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(Note from the Washington State Library:  In order to participate in the Fall 1999 Washington State Databases Trial, each vendor was asked to address questions the Statewide Database Licensing Committee felt were most critical in order for library staff to evaluate products and vendors.  Please contact the vendor's representative, listed below, for additional information on this product.)

1. Describe the database product(s). Include information on subject scope, percentage of full-text, dates of coverage, target audience (including age ranges), and how often the contents are updated.

The sections below introduce the features of the three Grolier Online encyclopedias offered in this proposal: Encyclopedia Americana Online; Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online; and The New Book Of Knowledge Online, and discuss issues of readership, editorial policy, and online navigation and search functionalities. Subscriptions are available in combinations of any two or all three databases.

 ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA ONLINE

Overview
The Encyclopedia Americana was first published in 1829 and has been revised and updated annually since 1918. Long a standard in most library reference collections, the Americana is a general encyclopedia containing approximately 45,000 articles contributed by over 6,500 specialists in their respective disciplines. Reading level varies considerably, with some articles accessible to students as low as grade six and others suitable principally for older, more sophisticated readers. Article length ranges from definition-style entries of fewer than 100 words to lengthy essays comprising 25,000 words or more. Longer entries are signed and include bibliographies to print sources. More than two-thirds of the entries in the encyclopedia are linked to related sites on the World Wide Web. Linked sites have been individually evaluated by the editorial staff, and references to them have been carefully validated and annotated, for ready reference. The database also includes over 6,100 bibliographies, 1,000 tables, approximately 3,000 illustrations, 830 geopolitical and historical maps (color), and approximately 270 flags (color). All special characters for all orthographies represented in the print set are supported, either as extended ASCII characters or as in-line images.

Reading Audience
Entries in the Encyclopedia Americana are written by specialists for an audience of educated nonspecialists, that is, for readers, many of whom are specialists in their own field, desiring an overview of subjects with which they possess only limited familiarity. No attempt is made to make articles conform to a given style or reading level; rather, it is the subject matter itself-along with the rhetorical power of the author-that are given pride of place in each article. As a result, the Americana is ideal for both students and professional researchers, in fact, for anyone who needs authoritative information-for homework, reports, presentations, background analyses, as context for current events, and so forth-organized and presented with clarity and concision.

Comprehensiveness
Unlike more specialized reference works, a general encyclopedia is judged principally by the breadth and comprehensiveness of its coverage, a feature that makes the Americana ideal for rapid research and fact checking on almost any topic. The goal of the Americana is to present basic information on the broadest possible array of subjects, from the most common to the most arcane, and then to provide the reader with links to more specialized resources through its system of bibliographic citations and hypertext links to sites on the World Wide Web. When viewed in this way, the encyclopedia can be used as a vast index to the larger world of documentation available either in print or online.

Like that of other general encyclopedias, the intellectual organization of the Americana replicates the conceptual map of the world as proposed by the University; in other words, its article categories and hierarchies are informed by core elements of the modern academic curriculum. The Encyclopedia Americana's 45,000 entries are distributed among nine principal subject headings and almost two hundred subheadings, which can be searched either independently or as part of more complex Boolean queries to isolate classes of articles on related subjects, places, and times.

Currency
Currency is at the heart of all good encyclopedias, and the editors of the Americana are committed to providing our readers with the most up-to-date information available in a general reference set. Constrained by print technology, formerly the Americana could publish only 1,500 or so article revisions, on a once-a-year basis, in its printed editions. The advent of the Internet, however, has brought a dramatic change to the way the encyclopedia is maintained. Americana editors now write to the articles in our database daily, and their revisions are posted to the Grolier Online server quarterly. By shortening the time to publication, we have increased annual revisions by as much as 200%, to between 3,000 and 4,500 articles. Web links are added or revised (or in special instances deleted) even more frequently-on a monthly basis or as circumstances dictate. The addition of the Americana Journal has shortened the revision cycle for time-sensitive material to a week or less, bringing a whole new dimension to the definition of an encyclopedia.

