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(Note from the Washington State Library: In order to participate in the Spring 2000 Washington State Databases Trial, each vendor was asked to address questions the Statewide Database Licensing Committee felt were most critical in order for library staff to evaluate products and vendors. Please contact the vendor's representative, listed below, for additional information on this product.)
1. Describe the database product(s). Include information on subject scope, percentage of full-text, dates of coverage, target audience (including age ranges), and how often the contents are updated.
SIRS
SIRS Knowledge Source, a resource from SIRS Mandarin, Inc. provides an integrated, online search environment for SIRS full-text reference databases – SIRS Researcher, SIRS Renaissance, SIRS Government Reporter and SIRS Discoverer Deluxe Link. Designed to enable successful searching across multiple databases, a single search locates pertinent full-text articles and graphics from all selected databases. In brief:
- SIRS Researcher – a general reference database with thousands of articles exploring social, scientific, health, historic, economic, business, political and global issues
- SIRS Renaissance – Current Perspectives on the Arts & Humanities provides current, dynamic information on music, literature, film, performing arts, culture, architecture, philosophy, religion and visual arts;
- SIRS Government Reporter – a source for current and historic government documents; U.S. Supreme Court decisions; information about federal departments, agencies, elected leaders and more;
- a link to the SIRS Discoverer Deluxe gives quick access to this children’s research database with a unique search interface designed specifically for children.
These databases are described in greater detail in the following pages.
This combination of databases makes a high-interest research tool for youth through adults. And, with SIRS Discoverer, meets the reference needs of children, ESL and learning disabled adults in the community. The four databases mentioned are comprised of full-text articles selected from more than 4,000 domestic and international magazines, newspapers, periodicals and U.S. government publications. Eighteen (18) supplemental "almanac" databases with information related to the topics are also provided. Merriam Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus is available throughout the SIRS Knowledge Source. SIRS Discoverer also includes a 26,000- article Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia.
Coverage
- SIRS Researcher (>98% full-text) has articles dating from 1988 to the present.
- SIRS Government Reporter (100% full-text) has documents dating from 1990 to the present.
- SIRS Renaissance (100% full-text) has articles dating from 1994 to the present.
- SIRS Discoverer (100% full-text) has articles dating from 1992 to the present.
Update Schedule
The databases are updated on a daily basis and are cumulative so that the historic nature of the database is maintained. The Today’s News articles are updated hourly by live news feed direct from Reuters News Service. Certain articles, such as encyclopedia, almanac, country facts and biographical articles, are updated as new information becomes available. SIRS Mandarin’s intent is to build cumulative databases.
Database Indexing
SIRS indexes all articles and has a Subject Search that includes more than 70,000 subject headings. The indexing of SIRS databases is performed by specialists who read each article and assign Library of Congress subject headings to the main ideas. Although Library of Congress is our primary authority, Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature is our secondary source, utilized for the names of persons, government agencies and current events. See and See also references add to the ease of using indexes; subheading direct the user to more specific research topics.
Database Selection Criteria
SIRS articles and documents are carefully selected from the thousands of publications reviewed by the SIRS Research Staff. Each week, staff members meet to discuss and follow the continuity of current events, enduring issues and educational concepts. Rather than reprint entire publications, which leads to irrelevant and redundant information, SIRS selects articles that:
- Monitor new developments and trends,
- Update topics already on the database,
- Cover issues of both national and global significance,
- Encompass documented information supported by research,
- Include a diversity of viewpoints on controversial issues,
- Offer comprehensive coverage of significant issues,
- Appeal to a wide range of interests and reading abilities,
- Supplement school curriculum,
- Utilize graphics, charts, photographs and illustrations to synthesize data and clarify concepts.
SIRS Researcher
SIRS Researcher is a general reference database, for a target audience of grade 7 through post-graduate, containing thousands of full-text articles exploring social, scientific, health, historic, economic, business, and political and global issues. Carefully selected articles from over 1,200 domestic and international magazines, journals, newspapers and U.S. government publications can be accessed instantaneously. Articles date from 1988 to the present. Many articles are accompanied by charts, maps, diagrams and illustrations. Information can be found in seven different databases: Full-Text Articles, the main database, and six supplemental databases – Today’s News, World Almanac Excerpts, Maps of the World, Spotlight of the Month, Directory of Publications and Campaign 2000.
