The Libraries' goal is to provide a rich array of electronic resources that are accessible through the UT Arlington Library via the web page, at times and locations convenient to the users. Management of electronic resources is more complex than traditional print resources and involves analyzing a variety of issues that are cross-jurisdictional in nature. Issues concerning technology, access, maintenance, vendor support as well as licensing terms must be considered. For this reason, a separate statement of guidelines is necessary for these materials. The library staff should base their decisions on the principles outlined in this policy. Traditional fixed medium resources will be converted to digital format as they become available, provided they meet the selection principles listed below.

Electronic resources refer to those materials or services that require a computer for access, manipulation, or reproduction including, but not limited to, numerical, graphical and textual files, electronic journals, bibliographic or full-text databases and Internet resources. This policy addresses guidelines for selection, licensing, review and provision of access to electronic resources. It does not address procedures or funding methods. This document is to be used in conjunction with other collecting policies of a more general or subject-specific nature. Resources purchased for library staff use are not covered here.

• Digital products must contribute to the Libraries' mission of providing support for instruction and research. They must support an identifiable current or future need of the university community.
• Electronic or digital formats are considered in context with the needs of appropriate disciplines.
• Electronic formats are preferable to fixed media when the content and coverage is equivalent or when the digital format offers value-added enhancements over the print.
• Service implications, technical support and licensing requirements must be given careful consideration prior to commitment and may determine the feasibility of acquiring a new electronic resource.
• A minimum of duplication between formats will be allowed.
• Resources housed on remote servers are preferable to locally mounted products.
• Electronic products should have the ability to be archived, if necessary.

• The resources are easy to use and include such features as tutorials, more than one search level, context-specific help screens, index browsing, etc.
• The product's coverage must be stable--older information doesn't drop off when updates occur.
• If currency is important, the content should be updated regularly without significant lag time that would limit the product's usefulness.
• Data should be platform-independent and available in a variety of formats.
• Licensing terms are adequate for the Libraries' needs or vendor is willing to negotiate for terms favorable to UT Arlington Library.
• The vendor/producer is reliable and offers customer support and training. The documentation is clear and complete.
• Information providers control access by Internet protocol addresses.
• Providers make products available on a trial basis, at no cost to the Libraries.

The library provides orderly access through a number of information gathering tools. In order to facilitate user retrieval, digital resources will be included in the UT Arlington Library Catalog and UT Arlington Library unless otherwise stated in this document. The specificity of access (collection level, individual title, etc.) will vary depending upon the provider's level of service and means of access, i.e. search engine or listing of individual titles.

Systematic and complete review of electronic resources should occur at least every 3 years from time of purchase. The subject specialist with primary responsibility for a product will assess continued usefulness to the user community as well as other competing resources. Although use statistics on digital resources vary greatly, this information should be considered in this process. The primary subject specialist will present a recommendation to the Library Collection Development Council for a final decision.

Selection Principles

The Libraries will use the following guidelines when providing access to Internet sites:

• Sites should provide information of lasting value as determined by subject specialists.
• Preference is given to authoritative sites sponsored or authored by professional societies/organizations, educational and governmental agencies and scholarly publishers.
• Individuals' home pages will not be included unless they meet the evaluation criteria given below.

Evaluation Criteria

Not all sites will meet all of the criteria but preference will be given to those sites that have the majority of these characteristics:

• Credibility - Determine if the information is trustworthy. If the information is taken from other sources, are they cited? Is there a bibliography or other documentation? Do other sources corroborate or confirm this source?
• Authority/Authorship - Information about the author is given along with the author's credentials. There should be an indication of relevance to the subject matter. If the sponsor or author is an organization, is the organization known and respected? Contact information is given.
• Accuracy - If the information is factual, can it be verified elsewhere? Is the source of the information cited? The site may contain numerous grammatical and spelling errors that might lead one to question the accuracy of the source. Some information has a limited useful life due to advances in the field. Look for dates when the information was created and last updated. If links to other sites are given, do they work?
• Objectivity/Reasonableness - Consider the purpose of the site and intended audience. Is it to inform, persuade, or entertain? Information should be presented in a balanced, objective manner. Look for evidence of bias in the tone and language. Is there enough detail included to support opinions. Arguments and information should be consistent (not contradictory) within the Web site.
• Design and Access - Are there consistent design features throughout the site? Is the information presentation clear and organized? Are advertisements distinguishable from other content? Do the graphics and animation serve a function or are they gratuitous? Navigation within and between documents should be easy. Users should be able to get the information needed within a reasonable number of links. Are special plug-ins required?

Access

The inclusion of Internet site records within the catalog will increase the body of research resources available to users and will provide value-added access to selected sites. Inclusion in the catalog is by subject specialist recommendation. Access will also be provided from UT Arlington Library and/or subject related web pages.

Maintenance and Review

Subject specialists will periodically review Internet sites for significant content changes and continued relevance for UT Arlington customers. Link-checking software will be run regularly to ensure that addresses remain valid.

This section covers individual electronic journals that are freely available to the library, accessible at a reduced rate in combination with a print subscription, or purchased as an electronic-only version.

Selecting Principles

Full-text journals should adhere to the same criteria as print journals, including such considerations as prominence in the field, impact on UT Arlington holdings and indexing in standard resources. In addition, the following principles apply:

• More timely availability than the print equivalent (if there is one)
• Ability to search within the journal
• Electronic links to and from indexes and other related sources
• Completeness of text
• Quality of graphics and non-standard text
• Archiving and access to subscribed information.