Authority
The editors of the Americana are guided in their efforts by an editorial board of approximately seventy senior scholars and specialists in their fields. Members of the advisory board help the editorial staff evaluate standing articles, plan revision programs, and suggest contributors. For 1998, the editorial board includes individuals such as: Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of History, Columbia University Sheldon L. Glashow, Mellon Professor of the Sciences, Department of Physics, Harvard University Alan K. Henrikson, Director, the Fletcher Roundtable on a New World Order, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University Richard Martin, Curator, The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Witold Rybczynski, Martin and Margy Meyerson Professor of Urbanism, Graduate School of Fine Arts, University of Pennsylvania; Professor, Department of Real Estate, Wharton School.

But the single most important factor in the authority of the encyclopedia is the competence of the men and women who write its articles. Contributors to the Americana, who now number in excess of six thousand, are drawn from all academic and professional disciplines and are selected by the editorial staff on the basis of their contributions to the field. Working with the staff editors, they create articles that do not shy away from difficult subject matter but at the same time retain an expository clarity that enables the nonspecialist to immediately come to terms with the topic.

Functionality
The Encyclopedia Americana has been designed to be easy to use by researchers of varying levels of sophistication. On-screen search tips and context-sensitive help screens are available from all search pages, and the icons and toolbars are clear and intuitive.

Querying The Database
Readers access encyclopedia entries by any of three methodologies, selected from the icon bar at the top of each page, as described below:

Simple Search - enables readers to search the full text of the encyclopedia (words or character strings) or to limit searches to article titles. Wildcards and Boolean operators are supported for all searches. Also available are proximity (word W/n word), adjacency (word ADJ word), near

(word NEAR/n word), same paragraph (word SAME/n word), notsame paragraph (word NOTSAME word), exact phrase ('), and fuzzy search (math~matic) operators.

Topic Search - enables readers to search for classes of articles by constructing queries from prestructured, hierarchical lists (indexes) of classifiers. Users may search up to four article classification indexes simultaneously, for precise, focused search results (e.g., biographies of twentieth-century Asian political figures). The four article classification indexes are:

(a) SUBJECT: Each entry in the encyclopedia is assigned up to four separate subject classifiers, depending on the complexity of the subject matter.

(b) FORM: Each entry in the encyclopedia is assigned up to four separate "form" classifiers, depending on the kind of object described in the article. Typical form classifiers are "Biography," "Organizations," "Lifeforms," and so forth.

(c) PLACE: Entries that describe objects or events specific to a given geographical range (e.g., the Himalayas) are classified by their location on the modern geopolitical map.

(d) TIME: Entries that can be fixed in time are classified according to the appropriate date or date range. Indexes may be used to filter each other using standard Boolean operators (e.g., Subject = "Arts" AND Form = "Biography" NOT Place = "Europe" for non-European artists).

Browse - enables readers to browse an alphabetical list of article titles.

Search Results
Results of searches are displayed in a Search Results list containing the article headword and the first 250 characters of article text for all articles meeting the search criteria.

Article Elements
Articles themselves contain one or more of the following elements, depending on length and subject matter: article text, table of contents, maps, flags, tables, illustrations, and Internet links. Access to maps, flags, tables, and Internet links is controlled from the article toolbar.