High interest topics include:
Aging, AIDS, Alcohol & Drugs, Applied Science, Communication, Consumerism, Crime & Corrections, Death & Dying, Defense, Earth Science, Economics, Energy, Ethics, Ethnic Groups, Family, Food, Government, Habitat, Health, History, Human Rights, Life Science, Medical Science, Mental Health, Money, Physical Science, Pollution, Population, Privacy, Religion, School, Sexuality, Sports, Technology, Third World, Transportation, Women, World Affairs, Work and Youth.
SIRS Researcher also contains the following six supplemental databases:
- Excerpts from the World Almanac and Book of Facts 2000 include information about World History, Nations of the World and Major International Organizations;
- Maps of the World contains more than 300 colorful maps including the U.S., Canada, Regions and Nations;
- Today's News, a Reuters newswire service, which contains the top news stories of the day, is updated hourly. A keyword searchable archive that stores the top news stories of the previous 30 days is also available. Users can choose how they want the resulting list of news stories to appear – in reverse chronological date order or in order of relevancy;
- Spotlight of the Month is a collection of articles selected from the main database to encourage research and awareness of timely issues often relating to national events such as black history month, drunk driving awareness campaigns and/or a current national debate topic;
- Directory of Publications provides background information on 1,500 domestic and international magazines, newspapers and journals;
- Campaign 2000 is a dynamically-updated feature that offers the best and most relevant coverage and analysis of the 2000 presidential campaign.
SIRS Government Reporter
SIRS Government Reporter brings together a wide range of information published by and about our federal government for a target audience of grade 8 through post-graduate. The documents are indexed to more than 13,000 subject headings that date primarily from 1990 to the present. High interest topics explored include: Arts & Humanities, Domestic Affairs, Federal Procedures, International Affairs, Military Affairs and Scientific Research.
The information is presented in eight databases:
- U.S. Government Documents – the main database – delivers thousands of full-text documents and graphics from agencies, departments and commissions of the U.S. government. These documents provide valuable information concerning a wide variety of issues: health, science, economics, the environment, politics, foreign affairs, the workplace, business and industry.
- U.S. Supreme Court Decisions provides hundreds of full-text case documents dating back to the inception of the Court. Cases are selected for their Constitutional and/or social value;
- U.S. Justices Directory supplies statistical and anecdotal information on all past and current U.S. Supreme Court justices;
- Historic Documents contains hundreds of full-text documents and speeches of exceptional historic value;
- Congressional Members lists data on members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives;
- Federal Agency Directory supplies contact and background information for hundreds of federal departments and agencies, including Web addresses;
- Congressional Committees lists members of all Congressional Committees and Subcommittees;
- U.S. Presidents provides a brief biographical description accompanied by a portrait. Information about the families and libraries is also included.
SIRS Renaissance
SIRS Renaissance – Current Perspectives on the Arts and Humanities
This reference tool provides selected full-text articles from more than 800 domestic and international magazines and newspapers for a target audience of grade 8 through post-graduate. Coverage dates primarily from 1994 to the present. All articles are chosen to give researchers the most current and diverse information on the following topics:
- Architecture and Design
- Culture
- Film, Radio, Television and Video
- Literature
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Philosophy and Religion
- Visual Arts
Many articles are accompanied by full-color graphics, including art reproductions, photographs, illustrations and maps. Hundreds of articles contain biographical information on notable people. Articles are carefully indexed to more than 25,000 subject headings.
Four additional databases are provided:
- Award Recipients – listings of major award winners in all eight Arts & Humanities categories.
- Glossary of the Arts – extensively covers the terminology, symbols, ideas and people associated with the arts. Glossary entries are placed in historic, thematic and aesthetic context.
- Recommended References – annotated bibliography of suggested further readings in all eight categories.
- Lifetime Readings – features The New Lifetime Reading Plan, which includes brief introductions to more than 130 literary classics along with brief biographical information on the creators of these works. Additionally, the Going Further section provides facts about 100 other 20th Century writers.
SIRS Discoverer Deluxe
SIRS Discoverer Deluxe is an interactive reference tool for the young reader designed to make learning fun and intuitive. The program helps teach research, writing, language and computer skills. Articles fall under one or more of fifteen categories: Animals, Arts, Cultures, Drugs & Alcohol, Environment, Fiction, Health & Human Body, History & Government, Just for Fun, Notable People, Personal Growth, Science, Social Issues, Sports and Technology.
SIRS Discoverer Deluxe contains full-text indexed articles and graphics from more than 1,300 domestic and international magazines, newspapers and U.S. government documents. The articles date from 1992 to the present. Articles and graphics are carefully selected for their educational content, interest and level of readability. Based on its readability, each article is assigned to a reading level category: Easy (grades 1-4), Moderate (grades 5-7), or Challenging (grades 8 or above).
