Testing, Testing...Managing Electronic Access in Disparate Times

摘要

Over the last several years, the Electronic Access Committee of Perkins Library at Duke University has tested many new types of electronic resources and services before making them available to campus users at large. A team of colleagues from the library systems and public services departments has examined software for online catalogs, CD-ROMs for standalone installations, CD-ROMs for local networks, and remote databases available over a wide range of connections. Each of us has been involved in different aspects of the testing process, from setup to intellectual analysis. This testing has necessitated a deeper understanding by all into how networks, operating systems, software, and peripherals work together or, as we sometimes discover, do not work together.