Grolier Internet Index
All links to sites on the World Wide Web are maintained in the Grolier Internet Index (GII) and are updated monthly. Clicking on the Links button on the article toolbar sends the reader to the GII, where a list of Web sites specific to the referencing article is generated and displayed to the reader. All sites have been inspected and evaluated for relevance and suitability by the encyclopedia's editorial staff, and each site listed in the GII is accompanied by a brief descriptive paragraph (annotation)-also compiled by the editorial staff-for help in identifying useful sources. This review process filters out trivial, inaccurate, or inappropriate sites, making the encyclopedia a reliable guide to serious information sources on the World Wide Web. Over 29,000 encyclopedia articles are currently linked to sites on the Web

The Americana Journal
A searchable database of current events illustrated with 1,200 timely photographs from major news sources. A typical Journal entry contains up to two years' worth of news items, with the most recent item listed first, and is updated weekly for maximum value. Users may search the Journal either by country or by date, giving researchers a way to track trends or recover historical sequences in a fraction of the time it would take to search archives from other news sources. Each Journal entry is linked to the Grolier Internet Index, providing an immediate link to pertinent Web sites.

Wall Street Journal Almanac
Compiled by the staff of the Wall Street Journal, the Almanac is written in easy-to-understand journalistic style articles. Users may search for term or browse ten topic areas. The Almanac includes over 1,300 charts and graphs.

ENCYCLOPEDIA AMERICANA - TABLE OF FEATURES

Number of Words: 25,000,000
Number of Articles: 45,000
Article Cross-References: 150,000
Contributors: 6,500
Bibliographies: 6,100
Web Links: Over 152,000 from approx. 29,000 articles
Tables: Over 1,000
Factboxes: 680
Maps: 830
Flags: 270
Art and Photos: 3,000

Update Schedule: Main database: quarterly; Web links: monthly; Journal: Weekly; Almanac: Annually

 

GROLIER MULTIMEDIA ENCYCLOPEDIA ONLINE

The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online is based on the text of the Academic American Encyclopedia. First published in 1980, the latter quickly established itself as a highly respected reference work, combining unequaled currency with an authoritativeness equal to that of more venerable encyclopedias. The Academic American was the first encyclopedia to make its text available online and was the first to be released on a CD-ROM, which evolved into the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.

Purpose
This encyclopedia was created for students at the upper elementary level and in junior high school, high school, or college and for the inquisitive adult. For that audience, it seeks to provide the following:

1. Quick access to definitive factual information
2. Readily intelligible overviews of broad subjects that isolate key concepts, outline the structure of the subject, and link the reader directly to related articles
3. Bibliographies that direct the reader to more specialized sources
4. Extensive multimedia resources-photographs and artwork, maps, and sounds-to enhance the text by additional, complementary audio and visual information
5. Online links to carefully selected Web sites for further exploration of given subjects

Behind these objectives lie guiding principles of comprehensiveness, currency, authoritativeness, objectivity, and ease of use.

Currency
The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia updates its articles on an ongoing basis to reflect the state of the world and the state of knowledge. Every month, hundreds of new and updated articles are made available online. The encyclopedia not only provides current population and economic statistics, political data, and sports records, it also reports the latest speculations about life on Mars and the course of human evolution. In addition to keeping timeless subjects current in their presentation, the encyclopedia maintains its currency by including numerous articles on contemporary subjects, especially contemporary biographical subjects. It also takes care to note new publications and new Web sites relevant to given articles.

Authority
More than 90 percent of the entries in the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia have been written by outside scholars and other experts; about 75 percent are signed. The more than 2,600 contributors, from all over the world, were selected on the basis of their specific knowledge and expertise in a particular subject. The Advisory Board of Editors, consisting of senior scholars and academicians, was involved at virtually every stage in the creation of the encyclopedia-from preparing article lists and suggesting possible authors to reviewing articles. Many of the staff editors have advanced degrees, and they bring years of combined experience in reference publishing to bear on their task of ensuring the accuracy, objectivity, and balance of the article coverage.

Comprehensiveness
A comprehensive general encyclopedia must provide basic information for the nonspecialist reader, covering all significant aspects of a subject and providing historical and interpretive context. The content of this encyclopedia is not narrowly focused on the United States and its perspectives; it seeks to expand horizons and introduce the unfamiliar. On the other hand, a sympathetic awareness of non-Western cultures and alternative lifestyles need not interfere with an appreciation that a fuller explication of the roots and traditions of our audience's dominant culture is appropriate.

