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arl-ereserve: definition

arl-ereserve: definition

definition

Jeff Rosedale (rosedale@columbia.edu)
Fri, 28 Mar 97 11:47:10 EST 

Date: Fri, 28 Mar 97 11:47:10 EST
From: Jeff Rosedale <rosedale@columbia.edu>
To: arl-ereserve@cni.org
Subject: definition
Message-Id: <CMM.0.90.4.859567630.rosedale@bonjour.cc.columbia.edu>


Sometimes the most basic questions are among the most important.  I
don't have a standard definition handy, but it's a good idea to try to
craft one.

In my travels I have found people with the mistaken impression that
the term electronic reserves can include something as simple as
including citations for hard copy reserves in an OPAC or automated
circulation of hard copy reserves.  These would certainly not be part
of my definition.

Relation to specific courses and direct support of instruction would be
included in my definition.  Many libraries use reserves as a catch-all
place to store anything that doesn't fit into the normal parameters of
collecting or circulation policy, but including materials not directly
related to courses would only muddy the waters.

I also would hesitate to confine the definition to digitized 
materials, since it is conceivable that an institution would want 
to corral a segment of course-related materials that includes 
pre-packaged items from publishers, vendors or archive sites 
alongside of things they have converted themselves, arrange them 
by course/instructor, and serve it up as an electronic reserves 
service.  This variability of the type and source of matierals also 
makes it impossible to say that e-reserves systems in general are 
either 100% fair use or 100% in need of copyright permissions.

So the central features of an e-reserve system would be the electronic
storage and transmission of course-related information; distribution
might be by LAN, Campus network, or Internet; display on a screen,
printing to paper and saving to disk are often allowed.  Beyond that it
seems that there are numerous variations- which is not surprising
considering the ideosyncracies of traditional reserves units.

Phew- that was supposed to be concise!  Anyone have something better
(I hope)?

                        --jeff
                rosedale@columbia.edu

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