Statewide Database Licensing Project - Spring 2000 Trials
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(Note from the Washington State Library:  In order to participate in the Spring 2000 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.  

Academic Search Elite

Academic Search Elite:  Academic institutions worldwide depend on this database for their core resource of scholarly information. With its large coverage of peer-reviewed journals, Academic Search Elite offers critical information from leaders in many disciplines. The diverse content available will assist students in performing a more thorough investigation of their research topics. Academic Search Elite is a valuable resource for your main library, supporting core curriculum, degree requirements and elective classes. This scholarly collection includes embedded images and provides journal coverage for most academic areas of study-including biological sciences, economics, communications, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts and literature, medical sciences and women's studies. Academic Search Elite features: 

Business Source Elite

Business Source Elite brings you the research and perspectives from leading business thinkers from around the world. This rich collection of popular business magazines, scholarly journals and trade publications will help you stay abreast of the latest global business developments. One of the most diverse full text business database currently available, Business Source Elite offers coverage of such topics as accounting, banking, finance, international business, management, marketing, real estate, regional studies, sales, trade and technology. Business Source Elite features:

Health Source Plus

Health Source Plus offers you an alternative resource beside a hospital to find authoritative information on health-related questions. With this consumer health database, you can find a remedy for sunburn, discover healthy nutritional guidelines or search for the latest treatments for cancer. We've also recently enhanced the content of Health Source Plus with several health books published by the People's Medical Society. With this database you can search for information on many health topics including the medical sciences, psychology, food sciences and nutrition, childcare, sports medicine, health care law and general health. Health Source Plus features:

MasterFILE Premier

MasterFILE Premier: Gain access to information on a broad range of topics including general interest, business, health and multi-cultural with MasterFILE Premier. Designed specifically for the public library, this vast database includes:

Newspaper Source

Newspaper Source: Have more than half a million articles delivered to your electronic "doorstep" with our Newspaper Source. With daily feeds from the Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News and Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service, you'll know the scoop on the latest happenings from around the world. Newspaper Source also offers cover to cover coverage of The Christian Science Monitor, the 1996 Pulitzer Prize Winner for International Reporting, as well as coverage of valuable national and international titles, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, the Hong Kong Standard, the Jakarta Post and Jordon Today. This comprehensive news source contains:

PsycINFO

PsycINFO: Access all the citations and summaries of journal articles that PsycINFO has created in electronic form since 1887. This database is provided by the American Psychological Association and provides:

Sociological Abstracts

Sociological Abstracts: Access abstracts of serial literature in sociology and related disciplines, and the enhanced bibliographic citations of relevant dissertations with Sociological Abstracts. Created from the Sociological Abstracts and SOPODA databases, this comprehensive product features:

SPIN

SPIN: Access the most current indexing and abstracts of the world's leading journals in physics, astronomy, materials science and related disciplines with SPIN (Searchable Physics Information Notices), a bibliographic abstracts database published by the American Institute of Physics (AIP). This comprehensive database includes:

BasicBIOSIS

BasicBIOSIS: This database, produced by Biological Abstracts, Inc. (BIOSIS), is a general life science reference collection covering life sciences, environmental sciences and other related disciplines. BasicBIOSIS includes coverage of nearly 350 of the most popular life science publications, typically found in college and university libraries. Coverage includes meeting reports, reviews, references to newsletters, newspapers, and trade publications allowing students to also find the business applications of life science research. The range of coverage is a rolling four-year file, growing to 5 years. BasicBIOSIS provides:

Books in Print with Reviews

Books in Print with Reviews:  Gain immediate access to the Books In Print database supplemented by full text book reviews. Books in Print with Book Reviews, produced by the R.R. Bowker Company, contains:

 Comprehensive MEDLINE with FullTEXT 

 Comprehensive MEDLINE with FullTEXT: Conduct research using Comprehensive MEDLINE with FullTEXT, a joining of the National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database with the complete text of articles. This authoritative database offers information related to the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system and the preclinical sciences. Comprehensive MEDLINE with FullTEXT includes:

CSA Life Sciences Collection

CSA Life Sciences Collection: Access over 20 life sciences-oriented disciplines from Cambridge Scientific Abstracts with CSA Life Sciences Collection. This database covers 1982 to the present and is updated quarterly. Covered topics include Agricultural & Environmental Biotechnology, Algology, Mycology & Protozoology, Animal Behavior, Bacteriology, BioEngineering, Calcium & Calcified Tissue, Chemoreception, Ecology, Entomology, Genetics (Human & Animal), Immunology, Industrial & Applied Microbiology, Medical & Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Neurosciences, Nucleic Acids, Oncogenes & Growth Factors, Risk Assessment, Toxicology, and Virology & AIDS.

