Yale University Library Collection Development Council

Preferred Interface Statement

The Committee for Digital General Resources (CoDGeR) has been working on establishing a preferred -- or some preferred -- interface(s) for electronic resources, particularly Abstracting & Indexing tools.

There are definite advantages to having as many databases as possible available via the same interface. These include: the learning curve for users is shorter for subsequent databases; the development of instruction tools and sessions can be leveraged; greater opportunities for building interface "environments" where files can be cross-searched or interact with each other; and opportunities for price breaks and increased institutional bargaining power for enhancements.

After examining three of the library's current interfaces, SilverPlatter, OVID, and OCLC FirstSearch, CoDGeR has identified OVID as its first choice. This recommendation is made to provide selectors with a starting point for interface decisions, not to suggest that every resource choice made in the library should be licensed or loaded via OVID, which is in any case impossible.

Some databases will only be available via a proprietary interface or will not be available via OVID. However, even in those cases, the functionality of OVID can serve as a standard by which others are judged.

Also, CoDGeR realizes that many factors figure in an interface choice for each resource, and may result in OVID not being the best choice for a particular item. These factors include: pricing, number of simultaneous users needed, desire to load a resource locally or access it remotely, specific features/options important to a particular subject resource, the need to offer telnet, WWW, or multiple access options, and a cluster of related subject resources already present on a particular interface.

For many resources, these factors may not be of significance, and the designation of OVID as our preferred interface is likely to simplify the electronic resources evaluation process.

Any questions about the process of evaluating interfaces can be directed to the Electronic Publishing and Collections Librarian, Kimberly Parker.

See also: Electronic Resource Evaluation Checklists at

http://www.library.yale.edu/ecollections/ereschecklist.pdf

and: Timeline for Selecting E-Resources at

http://www.library.yale.edu/ecollections/timeline.html