Access

Publishers often allow free access to electronic journals for an initial period, after which, a fee is charged. Records for free titles will not be provided in the UT Arlington Library Catalog unless it can be determined from the publisher that access will remain free for more than one year.

The stability and continuity of coverage in aggregator services is often unpredictable. Aggregated databases take many forms. For the purpose of this policy, aggregated databases will refer to those products that provide indexing to information sources produced by different publishers that include some full-text articles. Services will primarily be judged on indexing features and full-text coverage to a significant number of sources or journals that are not duplicated in other electronic products. Overlap in coverage should not exceed 40%.

Licenses

The creation and dissemination of digital information has resulted in a number of unique challenges. One of the more complex aspects of electronic resources is the license agreement. A license is a contractual agreement between the rights holder and the University of Texas at Arlington. It is used to define who and how the data may and may not be used. A license grants only the rights spelled out in the agreement. Any rights not specified in the license belong to the information owner. The information provider's terms are often not beneficial to the libraries long-term interests or to those of the scholarly community. The library has a responsibility to try to negotiate agreements that respect the rights and privileges of users as well as the provider. The UT Arlington Library will abide by all terms within vendor licensing agreements. The Libraries will also promote observance by educating staff and users about restrictions and permissible uses.

Over-Riding Principles

The Libraries will follow principles consistent with the organization's values and the following guidelines developed and endorsed by six leading, national organizations that are embodied in Principles for Licensing Electronic Resources¹ and are excerpted and reproduced here.

• A license agreement should state clearly what access rights are being acquired by the licensee--permanent use of the content or access rights only for a defined period of time.
• A license agreement should recognize and not restrict or abrogate the rights of the licensee or its user community permitted under copyright law. The licensee should make clear to the licensor those uses critical to its particular users including, but not limited to, printing, downloading, and copying.
• A license agreement should recognize the intellectual property rights of both the licensee and the licensor.
• A license agreement should not hold the licensee liable for unauthorized uses of the licensed resource by its users, as long as the licensee has implemented reasonable and appropriate methods to notify its user-community of use restrictions.
• The licensee should be willing to undertake reasonable and appropriate methods to enforce the terms of access to a licensed resource.
• A license agreement should fairly recognize those access enforcement obligations which the licensee is able to implement without unreasonable burden. Enforcement must not violate the privacy and confidentiality of authorized users.
• The licensee should be responsible for establishing policies that create an environment in which authorized users make appropriate use of licensed resources and for carrying out due process when it appears that a use may violate the agreement.
• A license agreement should require the licensor to give the licensee notice of any suspected or alleged license violations that come to the attention of the licensor and allow a reasonable time for the licensee to investigate and take corrective action, if appropriate.
• A license agreement should not require the use of an authentication system that is a barrier to access by authorized users.
• When permanent use of a resource has been licensed, a license agreement should allow the licensee to copy data for the purposes of preservation and/or the creation of a usable archival copy. If a license agreement does not permit the licensee to make a usable preservation copy, a license agreement should specify who has permanent archival responsibility for the resource and under what conditions the licensee may access or refer users to the archival copy.
• The terms of a license should be considered fixed at the time the license is signed by both parties. If the terms are subject to change (for example, scope of coverage or method of access), the agreement should require the licensor or licensee to notify the other party in a timely and reasonable fashion of any such changes before they are implemented, and permit either party to terminate the agreement if the changes are not acceptable.
• A license agreement should require the licensor to defend, indemnify, and hold the licensee harmless from any action based on a claim that use of the resource in accordance with the license infringes any patent, copyright, trade-mark, or trade secret of any third party.
• The routine collection of use data by either party to a license agreement should be predicated upon disclosure of such collection activities to the other party and must respect laws and institutional policies regarding confidentiality and privacy.
• A license agreement should not require the licensee to adhere to unspecified terms in a separate agreement between the licensor and a third party unless the terms are fully reiterated in the current license or fully disclosed and agreed to by the licensee.
• A license agreement should provide termination rights that are appropriate to each party.

Make or Break Contract Features for UT Arlington Library

• Site - UT Arlington's site encompasses all physical or virtual locations administered by the President of the University of Texas at Arlington. Licenses that attempt to define an institution's site geographically (within x mile radius or located in the city of Arlington) are unacceptable.
• Authorized users - Our minimum acceptable definition is current faculty, staff and students, including distance learners? The preferred definition of users is currently employed faculty and staff, currently registered students, including distance learners and walk-in users at any of the Libraries' facilities?
• Acceptable uses - Electronic resource licenses should permit use for non-commercial educational and research purposes. Licenses should not restrict fair use rights granted by copyright law.
• Indemnification/Liability - A license must not hold UT Arlington liable for actions of third parties.
• User confidentiality and privacy - The license must be consistent with applicable privacy laws and provide confidentiality in gathering usage information.

Desirable Features

• Archival access
• Use data that is appropriate to the content and can be used for evaluative purposes
• Termination rights for both parties
• Notification of license violations with appropriate time allowed for correction

1. American Association of Law Libraries, [et al.]. Principles for Licensing Electronic Resources. Final Draft, July 15, 1997. Available: http://www.arl.org/scomm/licensing/principles.html. October 2, 2003.