The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia contains some 36,000 entries, more than 5,000 of them exclusive to the electronic version. The list of entries reflects the curricula of American schools and universities, but it also contains a myriad of topics of contemporary interest. The relative emphasis among subject disciplines is as follows:

Humanities and the Arts: 36%
art, architecture, sculpture
history
literature and linguistics
music, theater, dance
religion and philosophy

Science and Technology: 35%
astronomy
chemistry
earth sciences
life sciences
mathematics
physics
technology

Social Sciences: 14%
anthropology and archaeology
business and economics
education
government, politics, lay
psychology
sociology

Geography: 13%
Sports and Contemporary Life: 2%

Objectivity
If an encyclopedia is to be reliable, the facts and inferences must be accurate and reflect current scholarship. Scholars may differ among themselves even on questions that do not involve social policy. The aim of this encyclopedia is to provide base information, always to indicate where differences and controversies arise, and to explore them when possible.

Ease of Use
Ease of use means two things: readers should be able to find what they are looking for quickly, and when found, the material should be readily understood. The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia has been designed, written, and edited with both objectives in mind. This is a short-entry and a specific-entry reference work. The short entries facilitate ready reference. The use of specific titles means that a BROWSE through the article title list will most likely yield an article under the title that the reader first enters. Failing that, it will probably provide a cross-reference, or hyperlink, to the appropriate title. If all else fails, the reader can move to a full-text SEARCH of the article database. All cross-references both in the title list and within the articles are hyperlinked so that the reader may move rapidly around the article database.

The texts of the articles have been carefully edited to be readable. Foreign words, abbreviations, detailed etymology, and specialized jargon have been avoided as much as possible and are always explained when they are used. Sometimes cross-references are used to take the reader to a location where terminology is explained. A list of abbreviations may be found under the article "Abbreviation," and glossaries accompany certain articles such as "Ballet," "Computer," and "Sound recording and Reproduction." Both metric and standard notational systems are used, with meters and kilograms preceding feet and pounds and Celsius temperature preceding Fahrenheit. Nomenclature in the life sciences includes both the Latin and common names, although most subjects are listed under their common English names.

Articles titles that include foreign and other unfamiliar words are provided with pronunciation guides much like those used in the press, without special symbols-thus, the Scottish city Kirkcudbright is pronounced kur-koo'-bree. For Chinese names and terms, the Pinyin system of transliteration is used, while the older Wade-Giles system is provided in parentheses on the article title line-Zhou Enlai (Chou En-lai). The title list includes hyperlinks from Wade-Giles forms to Pinyin, e.g., "Peking: see Beijing."

Fact Boxes and Tables
The most commonly used information about countries, U.S. states, Canadian provinces, and U.S. presidents is included in fact boxes associated with the relevant articles. In addition, for those seeking quick answers to questions about sports records or-for example-the order of the kings and queens of England, or even more specific questions such as the per-capita water use for different purposes in the United States, the encyclopedia provides hundreds of tables.

Atlas
The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online includes an atlas of some 830 dynamic maps illustrating continents, countries, states, cities, and various historical themes. The variety of maps, which can be navigated geographically-level to level-or topically, may be accessed through the screen header or through individual articles containing the relevant icon.

Pictures and Sounds
A gallery of almost 6,000 pictures, photographs, and artwork and 150 national anthem sound files may be accessed through icons in individual articles.

Internet Links
Two-thirds of the articles are linked through the Grolier Internet Index* to carefully selected sites on the Internet that will provide additional, reliable information on given subjects. Clicking on the Links icon in individual articles will take the reader to the Grolier Internet Index.

Brain Jam
Brain Jam provides learning activities for students to test their knowledge of specific subjects with multiple-choice, interactive quizzes, get background on weekly news stories, and follow a monthly calendar of special events. All activities are closely connected to the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online articles and related Web sites.