EconLit

EconLit, the American Economic Association's electronic bibliographic database, is the world's foremost source of references to economic literature. EconLit adheres to the high quality standards long recognized by subscribers to the Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) and is a reliable source of citations and abstracts to economic research dating back to 1969. With approximately 15,000 added annually, EconLit records include abstracts of books, journal articles, and working papers published by the Cambridge University Press. Appropriate geographic descriptors are added to journal and collective volume articles, working papers, and dissertations. Subject descriptors are assigned to all articles, books, book reviews, working papers, and dissertations. The subjects covered within EconLit include accounting, consumer economics, monetary policy, labor, marketing, demographics, modeling, economic theory, planning, and much more. EconLit provides:

EI Compendex

EI Compendex: Access the world's largest interdisciplinary engineering database with EI Compendex. This comprehensive database includes information from over 175 disciplines and major specialties within broad engineering areas such as: mechanical, civil, environmental, electrical, structural, process, materials science, solid state physics and superconductivity, bioengineering, energy, chemical, optics, air and water pollution, solid waste management, hazardous waste, road transportation and transportation safety. In addition to applied engineering, coverage also extends to manufacturing, quality control, and engineering management issues. Intended for engineering libraries of universities and corporations, EI Compendex provides:

ERIC

ERIC: Gain immediate access to information from journals included in the Current Index of Journals in Education and Resources in Education Index with ERIC. Created to assist researchers, teachers and administrators, this database contains:

Hoover's Company Profiles

Hoover's Company Profiles: Gain access to in-depth profiles of more than 3,400 public and private companies in the US and around the world. Each profile provides 

Hoover's Company Profiles also includes Hoover's Company Capsules which provides information on more than 13,500 public and private companies. Each Hoover's Company Capsule includes an overview of company operations, addresses, phone and fax numbers, names of key officers, sales and employment figures and stock symbols.

MAS FullTEXT Ultra

MAS FullTEXT Ultra, the fourth addition to the MAS FullTEXT Family, is a comprehensive general reference database designed for high school and junior college libraries. MAS FullTEXT Ultra includes:

TOPICsearch 

TOPICsearch Explore social, political and economic issues, scientific discoveries and other popular topics discussed in today's classrooms with TOPICsearch. This current events database includes:

Middle Search Plus Online 

Middle Search Plus Online: Gather information on a wide range of general topics with Middle Search Plus. Designed to assist middle and junior high school students in learning how to research current events, this extensive database includes:

PRIMARY SEARCH

Primary Search Online Gather information on a wide range of general topics with Primary Search. Designed for elementary schools and children's reading rooms, this database includes:

Primary Source available through the Searchasaurus Interface

Searchasaurus is Here! Don your packs and grab your binoculars as EBSCO Publishing (EBSCO) takes you on a trek through a jungle of information led by the company's latest online creation, Searchasaurus. Complete with erupting volcanoes, a dinosaur guide and compass, Searchasaurus is EBSCO's newest user search experience for elementary- to middle school-age users Part of EBSCO's ongoing effort to provide researchers with market specific user interfaces, Searchasaurus showcases new navigational graphics and features that build upon EBSCO's already successful EBSCOhost� search service. 

Dinosaur Graphics Make Navigation Fun for Younger Users

On entering Searchasaurus, users are greeted by friendly dinosaurs dressed for exploration. By clicking on the login button, users accompanied by the Searchasaurus dinosaur are advanced to the Searchasaurus map of tropical islands. From here they can select an island that allows them to search EBSCO's proprietary and licensed products for which the library has a subscription. Fun Facts, a tutorial and context sensitive help are also available from this screen. Databases that are accessible with this specialized user experience are Primary Search, Middle Search� Plus, Funk & Wagnalls� New Encyclopedia, Facts on File� World News Digest and Ethnic NewsWatch. 

