| Gale Group has announced that librarians' concerns about the temporary
nature of licensing electronic databases is being addressed in its new
Electronic Archive Program. The plan allows libraries to purchase, rather
than lease, electronic archives of such Gale content as Contemporary Authors,
Dictionary of Literary Biography, the Biography Resource Center, and Literature
Resource Center.
"This program is a direct response to librarians' number-one concern
about electronic data subscriptions," said Helen Wilbur, a Gale Group vice
president and former librarian. "Electronic data provides wider access
than print, but no preservation. This program is designed to provide the
best of both worlds: preservation and access."
Customers of the Gale Electronic Archive Program will pay a one-time
fee to purchase available backfile content through the end of the previous
year. Gale will deliver the content in a standard tagged format via CD-ROM
or ftp. Customers will also have the option to access their archive on
a Gale Group server.
Since the information is dynamic, customers will also be able to purchase
annual updates for their archive, an important option, according to Wilbur.
"We'll regenerate the collection each year, integrating changes and adding
new content. That will not only help to build an increasingly valuable
archive, but will also ensure the collection will be readable in the most
current technology," she said.
Gale is launching the Electronic Archive Program with a Charter Club
that provides a 25-percent discount on archive orders placed before December
1, 2001. For more information about the Electronic Archive Program, call
Gale Group at 800/877-GALE.
Source: Gale Group, Farmington Hills, MI, 248/699-4253; http://www.galegroup.com. |