Timelines
Among the many valuable features of the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online is a series of information-rich Timelines-ten screen graphics covering the major eras of world history, with icon access to detailed information about noteworthy events, people, ideas, and themes. The Timelines are accessed from the screen header bar.

Yearbook
Paralleling the Timelines is another multimedia feature that gives a more detailed chronology of the events of the last 16 months. This Yearbook is also accessed from the screen header bar.

Functionality

Searching
The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online is powered by Personal Library Software, which is a full-text retrieval software engine. Users are given the option of searching the full text of the encyclopedia or limiting their search to article titles.

Full-text
Means there is an index of every word in the encyclopedia excluding stopwords such as the, they, not, etc. Full-text searching allows you to construct complex searches by entering simple sentences, such as "Where was Abraham Lincoln shot." The first retrieved record would be "Ford's Theatre." You can enter your entire search string into the first text box using variable wildcards-single character (?), optional character ($), string character (*). Also available are proximity (word W/n word), adjacency (word ADJ word), near (word NEAR/n word) , same paragraph (word SAME/n word), notsame paragraph (word NOTSAME word), exact phrase ('), and fuzzy search (math~matic) operators.

Boolean logic operators (AND, OR, NOT)
Allow you to specify a logical relationship between search terms and can be entered using the additional text entry boxes under the first text box.

Advanced Search
Allows you to further refine your search both by data type (full-text, article titles, pictures, maps, and fact boxes) and by subject category (geography, history, language & literature, life sciences, performing arts, physical sciences, society, sports, technology, and visual arts). By default you will be searching all of the article titles and all subject categories.

Browsing
Browse through an alphabetical list of all the articles in the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia using the Browse button.

Copying, Printing, and Saving
The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online, as accessed by a Hypertext Markup Language Browser, allows you to copy, print, and save text and images.

Online Help Utility
The Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Online Help utility is divided into two areas; (1) Functions: Browse, Simple Search, Advanced Search, Boolean Operators, Sound Player, and (2) Features: Timelines, Yearbook, Atlas, and Brain Jam.

GROLIER MULTIMEDIA ENCYCLOPEDIA ONLINE - TABLE OF FEATURES

Number Of Words: 11,000,000
Number Of Articles: 37,000
Contributors: 2,900
Bibliographies: 16,600
Article Cross-References: 100,000
Web Links: 28,000 from approx. 11,000 articles
Tables: 300
Fact Boxes: 300
Atlas: 830 maps with over 16,000 links to maps & articles
Flags: 195
Pictures & Line Art: 6,000
Sounds: 150

Update Schedule: Main database: monthly; Web links: monthly; Brain Jam: monthly

 

THE NEW BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE

The New Book of Knowledge (NBK) has been in print in the United States since 1912. Widely renowned as the first modern encyclopedia for children, NBK has long been the leading source of accurate, accessible, and fun-to-read information for homes and libraries. With its more than 9,000 articles, written by over 1,880 outstanding contributors, and many special enrichment features, NBK has been widely reviewed as the best in its class.

New to the World Wide Web in October 1998, The New Book of Knowledge Online with NBK News takes the print version the next step in its ongoing development. As a fully featured Internet service, the online encyclopedia brings the elements of the print set into the electronic environment, complete with Wonder Questions, facts and figures, projects and experiments, literary selections, and Internet links to carefully evaluated related sites.

As an added bonus to electronic users, NBK Online features a current events site-NBK News. Updated weekly, NBK News includes five NewScoops written especially for the site. Designed to stimulate classroom discussion, each weekly story comes complete with a lesson plan to help the classroom teacher integrate NBK Online into the curriculum.

Content and Reading Level
Entries in The New Book of Knowledge are aimed at students in grades three and up. However, the text supports a wide range of ages and reading levels. Many institutions have found NBK to be perfect for both ESL and inclusion students, since the text is written so as not to "talk down" to older individuals who may be at a less advanced reading level. Indeed, the set excels at presenting complex subjects clearly by breaking them down into understandable components. In preparing articles for NBK, contributors are instructed to aim for a lively and informative tone to engage the reader. The articles are edited by an experienced in-house staff skilled in the presentation of general encyclopedic information for young people.

