Information Today
Volume 18, Issue 10 — November 2001
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Gale Group Program Allows Libraries to Own Electronic Archives

Gale Group has announced that librarians' concerns about the temporary nature of licensing electronic databases is being addressed in its new Electronic Archive Program. The plan allows libraries to purchase, rather than lease, electronic archives of such Gale content as Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, the Biography Resource Center, and Literature Resource Center.

"This program is a direct response to librarians' number-one concern about electronic data subscriptions," said Helen Wilbur, a Gale Group vice president and former librarian. "Electronic data provides wider access than print, but no preservation. This program is designed to provide the best of both worlds: preservation and access."

Customers of the Gale Electronic Archive Program will pay a one-time fee to purchase available backfile content through the end of the previous year. Gale will deliver the content in a standard tagged format via CD-ROM or ftp. Customers will also have the option to access their archive on a Gale Group server.

Since the information is dynamic, customers will also be able to purchase annual updates for their archive, an important option, according to Wilbur. "We'll regenerate the collection each year, integrating changes and adding new content. That will not only help to build an increasingly valuable archive, but will also ensure the collection will be readable in the most current technology," she said.

Gale is launching the Electronic Archive Program with a Charter Club that provides a 25-percent discount on archive orders placed before December 1, 2001. For more information about the Electronic Archive Program, call Gale Group at 800/877-GALE.

Source: Gale Group, Farmington Hills, MI, 248/699-4253; http://www.galegroup.com.

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