Search Screen Divided into Two Easy-to-Understand Search Methods

Once a database source has been selected for searching, users advance to the search screen. With those databases, like Primary Search, that support subject searching a divided search screen appears. This screen offers a field for keyword or natural language searching, or links for subject-specific searching. By clicking on one of the subjects-such as art, computers/technology, health and others-a list of more specific topics related to the original subject is presented to users. The narrower subjects, when clicked, launch a search and retrieve a range of related articles. 

Throughout the search process, the Searchasaurus dinosaur accompanies users and offers a link to a new search or, via his compass, a link back to the Searchasaurus map, making it easy for young users to navigate through their searches.

Professional Development Collection 

Professional Development Collection With the Professional Development Collection, EBSCO now provides a highly specialized collection of electronic information especially for professional educators. This collection offers information on everything from children's health and development to cutting-edge pedagogical theory and practice. The Professional Development Collection includes:

Ethnic NewsWatch 

Ethnic NewsWatch: Access a comprehensive full text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic and minority press. It is a unique body of material not generally available in standard library holdings. Providing a rich collection of articles, editorials and reviews with a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints, Ethnic NewsWatch is a valuable interdisciplinary resource that encourages critical thinking and analysis, especially when comparing to the mainstream media.

AIDSLINE with MeSH

AIDSLINE with MeSH: Find centralized information about AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and related topics with AIDSLINE (AIDS Information Online), produced by the National Library of Medicine. AIDSLINE is a collection of bibliographic citations derived from such sources as MEDLINE, CancerLit, Health Planning and Administration, CATLINE, AVLINE, meeting abstracts from International Conferences on AIDS, the Symposium on Non-human Primate Models of AIDS, and AIDS-related abstracts from the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Microbiology. Incorporating biomedical, epidemiologic, health care administration, oncologic, and social and behavior sciences' literature, this database offers HIV and AIDS-related information including research, clinical aspects and health policy issues. AIDSLINE is comprised of:

Alternative Medicine 

Alternative Medicine (AMED) Learn more about alternative medical treatments with this database - provided by the British Lending Library. Designed for physicians, therapists, medical researchers and clinicians, AMED includes information regarding complementary medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitation, podiatry, palliative care and more. AMED is comprised of:

Health Business FullTEXT 

Health Business FullTEXT Explore the business of health care administration and other non-clinical aspects of health care institution management with Health Business FullTEXT. The EBSCO search engine supports Library of Congress subject heading searching of this database. Critical for the hospital administrator, this vast database includes:

HealthSTAR with MeSH 

HealthSTAR with MeSH Research the clinical and non-clinical aspects of health care delivery, including health care administration, health planning, health services research, clinical practice guidelines and health care technology assessment with HealthSTAR, Provided by the National Library of Medicine. This comprehensive database includes:

 2. What are the hardware and software requirements for using all the features of the product?

EBSCOhost offers flexible options for access. The proprietary search software used by EBSCOhost is designed to support users operating on a variety of computer platforms including Windows, ASCII terminal, Sun Solaris and the World Wide Web.

EBSCOhost via the World Wide Web will allow libraries to search EBSCO's databases with any PC, Mac or networked workstation operating a Web browser. EBSCOhost is supported by the following Web browsers: Netscape 3.X or higher, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.X or higher, and Lynx 2.5 or higher.

Minimum Requirements for User Interfaces:

For the Character Cell client, users will need to be able to Telnet from a dumb terminal or terminal emulator package running on a PC (emulating VT100) over the Internet or direct TCP/IP connection to an address located at EBSCO Publishing. Login and password provided by EBSCO.

For the Windows-based client, users will need any IBM or PC compatible with a 486 CPU or better with 8 MB RAM (16 MB recommended); 15 MB or 15,000,000 bytes of hard disk space; MS-Windows version 3.1, Windows 95 or Windows NT. (Note: if using Windows 3.1, station must be running in 386 Enhanced Mode).

For the World Wide Web client, users will be able to search EBSCO databases with any PC, Mac or networked workstation operating a web browser. EBSCOhost via the World Wide Web is supported by the following Web browsers: Netscape 3.X or higher, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.X or higher and Lynx 2.5 or higher.

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?