One of the aims of the staff in this regard is to encourage young people to read and browse the encyclopedia. Multiple search modalities have been developed for the electronic version to assist in this effort. Students can search by word in full-text or article title searches, by subject, and by using simple Boolean operators and wildcards. A browse feature enables browsing of articles-both alphabetically and by subject-and of the encyclopedia's numerous Wonder Questions, projects, and literary selections.

In the NBK News area of the site, all current events stories are written especially for this reading level and are vetted by teachers and educators before being posted to the site. The aim of NBK News is to make the world comprehensible to the young student through news stories that are linked to related encyclopedia articles to provide a depth of coverage that is unparalleled in general reference sources. All stories will be archived on the site for future retrieval after their weekly run is completed.

Comprehensiveness
In over 9,000 articles and nearly 7 million words, The New Book of Knowledge opens the world to the young researcher. The articles in NBK cover topics of general interest as well as every important area of the curriculum. Among the areas covered in depth are literature, language arts, history, government, geography, mathematics, biological and physical sciences, technology, health and safety, art, music, and sports and recreation.

In addition to these curriculum-related content areas, NBK presents opportunities to enrich students' lives. Articles on popular culture, food and cooking, games, clothing and fashion, and hobbies and crafts engage young readers and provide information that is integral to their development as well-rounded individuals. The New Book of Knowledge is known for its unbiased presentation of information. The set takes a responsible, age-appropriate approach to sensitive issues such as abortion, AIDS, ethics, nuclear power safety, and the environment.

Currency
The NBK database is maintained by its own editorial staff at Grolier, supplemented by freelance writers and editors. The print edition is updated yearly, but the database containing the text of the encyclopedia is written to on a daily basis as articles are reviewed, rewritten, and updated. As we enter a period of the explosion of information, frequent updating takes on new importance to our audience. Currently, the electronic encyclopedia is updated on a quarterly basis. This, coupled with the weekly updating of the current events site, will give students the most up-to-date information available in any electronic encyclopedia.

Authority
Contributors to the NBK are carefully screened to ensure a uniform level of quality in the set. They must be recognized experts in their field, with the ability to present information in a manner that can be easily grasped by young people.

NBK's roster of distinguished contributors includes such well-known authorities as historian Stephen Ambrose ("Lewis and Clark Expedition"), science writer Isaac Asimov ("Chemistry"), composer Leonard Bernstein ("Orchestra Conducting"), anthropologist John Bierhorst ("Aztec," "Inca," "Maya"), basketball Hall of Famer Dave DeBusschere ("Basketball"), former surgeon general C. Everett Koop ("Smoking"), author and essayist Jay Saunders Redding ("Slavery"), astronaut Sally Ride ("Astronauts"), journalist Carl T. Rowan ("Propaganda"), and children's author Jane Yolen ("Lullabies").

Functionality
The New Book of Knowledge Online has been designed for ease of use by the youngest researchers. Screen design and icons are clear and graphically appealing. Search tips can be accessed from the search screen, and complete search instructions are available in the help pages. A Teacher's Guide provides a helpful overview of the site, reinforces its strong connections to the curriculum, and presents a number of activities to be used in conjunction with NBK News and the resources of the online encyclopedia.

Internet Links
Currently, Internet links have been established from NBK articles to selected sites recommended by the American Library Association and included in the ALA's list of 700 or more "Great Sites" ( http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/amazing.html   ). The sites have been carefully screened to remove commercial sites.

