A Study of the Impact of Statewide Database Licensing on Information Provision in Washington State

摘要

The Statewide Database Licensing (SDL) Project brought ProQuest, full-text periodicals and newspapers databases from Bell & Howell, to nearly every library in Washington State. The research presented here investigates the impact of statewide database licensing on the users of public, school and community college libraries. The study was conducted in two stages. At first, transaction log data from Bell & Howell were analyzed to provide a summary of statewide usage. Then, a study of how selected communities search and utilize information available through the SDL initiative was conducted using interviews, focus groups and a survey questionnaire.