Remote access is included in the subscription price. EBSCO offers remote access via a User ID/ Password enviorment.

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

A library can choose one of EBSCO's five options to customize its user-authentication for access to EBSCOhost: EBSCO Controlled IP Address Method; EBSCO Controlled User ID Method; Customer Controlled Method; URL Referral Method and Custom Patron ID Filtering Method.

 

5. What end user delivery options, such as printing, emailing or faxing results, are available beyond just viewing results on the computer monitor?

EBSCOhost allows users the flexibility to select specific records for printing, downloading or e-mailing and send the output to a local printer, networked printers, an email address or save the information to a desired drive and path. Users can print, download, and/or email the whole article or only portion(s) of the article if desired. Windows Printing

Windows Printing:

With the Windows client, EBSCOhost users are able to print using any Windows-compatible printer which is attached to a local area network or directly connected to the workstation. As printing activities with EBSCOhost mimic those of other Windows applications, activities are managed by the Windows Print Manager.

Character Cell Printing:

Local and central printing is available with the Character Cell client version of EBSCOhost. Nearly all printers are supported. If you are able to print from other applications from the terminal, you will be able to print using EBSCOhost. 

World Wide Web Printing:

Unlike EBSCO's other proprietary clients, printing and downloading of citations, abstracts and ASCII full text are not functions of EBSCO's Web site, but functions of the Web browser being used. EBSCO Publishing has limited control of how these functions perform because each browser performs and handles these functions differently.

6. What customer training is provided, and at what cost?

EBSCO Publishing will provide comprehensive training sessions for each site's staff members in the use of EBSCOhost. These training sessions not only show the library staff how to search the databases but also provide instruction on a wide range of EBSCOhost features, including local notes and holdings, exclusion of titles, setting default limiters, tailoring search screens, etc. Scheduled times for training may be arranged at key locations so that common training sessions can be held for all system administrators and general staff. There are no additional fees for these services. Training Schedules

EBSCO Publishing has the ability to tailor training sessions to the specific needs of the audience. Sessions can range from large lecture-style presentations/demonstrations to small in-depth, hands on training sessions, depending on the desired level of expertise. Courses outlined below can be tailored to meet library specific needs, and the training schedule will be developed in conjunction with library customers.

There are three types of EBSCOhost training sessions:

Basic Training - EBSCOhost Orientation: This is a two hour session for EBSCOhost newcomers. Recommended class size is 20 participants, with one PC for every two attendees. Learning how to search effectively is the key to finding information on EBSCOhost. During this session, attendees will learn about the searching methods available on EBSCOhost, as well as how to use the EBSCOhost application and apply the methods to real life search strategies. Attendees will also receive a quick overview of EBSCO Information Services and the services it offers.

Advanced Training - EBSCOadmin: This three-hour session is for site system administrators and technical coordinators. For best results, EBSCO limits this class to 5 participants, where each attendee has a PC. EBSCOadmin provides the library administrator with a wide range of tailoring options for EBSCOhost. During this session, administrators and technical coordinators will have hands on training on this Web-based application which allows the administrator to set up local collections, customize search screens, and produce statistical reports.

Advanced Training - EBSCOhost Network: This two-hour session is for technical coordinators and technical support staff. For best results, EBSCO suggests a forum style meeting. PC's for attendees are optional. Behind this easy to use, intuitive search system lies a complex computer network. Discussions during this session will include client configurations, account customization, IP authentication, Technical Support, and a behind the scenes look at EBSCOhost.

USER SUPPORT SERVICES

EBSCOhost customers will receive a detailed EBSCOhost Quick Start Guide which clearly explains how to get started, customize the system and navigate around the search screens. EBSCOhost Quick Start Guides will be forwarded to each library at no additional cost.

To assist the end-user in searching, EBSCO has created a User Support Program that offers a variety of quick reference pieces and training tools. Many of these materials can be tailored to the needs of an individual library. These materials are supplied at no additional cost.

EBSCO has also developed a new resource on the Web, designed to meet documentation and reference needs. The EBSCOhost Reference Center contains valuable information from our manuals and other training materials. The EBSCOhost Reference Center will provide all the necessary information for instructing end-users and library staff on all features of the EBSCOhost research system including graphical/text overviews of how to use EBSCOhost from keyword searching to search history and a glossary of EBSCOhost terms. The EBSCOhost Reference Center will be offered to participants at no additional cost.