THE NEW BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE - TABLE OF FEATURES

Number of Words: 7,000,000
Number of Articles: 9,000
Article Cross-References: 8,300
Contributors: 1,900
Bibliographies: None
Web Links: 5,600
Tables: 150
Factboxes: 575
Maps: 629
Flags: 254
Art and Photos: 2,000

Update Schedule: Main database: quarterly; Web links: monthly; NBK News: weekly

Grolier Online databases require no installation and run on Windows, Macintosh and Unix systems with Internet connectivity. Grolier online has been configured for Netscape Navigator 2.0 or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 or higher or any graphical browser that supports HTML 3.2 and client-side image mapping. Any operating system capable of launching and operating the above-specified software is supported. No plug-in are required.

3. Is remote access included for the subscription price?  If there are additional charges or requirements in order to offer remote access, please describe.   What methods of remote access are supported?

4. Please discuss any methods or assistance you offer regarding remote access patron verification and authentication.

Grolier Online, as accessed by a Hypertext Markup Language Browser, allows you to copy, print, and save text and images.

No special training is required to use Grolier Online databases. All search and retrieval functions are clearly explained in the Help utility that accompanies each database. Search screens include "Search Tips" for further reference. On-Site Training: Grolier will conduct up to eight, two-hour "on-site" training sessions over a 2-day period, (at no cost) for large groups of users at a central location at such times and places as shall be mutually agreed upon by Grolier and the Customer. The customer must organize for participants to attend and provide the training venue. For example, a large group could be a subscribing K12 school district, public library system and/or consortia group or any combination of these groups.

Subscribers are mailed a Grolier Online Welcome Kit, which includes product descriptions, search tips, and "table tents" outlining how to do simple searches.

Technical support is available at 888-326-6546 between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 PM Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Online help is also available from all search screens. Help screens may be printed out in text or PDF format, for use as users' manuals.

User statistics for each account will be reported on a password-protected Web site available to system administrators and other qualified personnel designated by the customer. Reports are available for IP address ranges and referring URLs only, not for "cookie"-authenticated workstations, and are updated monthly. Accessibility of IP addresses behind proxy servers (subnet level) is subject to technical limitations to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Fields reported for each institutionally defined set of IP addresses include total requests, requests per day, number of files requested, hosts served, and amount of data transferred. Summaries by month, day, and time of day are also provided.

Grolier agrees to the privacy and confidentiality paragraphs (nos. 2 and 3) in the ICOLC "Guidelines for Statistical Measures of Usage of Web-Based Indexed, Abstracted, and Full-Text Resources."

Pricing for Grolier Online databases is determined by two factors; (1) the customer's selection of databases and (2) the aggregated number of users. A minimum price per school/library is applied when the aggregated price (based on FTE count and divided by number of subscribing member institutions) falls below the minimum per institution price.

The following pricing apply to FTE counts below 75,000. Call for pricing above 75,000 FTE.

The New Book Of Knowledge and Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia 'Combo package'

PRICING: Multiply final FTE count by $0.41 then check minimum price qualification.
Use following calculation process to determine FTE:

K12 Schools - Count all students in grades 3 and up = FTE (full time enrollment)
Minimum per school price (1) FTE below 700 = $195 (2) FTE Above 701 = $295

Public Libraries - Count 5% of population of legal service area for on-site use only.
Minimum per public library price $389

Colleges - Divide the sum of full-and part -time credit hours by 15, the result = FTE
Minimum per college price (1) FTE below 700 = $195 (2) FTE Above 701 = $295

10. What is the minimum participation level (however you care to define it) that would be needed to allow participating libraries to receive a discount? What is the minimum discount for a group buy? Please clarify how you would treat existing library customers with regard to a group buy.

There are no minimum participation levels. Prices listed above are discounted by at least 50% or more off regular individual school and library prices. Further discounts are applicable for FTE counts greater than 75,000. Call for more details. 

For further information please contact office: Hours 8:00AM - 5:00PM EST:

Phil Cox
Manager, Electronic Sales
Grolier Educational
Tel: 800-825-4579, ext. 3927
[email protected]