The teacher prefers "digital" to "electronic" and will use the former to represent the later here.
What do you usually think of when you hear or see the term "digital information"?
Many academic librarians lament the increased use of digital resources, especially by students. Why should we care which format is favored?
What is an integrated library system? Why is it important?
To what degree should information needs be met by local resources? What is a local resource?
Some argue that the CD-ROM is a medium that is in a state of decline, especially as more information providers use the WWW to provide access to information products. Do you agree? Assets and liabilities of this format?
One of the problems facing the academic library using digital resources is the cost of consumables used to prepare take-away copies for users. How would you limit these costs?
Is the decline in mediated searches a source of concern? Why?
Often, CD-ROM and other digital resources are leased rather than purchased. This means that licensing and pricing agreements are negotiated and the library's ability to develop retrospective collections is limited. Would you worry about this? What might we do to improve things?
A reminder that serials may be either a periodical (twice per year or more frequency) or annuals (sometimes called continuations. A journal is presumed to be a scholarly periodical.
Digital periodicals by established publishers are increasingly common, although often a companion to a print product. Exclusively digital periodicals are less frequently issued, but are growing slowly. The key issue here is the degree to which tenure and promotion committees will value articles published originally in a digital format. What do you think? Likely to change soon? Impact on libraries?
Who is likely to preserve the digital journals? Problems?
To what degree should the academic library attempt to organize the information available on the WWW?
Networked information is often transient: now you see it, now you don't. What might academic librarians do about this problem? Should we?
Please recall that academic libraries provide access to needed information (the right information for the right person at the right time). Ownership is one way to provide access, but it does not guarantee access. Why?
Budd spends some time discussing the mediation function. How can we maintain that function where more users access information directly from work and home?
What is the role of the academic library in providing access to information held elsewhere or held temporarily by the library?
When should the academic library use commercial document delivery services rather than ILL?
Many libraries increasingly rely on full-text databases as a substitute for periodical collections and resource-sharing. At the same time, because of changing publisher attitudes, fewer periodicals are being made available in the general databases (ProQuest, for example). Increasingly, databases will contain abstracts and links to articles at publisher sites. Libraries will then pay publishers for article access. How might this development affect collections and public services?
