evaluate

Database Service Evaluation

Relevant publications:

Product Evaluation Report and Tool Kit. ISBN 978-1-904769-14-4 - April 2007 © Free Pint Limited (7/5/07)

Liblicense: Licensing Digital Information: a resource for librarians. Yale University Library, Commission on Preservation and Access, Council on Library Resources. (US)

Joint Information Systems Committee & Publishers Association Working Party Proposed 'Model Licence' Between UK Universities and Publishers July 1997

Evaluating Web Sites for Educational Uses: Bibliography and Checklist. Compiled by: Carolyn Kotlas, MSLS, Institute for Academic Technology

Issues which deserve consideration when evaluating online services:

content, coverage, currency (all can be compared with the same data in other formats),
access (method, hours etc), interface, search capabilities, response times, reliability, support of multiple platforms,
downloading, printing, emailing,
pricing, licensing terms
Usefulness of the content to UWA's [or your library's] clients
Quality of the content (comprehensiveness, currency, accuracy, etc.)
Quality and reliability of the software and system

does the interface work as advertised? (are there bugs, glitches and eccentricities?)
is the system always available for use on the schedule agreed to by the vendor?

Cost
Response time during interactive use
Ease of use (overall design of the search interface)
Features (e-mail, Boolean logic, search by fields, proximity operators, etc.)
Availability of support. This would include online assistance, hot line,documentation and training material
Regular supply of meaningful usage statistics