An electronic resource is defined as a resource which requires computer access or any electronic product that delivers a collection of data, be it text referring to full text databases, electronic journals, image collections, other multimedia products and numerical and graphical or time based, as a commercially available title that has been published with an aim to being marketed. These may be delivered on CD ROM, on tape, via internet and so on. Over the past few years, a number of techniques about related standards have been developed which allow documents to be created and distributed in electronic form. The resource on magnetic and optical media has a vast impact on the collections of university libraries.

1. E-resources access methode

2. E-resources
An electronic resource is defined as a resource which requires computer access or any
electronic product that delivers a collection of data, be it text referring to full text
databases, electronic journals, image collections, other multimedia products and numerical
and graphical or time based, as a commercially available title that has been published with
an aim to being marketed. These may be delivered on CD ROM, on tape, via internet and so
on.
 Over the past few years, a number of techniques about related standards have been
developed which allow documents to be created and distributed in electronic form.
 The resource on magnetic and optical media has a vast impact on the collections of
university libraries.

3.  There are several forms and types of electronic resources which are available on the
internet, some of the popular ones that are gaining ground are the electronic journals,
standards, technical specifications, reports, patents, full text articles, trade reports
and hosts of other document sources.
 Also the printed editions of scholarly journals are available on the web.
 The publishers of journals are themselves providing services like contents, abstracts
of articles, full text, before the actual printed edition is put on the stands.

4.  Majority of this kind of service providers are those publishers who have several journal
publications to their credit, e.g., Elsevier, Academic Press, Springer, Oxford University
Press, Taylor and Francis, Blackwell Science etc.
 Their services are available to anyone having access to RSS feed with free of cost. Some of
the journals are only available on commercial basis for which users have to pay for the
view and if needed, per copy for the print also.
 UGC-INFONET and INDEST- Consortium are two major initiatives that have come to the
rescue of academic libraries so that they can cater to the needs of academia with
reasonable subscription fee.

5. • Some e- resources are interactive
• E- resources have back ground music and animations
• E- resources do not require bindery and repair
• E- resources save human resources for shelving and rectification
• User cannot misplace e-books
• Text can be searched, except when represented in the form of images
• Hundreds or thousands may be carried together on one device. Approximately 500
average e-books can be stored on one CD

6. • Type size and type face may be adjusted
• E-resources can be used with text-to-speech software
• Distributed at low cost
• Distributed instantly, allowing readers to begin reading at once, without the need to
visit a bookstore
• No risk of damage, vandalism, etc. on the pages

7. Type of e-resources
E-Books
A digital version of a traditional print book designed to be read on a personal computer or an
e-book reader (a software application for use on a standardized computer or a book-sized
computer used solely as a reading device). E-book is a portable hard ware and software book
that can display a large quantity of readable textual information to the user. There are several
organizations which each offer open access to tens of thousands of e-books from a range of
different publishers. Examples are :
• DLIST (http://dlist.sir.arizona.edu/)
• Ebook4free.net (http://www.ebooks4free.net)
• Free-Books.org (http://www.free-books.org)

8. In addition, many commercial publishers are also providing access to their published
printed books likewise
• Elsevier Science Direct (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/books/all)
• Cambridge Book Online (http://ebooks.cambridge.org/home.jsf)
• Cambridge Collection Online (http://universitypublishingonline.org/cambridge/
companions/)
• Cambridge Histories Online (http://universitypublishingonline.org/cambridge/histories)
• Oxford Scholarship Online (http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/)
• SAGE e-Reference (http://knowledge.sagepub.com/)

9. E journals
 An e-journal is processed, published and distributed all over the world by electronic
network.
 Linking citations and references to bibliographic database or to full- text articles
improves its utility .
 Major electronic journal publishers are as following:
• JSTOR
• Blackwell Publishers
• Springer Verlag & Kluwer
• American Chemical society etc.

10. E-Zine
 E-Zine means electronic magazine and it is also called web- Zine.
 The articles that are stored in a file server may be distributed or accessed via a
computer network.
 Some examples of e-zine are:
• www.indiatoday.com
• www.musicindia.com etc.

11. E-Thesis and Dissertation (ETD)
 An ETD is an electronic document that explains the intellectual works or research of
a researcher.
 ETD provides a technologically advanced medium for expressing ideas with less
expense, small space, easy handling, high longevity and never collect dust.
 Examples:
• www.unesco.orb/webworldtd/contribution.html
• http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses
• www.geocites.com
• www.more.edu.sg

12. Electronic News Papers
 Like ETD, an electronic newspaper is a self-contained, reusable, and refreshable
version of a traditional newspaper that acquires and holds all information in the
newspaper electronically.
E-Reference books
 Many reference books are also brought out in CD-ROM formats and available online
through payment. There are a number of reference sources available freely on-line
through Internet.
 Examples :
• http://www.britannica.com/
• http://dictionary.cambridge.org/ etc.

13. CD-ROM
 A compact disk- read only memory is one of a series of devices.
 It is used to store large amount of structured data, bibliographic information, full text
information and images.
 In combination with web server, the network operating system also enable launching of
CD applications from web browsers, by clicking on hypertext links on a HTML page.

14. Databases
 Database is computerized record keeping system.
 The important thing is that a database allows storing data and getting it or modifying.
 There are two types of databases : Analytical Databases & Operational Databases
Analytical Databases are primarily static, read only databases, which store archived
historical data used for analysis.
Operational Databases allow to modify the data.
 These types of databases are usually used to track real-time information.

