practice and highlights the pitfalls involved in building an electronic resource collection, and the case studies and models used are fully international in their application. This is an essential book for the professional or student new to e-collection development, as well for the experienced practitioner.