1. The intellectual content of the electronic resource must fall within the Library's normal collecting parameters: providing direct support for the curriculum and the basic research needs of students and faculty.
2. The electronic resource will provide added value over other formats.
3. The resource should have a search interface that is powerful, user-friendly and well-indexed, with numerous access points.
4. The cost of the resource must be sustainable for the foreseeable future.
5. Whenever feasible, access to the electronic resource should meet these Library/IS goals:
   • Deliver reliable access.
   • Be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
   • Support remote users of library and information resources.
6. The technology and staff to deliver and support the resource is (or will be) available at Wellesley.
7. Wellesley may participate in consortial purchases of electronic products when the consortial agreement is more favorable than acting alone and when the potential savings justify the staff involvement and potential delays inherent in cooperative acquisitions. Wellesley may seek consortial partners when purchasing products which 1) are expected to have broad interest within the consortia, 2) have a minimum price of $3,000, and 3) has a staff member available to shepherd the product through this process.
8. Wellesley will acquire backfiles of an electronic resource if they are deemed to be essential to the effective use of the resource and if funding is available.
9. Archival access to the data is highly desirable.
10. Wellesley will maintain the stability and consistency of electronic titles offered to the Wellesley community whenever possible.

Format 

1. The Library prefers the format which can deliver the resource to the widest appropriate segment of the user community. While some products are suitable for use in single-user workstation settings, the preference is for internet delivery via Telnet or WWW. Web delivery is preferred if the search interface is as powerful as the CD-ROM version and if the cost differential between the two formats in not significant enough to be prohibitive.
2. If access to an internet site is limited, Wellesley's preference is for limitation by IP address rather than passwords or logins.
3. Ideally, the format provides a single-search access to the entire electronic resource content.
4. Platform-dependent products will be considered only if no other viable option is available and the resource is considered essential.
5. No more than one version of an electronic resource will be supported unless there are overriding and compelling reasons for maintaining multiple electronic formats.
6. We will move an electronic resource from one format to another when the access is enhanced, the delivery to users is extended in appropriate ways, and the cost differential is reasonable and sustainable.

Vendor and License

1. The license must conform to Wellesley College Library's electronic resource licensing guidelines.
2. The vendor should be stable and reliable and provide technical support.
3. A change of vendors will occur only when a new vendor can deliver a superior search interface, enable greater and more reliable access at a reasonable cost, or meet other key criteria, such as archival access.

 Acquisition

1. (For Wellesley users only) The Electronic Product Acquisitions Process guidelines and related Preferred License Language, and Content Evaluation Form, and Request Form will be used for acquiring electronic resources.

[Adapted from documentation developed by Brandeis University Library.]

• Wellesley College Library
• Date created: April 1999
• Modified: March 8, 2007
• Expires: June 12, 2002