15. Organizing e-sources
Organizing e-sources is one of the important and crucial works to provide services to
the users of the library information system. In a modern digital library information
system, the professionals should have skills like computing, database management,
networking and other management skills relating to IT environment. Therefore, library
information professionals should keep in mind the following points while organizing the
e-resources
• To include those resources either in OPAC(Online Public Access Catalogue) or to
make different list for browsing;
• Organize the e-resources either by alphabetical or under specific subject headings for
browsing
• To set up gateway to e-resources for easy access

16. • To develop the institutional repositories for the institutional publications, journals and
proceedings papers
• To check the method of access to e-resources, abstracting or full, since most of the users
search the resources under subject heading predominantly
Organization of e resources should be in a such a way that the users could be able to retrieve
different sets of information records.

17. Evaluation of e-resources
 An ‘electronic resource’ includes electronic data available by
1. remote access
2. direct access fixed media
 Remote access refers to the use of electronic resources via computer
networks.
 Direct Access refers to the use of electronic resources via carriers
(e.g., discs/disks, cassettes, cartridges) designed to be inserted into a
computerized device or its auxiliary equipment.

18.  Evaluation of electronic resources can be done on the basis of publisher, vendor support,
database, licensing, duplication, content, accessibility, shorting options, authenticity,
accuracy, of the data base, information available in the database subscribed, coverage
etc.
 Following points can be noted while making a decision to subscribe an e-resource :
 Acquire refers to any electronic resource, remote or direct access, which
(1) The Library provides access to through official contractual, licensed, or other
agreements (any of these electronic resources may or may not be owned by or housed at
the Library) or
(2) The Library receives through its acquisitions processes (e.g., purchase, gift, exchange,
copyright deposit, ISSN requests, and transfer).

19.  Collect refers to electronic resources owned by the Library and selected for the
permanent collections. It may also include resources stored elsewhere for which the
Library has permanent ownership rights.
 Link refers to pointers from the Library’s web resources or bibliographic records to
remote access data.
 Archive refers to that process of maintenance in a secure and permanent digital
repository managed by the Library or for the benefit of the Library.

20.  Content : The resource should meet its stated goals and present a platform of robust
coverage of apparent research value.
 Added Value : The ability to make the resource available campus wide and accessible for the
Library’s teleworking staff is a high priority.
 Accessibility : If registration is required, it should be judged appropriate and be
accompanied by a privacy notice.
Provision of links to sources for the plug-in software should be provided, if needed

21. The policy should provide guidance to assist selectors in establishing the library’s
expectations and preferences in relation to :
 Technical Feasibility
 Availability, e.g., remote access, stand-alone access.
 Authentication, e.g., IP [Internet Protocol] filtering or login password.
 Hardware and software compatibility and capability.
 Storage and maintenance, e.g., remote hosting , local hosting.
 Platforms which facilitate access to e-resources.

22.  Functionality and Reliability
• Search and retrieval functionality, e.g., truncation, browsing, search history,
transliteration.
• Exporting and downloading, e.g., printing, e-mail, downloading to a machine, and
downloading to an electronic device.
• Sorting and ranking abilities for database results. For example: author, title, date,
relevancy, facets, etc.
• Interface, e.g., system intuitiveness, navigation, help and tutorials.
• Integration.
• Reliability and availability, e.g., response times, 24/7 access.

23.  Vendor Support
• User training and support.
• Trials and product demonstrations.
• Technical support and system notification process.
• Statistical reporting.
• Customization, e.g., branding.
• Provision of bibliographic data
• Data security and archiving policies.

24.  Supply
• Purchase model, e.g., purchase, subscribe, pay per view, rental.
• Pricing models
• Access options, i.e. single user, multiple users.
• Archiving and post termination rights.
• Maintenance fees.
• Cancellation rights.

25.  Licensing
• Model/Standard license.
• Governing laws.
• Liability for unauthorized use.
• Definition of authorized users; Definition of authorized sites.
• Fair use provision.
• Termination.
• Refunds.
• Period of agreement.

26. Conclusion
 E-resources are one of the important requirements in this present environment.
 It has made major changes in the library resources and its services. E-resources are
easily accessible; a user can access its required documents through different
databases, e-journals etc. subscribed in the library. It saves the time of the user in
searching required documents among the books, journals etc.
 A library must subscribe e-resources for better and latest information resources.
 Evaluation of e-resources is one of the important tasks of the librarian, because before
subscribing a database or e-journal, a librarian has to make sure many basic
requirements about the database or e-journal.

27. references
1. Dhanavandan, S. and Tamizhchelvan, M. (2012). “An Evaluation of E-Resources in
Academic Libraries in Tamil Nadu”. Journal of Emerging Trends in Computing and
Information Sciences. vol. 3, no. 3, March, pp. 421-422.
2. Meadow, C. T. (1988). “Back to the future: Making and interpreting the database
industry timeline”, Database, vol. 11, no. 5, p.1416.
3. Thornton and Glenda, A. (2000). “Impact of Electronic Resources on Collection
Development, the Roles of Librarians, and Library Consortia”, Library Trends, vol.
48, no. 4, Spring, pp. 843-844.
4. ALA (2002). Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Chicago: American Library
Association (ALA), the Canadian Library Association (CLA), and the Chartered
Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).
5. Library of Congress. (2008). op. cit., p.2. 8. Ibid., p.3.
6. Johnson and Sharon (2012). Key issues for e-resource collection development : A
guide for libraries, IFLA, pp.4-6.