In addition, EBSCO offers the EBSCO_web listserv which broadcasts breaking news about EBSCO Publishing products, product innovations and upcoming conference events. This listserv details the ways in which EBSCO Publishing products may be used in various libraries, explains how EBSCO's databases are tailored to a library's specific needs and provides librarians with the latest product developments.

And, for future reference, the informational Web site for EBSCOhost is www.epnet.com. The primary features of this site include:

7. What customer and technical support is provided, including hours of operation.

EBSCO Publishing's Technical Services Division provides support for our products via telephone, e-mail, fax and the World Wide Web. EBSCO utilizes state of the art software and a staff of talented individuals to assist in our effort to resolve technical issues as expediently as possible.

Libraries may contact Technical Support with any technical questions regarding access to the EBSCO databases via EBSCOhost. All of EBSCO's technical support representatives are fully trained in all aspects of EBSCOhost access and would be able to help libraries answer any questions both quickly and efficiently. Technical Support can be reached Monday - Friday from 7:00am to 7:00pm EST and on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm EST. Technical Support can be reached by calling 800-758-5995. E-mail can also be sent to Technical Support at [email protected]. There is no additional cost for Technical Support service.

EBSCO Publishing's Technical Services Division is continually changing and improving the way that EBSCO provides service to our customers. Some of the most recent changes include the implementation of an interactive knowledge base. With EBSCO Publishing's Technical Support Knowledge Base, participants in the (insert library's name) can access a Web page and get answers to their own questions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some of the features of this service include a technical knowledge base containing interactive trouble shooting options; searching for support information by performing a "natural language" query; a session log recording current trouble shooting activity and a 24 hour e-mail contact system.

The purpose of this knowledge base is to provide EBSCO customers with a method to easily search for the solutions to common technical problems pertaining to EBSCO's software. The knowledge base currently contains over 100 of the most common problems/solutions presented in an easy to use interface. Customers can either choose one of the problems listed, follow the diagnostic questions, type in their problems using their own words or check the status of any unresolved problems. The customer will then be presented with solutions ranked by their relevancy. There is no additional cost for this service.

Customer Service Support is available for any questions regarding current subscription inquiries. Customer Service can be reached Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm EST by calling 800-653-2726. There is no additional cost for Customer Service help.

8. Describe the statistics you provide, and discuss whether your statistical reporting complies with guidelines developed by the International Coalition of Library Consortia which may be found at www.library.yale.edu/consortia/webstats.html .

EBSCOhost provides the ability to track usage and provide statistical reports on virtually any client/server communication. The library administrator will have the ability to access and control all user configurations and generate reports automatically on-site. Usage statistics can be used to measure how often titles and databases are searched. Title, database and session usage statistics can be collected for specific time periods (monthly or annually), limited to a specific data field (i.e. ISSN) and/or searched in a particular way (i.e. a database name or number of abstracts downloaded/printed).

Title Usage Statistics:

Library administrators will be able to monitor exactly which titles are being accessed with EBSCOhost and be able to determine:

Session Usage Statistics:

Library administrators will also be able to monitor session activity and be able to determine:

Database Usage Statistics:

Library administrators will be able to monitor and track database usage in the following areas:

9. Describe your pricing structure or formula for the product. If there are additional costs for retrieving full text, describe the pricing for this service. 

3/13/00 - State Library staff are working with vendor to provide price indicators.  Please check back!

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.

Libraries may be eligible for a discount once there are multiple institutions involved. The discounted amount would be dependent upon the types of institutions, the number of institutions and the databases being considered. Existing EBSCO customers, that wish to participate in a group purchase, may be eligible for a pro-rated credit for the unused portion of their subscription. This credit can be used towards additional EBSCO products or services.

11.  Please indicate whether libraries from Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and/or Hawaii would be eligible to participate in the group buying process.

Libraries from the Pacific Northwest states would be eligible to view the databases on trial and join any buying group that would be interested.

12.  Please provide name and contact information (toll-free telephone number, e-mail address, hours, etc.) should libraries wish to make further inquires.

JakeVaughan, Account Executive
800-653-2726 x347 
[email protected] 
8:30am - 5:00pm EST

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