SUNYergy V.2 No.4 SUNYConnect and netLibrary

		October 2000 Volume 2 Number 4 Page 6
	Nothing but Net: SUNYConnect and netLibrary

Nothing but Net:
SUNYConnect and netLibrary

Announcing The SUNYConnection

Aleph Configuration Team

Additional LMS Updates

How to Contact Us

Linkable Links

Link to the OLIS Committees List

SUNYConnect is finalizing the purchase of some 900 netLibrary electronic books. It is fair to say that this represents an experiment with some newer technology. The idea being to begin integrating such technologies into traditional library services. And, to do this via a centralized acquisition as an alternative to individual libraries having to acquire ebooks on their own.

One of the roles that SUNY OLIS sees for its office and for SUNYConnect is not only the centralized purchase of electronic resources, but also the evaluation, and if appropriate, the utilization of newer technologies that are becoming available to libraries.

The jury is still out on ebooks. The consulting firm, The Gartner Group has forecasted:

By mid-year 2001, a majority of book publishers will have ebook distribution capability (0.7 probability);
By 2002, less than 25 percent of new books will be available in ebook format, but 75 percent of best sellers will be available as ebooks (0.8 probability);
Through 2005, readers will still prefer hard copy to ebooks for popular content (0.7 probability);
In content domains or marketplaces that can be computer-aided (e.g.,education), ebooks will be the primary delivery medium by 2004 (0.7 probability).

SLiCAT has recommended the following approach to a netLibrary purchase:

The SUNYConnect netLibrary Collection consists of approximately 800 titles selected according to the following criteria.

All titles in the netLibrary Choice OATS Collection with publication dates of 1993 or later.
All titles in the netLibrary Computer Science Collection with publication dates of 1999 or later.
All ABC-CLIO titles in the Reference Collection.
13 specific medicine and health titles.

In addition, the SUNYConnect collection includes some 3,800 titles in the so-called public collection, i.e., books no longer under copyright.

MaRC records for netLibrary titles are becoming available. If LAIP libraries opt to include this cataloging, OLIS can provide data conversion services.

As we move further into the use of ebooks, SUNY OLIS will want SUNY librarians to provide a real world view of how best to incorporate this technology into a successful part of the SUNY libraries' varied missions.