Electronic Resources

Policy Type
Policy Audience

POLICY:

The Council Bluffs Public Library strives to provide materials to meet the cultural, informational, educational and recreational needs of the community in a variety of formats, including as electronic resources.

PROCEDURE:

  • Electronic resources encompass digital content including downloadable, externally accessible, and in-house only access.
  • Traditional selection criteria outlined in the Library Collection Management Policy (2.1) apply to the selection of electronic resources. However, due to the unique nature of electronic resources, additional consideration is also applied.  Not all criteria need to be met in order for an electronic resource to be selected.  Criteria includes:
    • Cost and sustainability, including one-time cost, ongoing costs, and subscription costs
    • Necessary for accreditation
    • Potential usefulness to our community
    • Search functionality
    • Technical considerations
    • Uniqueness of content
    • Usability and accessibility
    • User-friendly interface
  • Since electronic resources represents an ongoing financial commitment that can increase annually, the Library will regularly evaluate each resource based on its value to the community relative to its cost.  The evaluation of electronic resources is designed to ensure that the collection has met the goals and mission of the Library.  Through this process, electronic resources may be added or cancelled.  Many factors inform this review, including but not limited to cost, usage, overlap of content, and relevance to the community. 
  • While the Library endeavors to provide access to information of the highest quality, the Library specifically disclaims any warranty as to the information's accuracy, timeliness, authoritativeness, usefulness or fitness for a particular purpose.
  • The Library shall have no liability for direct, indirect or consequential damages related to the use of information accessed through the Library's Internet service, databases, or website.
  • The availability of information via the Library’s Internet service does not constitute endorsement of the content of that information by the Library.

Adopted: May 1999

Amended & Reapproved: July 19, 2000; May 21, 2003; March 16, 2005; September 21, 2005; September 16, 2009; February 15, 2012; February 18, 2015; June 21, 2017; March 18, 2020; August 18, 2021

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