Data Sheet for Database Vendors

General Information | Vendor Service & Communication | Software & Access Issues
Pricing & Licensing Issues | Procurement Procedures

The following information is intended to address database and other electronic service vendors' needs for specific information about the Florida Division of Colleges and Universities (DCU) information environment.

Type of Site:

The Florida Center for Library Automation (FCLA) is an agency of the DCU, based at the University of Florida.  FCLA serves the eleven publicly funded colleges and universities of Florida, each of which is a separate budget entity.

Size of Site in FTE:

Florida's Public Universities Annual Estimated FTE

Scope of Access:

Licensed electronic resources must be able to be made available to the entire (current) DCU community, including locations in campus buildings, dorms, offices, libraries, as well as to off-campus locations such as distant learning classrooms and offices. Access must be made available to all authorized DCU affiliated users anywhere they are.

INTERNET Access:

All DCU campuses have direct Internet access.  Some campuses provide a modem pool and ISP services for some or all of their faculty, staff and students.  Others encourage use of commercial Internet Service Providers to access campus resources.

Number & Types of Equipment:

Campus-wide numbers for each institution are not exact, but most institutions now require students to have their own computers.  Nearly all faculty and staff have computers also.

General Communication

Information providers with whom the FCLA contracts for access to databases or other information services are asked to communicate regularly and in a timely way about the following.  Vendors are asked to forward such information to Ken Wells.

• Planned service unavailability
• Expected uptime after extended emergency downtime
• Any significant change in the content or scope of the database or information service
• Any significant change or enhancement to the user interface, searching capabilities, technical requirements (e.g., Java, XML, special plug-ins)
• Any change to existing authentication or authorization techniques
• Any change to the base URL to which local users and interfaces must connect.
• Any other change to the service that might affect local systems, user access, local documentation, or the scope and nature of the service.

Usage Statistics 

The FCLA supports the Guidelines for Statistical Measures of Usage of Web-based Information Resources, December, 2001 compiled by the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC). Vendors are requested to collect, format and make available usage statistics as described in those guidelines.  Statistics for the individual universities and the aggregate are desired. Where applicable, usage statistics should be emailed to:  fclrpts@cns.ufl.edu

Open Products

We strongly prefer "open" products that are able to be networked across all platforms and searchable using recognized national and de facto standards.

Authentication / Authorization

IP-based authentication is the preferred route for our constituency to make use of electronic resources. The most current list of DCU IP Address Ranges are located at:  IP Addresses for DCU Institutions.  The FCLA and the DCU Libraries also employ proxy server IPs, located on the same list, to provide access to remote users of the university system community not directly connected to a campus network.  Authentication via individual, personal id/passwords is unworkable in the DCU, given the size of the system and the number of campuses, departments, schools, centers and remote facilities needing access to networked information.

HTTP / WWW Delivery

All access and full functionality must be available to those with browsers such as Netscape and Microsoft Internet Explorer.  Because the DCU continues to have a substantial number of users with slower, modem-based connections, all information and services should be fully accessible, readable and functional within a text-based browser as well.  There should be no need for users to download proprietary vendor-supplied client software in order to access any product to which we subscribe, text-based or otherwise.  Such software will not be supported under any circumstances.

Direct Access at Title Level

Because we obtain online services from a large number of information vendors, we need to be able to interpose our own menus, finding aids, expert help systems, etc. between the user and specific remote resources. It is extremely important for us to be able to connect from our own Web-based campus information system menus directly to specific external databases or "titles," rather than via vendor "welcome" or menu screens. We need to be able to go directly from a menu entry on our system to the actual opening search screen of a SINGLE remote database, without forcing users to navigate additional introductory vendor screens or menus. If we are licensing multiple databases from a single vendor, each must be separately accessible.

Funding

FCLA is funded for a certain level of database acquisitions on behalf of the 11 state universities in the DCU. When those funds are exceeded or when the databases selected are not universally subscribed to, then the costs are allocated across the participating universities.

Allocation Criteria

Pricing will vary dramatically with different vendors and database resources, yet the DCU continues to believe that reasonable costs based on FTE or, where more appropriate, relevant FTE with an upper cap for the largest universities, are the most equitable and manageable approaches in this highly diverse environment. This provides the most objective criteria upon which to allocate costs across universities when central funds are not available or when participation is not universal.

Content Value and Usage

"Simultaneous user" pricing is difficult to distribute equitably across the disparate universities at least until there is some history of usage for a given database. The ability to obtain statistics on both total usage and simultaneous usage does allow for optimal management of subscriptions. With limited funds for electronic resources, the DCU libraries must be able to target these resources as much as possible and at times make difficult tradeoffs. Reasonable pricing that recognizes the actual value of the content against its level of usage is desired and will be rewarded when it is necessary to evaluate databases at the time of renewal.

Equivalent Pricing for Remote Users

Since all access is coordinated through FCLA's central servers and authentication system, the user's physical location is inconsequential and, moreover, the DCU strongly supports the strategic goal of making all scholarly and curricular resources available to everyone in its legitimate community wherever they happen to be. In short, pricing that distinguishes between on and off-campus use is not feasible or desirable in this environment.

Locally Loaded Data

When data is loaded locally on FCLA's servers, it is expected that pricing will duly reflect the savings incurred by the vendor because FCLA is taking on the burden of loading, maintaining and serving up this data.  For content loaded locally, preference is given to vendors who recognize the DCU's right to retain the content for archiving and perpetual access.

Trials

If trials of new products are conducted, it is preferred that they be fully accessible to anyone in the DCU during the period of the trial so that the fullest participation is possible. Many levels of users contribute to the selection process and limits on access inhibit that input. If IP authentication is not possible, then the ability to post the trial account and password must be allowed. All current trials coordinated by FCLA are listed at: http://www.fcla.edu/FCLAinfo/ecc/trials.html

Evaluation

The DCU Electronic Collections Committee (ECC) is responsible for the selection process for electronic resources acquired for the DCU or significant subsets of it. Proposals should be sent to the Chair of the committee. The membership list is at: http://www.fcla.edu/FCLAinfo/ecc/eccmem.html.  Databases of interest are assigned to one of the members for research, gathering of pricing, arrangement for a trial and evaluation. Subject subcommittees are used for more in-depth analysis of specialized databases.

DCU - FCLA Support:

FCLA offices:

Florida Center for Library Automation

5830 NW 39th Avenue

Gainesville, FL 32606

Tel: (352)392-9020

Fax: (352)392-9185

Licensing, Ordering & Payment:

Michele Newberry,

• FCLA Assistant Director of Library Services,
• fclmin@cns.ufl.edu

Correspondence, Reports, and Technical Issues

Ken Wells,

• FCLA Electronic Resources Coordinator,
• kenwells@ufl.edu