Report of the SUS-Electronic Collections Committee
1999 FCLA Joint Committee Meeting

Since the 1998 FCLA Joint Meeting, ECC has met three times in person (plus one ad hoc meeting during FLA) and has conducted business via e-mail and through 8 conference calls.

1. SUS Digital Library Collection Evaluation

The proposal to conduct an evaluation was approved at the 1998 joint meeting. Since then, discipline-based working groups were formed, existing electronic resources were cross referenced to academic programs common to 8-10 institutions, new products were trailed and evaluated.  The resulting report, Electronic Resouces Recommendation for the SUS Digital Library, was forwarded to the directors. This report should serve as a framework for future acquisition of electronic resources.

2. Database Activity

The SUS Directors approved:

• acquisition of the two ABC Clio history databases
• migration of ABI Inform from FirstSearch to UMI when it was dropped from the distance learning package
• cancellation of Worldscope
• cancellation of several databases loaded locally on WebLUIS: Medline; Art Abstracts; Biology and Agricultural; and Applied Science and Technology.
ECC submitted a ranked list of new databases recommended for purchase. See the attached report, SUS ECC New Database Rankings.   Since there is no additional funding available for FY 2000, any new subscriptions must be funded from individual library budgets.
3. ECC and CCLA Joint Activity
   • Michelle Newberry and Patricia Iannuzzi participated in a conference call with CCLA representatives to discuss the renewal of databases for the Distance Learning Library Initiative. ABI Inform was dropped from FirstSearch. Several databases paid for from FCLA shared funding were added to the DLLI package: MLA, Ethnic Newswatch, Genderwatch. SIRS was added to the FirstSearch package.
   • After some discussion, it was decided that any further discussions about joint acquisitions would be tabled. (with the exception of the DLLI FirstSearch package) Many of the community colleges have just started web access and for now, CCLA is not interested in databases that depend upon authentication by ip.

4. IP Authentication and Scripting

ECC forwarded a discussion item to PSPC and to the Directors for consideration. The new version of FirstSearch raised the question of staying with scripting or switching to ip mapping and reliance on the proxy server for authentication. The directors decided to stay with scripting for now.

5. Digital Library System Architecture

Recognizing the need to initiate a discussion about local loading vs gateway options for commercial databases, ECC and PSPC charged a joint task force to collect information and present a report at the 1999 FCLA Joint Meeting. The report should inform further discussion as a strategy is developed.

6. Electronic Journal Collection

ECC initiated a conference call to discuss the status of Elsevier and to propose consideration of their ScienceDirect service. An Elsevier group has subsequently been formed. In its latest report to the SUS Directors, ECC recommends the formation of a Task Force to address all aspects of the development of an Electronic Journal Collection for the SUS Digital Library Collection.