In addition to full-text articles, SIRS Discoverer Deluxe provides:
- The 26,000-article Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia;
- Country Facts – articles with facts on more than 85 countries, including colorful maps, flag, population statistics, government information, languages spoken, economic data and history. Also includes profiles and graphics on every U.S. state and Canadian province;
- The World Almanac for Kids – facts and information on a variety of topics including animals, the environment, history and the solar system;
- Photo Essays: depictions of social issues and global concepts through visuals accompanied by brief text;
- Activities – science experiments, crafts projects, writing assignments and more;
- Merriam-Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus – define the word you need, find the word you want;
- General Interest Biographies in three reading levels – Easy, Moderate & Challenging;
- Biographies of every United States president in two reading levels – Easy & Challenging;
- Spotlight of the Month – provides comprehensive articles focusing on a monthly topic chosen from Chase’s Calendar of Events;
- Current Events – updated daily with domestic and international news articles.
2. What are the hardware and software requirements for using all the features of the product?
Memory requirements to access the on-line service:
Netscape Navigator can operate in any of the following environments:
INTEL -- Windows 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98 & NT with 486 or above processor
APPLE MACINTOSH -- Macintosh System 7.x or MacOS, PowerPC Family, 68020 /30 or /40
UNIX -- DEC Alpha (OSF/1 2.0), HP 700 series(HP-UX 9.03), Silicon Graphics (IRIX 5.2)
IBM RS6000 (AIX 3.2), Sun SPARC (Solaris, SunOS 4.1.3)
System requirements Min. Processor Disk Space RAM, minimum RAM, recommended Windows 486SX 10MB 16MB 32MB Macintosh 68020 10MB 16MB 32MB UNIX n/a 10MB 16MB 32MB
System Requirements to run the Microsoft Internet Explorer:
- A personal computer, 486 processor or higher - Microsoft Windows 3.1 or 3.11 or Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.1 or 3.11 or higher
- At least 16 megabytes (MB) of memory - A VGA monitor or better - A mouse - A modem with a speed of at least 9600 baud or a LAN connection
- Connection & Interface is accomplished via Internet through any standard web browser interface
Following is the Minimum and Maximum modem transfer speed that should be used for connectivity:
SIRS recommends any modem above 28.8 BPS, but 14.4 is acceptable for text mode (all graphics are turned off by the user in the browser menu). All institutions that have a direct connection to the Internet do not need modems.
3. Is remote access included for the subscription price? If there are additional charges or requirements in order to offer remote access, please describe. What methods of remote access are supported?
Remote access is included in the license price.
Patron Access from Home via Two Methods
A. SIRS databases are available to remote users of a library providing that the library has an authentication system in place and access to licensed databases is on the library’s secured page.
B.In the event the library does not have an authentication system in place, a password will be provided upon request for librarian and patron home access. SIRS Mandarin, Inc. reserves the right to change the password every six months. Institutions will be notified via e-mail of password changes.
4. Please discuss any methods or assistance you offer regarding remote access patron verification and authentication.
Please refer to question 3.
5. What end user delivery options, such as printing, emailing or faxing results, are available beyond just viewing results on the computer monitor?
SIRS Knowledge Source search interface allows users to print, e-mail or download search results.
6. What customer training is provided, and at what cost?
SIRS Mandarin, Inc. employs a Regional Representative for the State of Washington who is available to train library staff at no additional charge. Schools will be trained at the district level, public libraries at the system level and colleges/universities at the site level. Training methods are flexible to accommodate available resources at the demonstration site. Instructional User Workshops will be held at annual conferences.
The databases also provide onscreen training material such as workbooks and Research Strategy Worksheets that are available via PDF format at no additional charge. An online training guide for SIRS Discoverer Deluxe is available directly through the database, with a similar online training guide for SIRS Researcher to be available within 60 days.
7. What customer and technical support is provided, including hours of operation.
Technical and Web support are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at 800- 232-7477. SIRS Customer Service is available Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the same toll-free number, as well as fax at 561-994-4704 or e-mail [email protected].
Patrons or staff can also submit online Technical Support feedback forms at any time. These forms are monitored and addressed via e-mail during SIRS regular business hours. If needed, the local SIRS Regional Representative can provide on-site basic technical support.
8. Describe the statistics you provide, and discuss whether your statistical reporting complies with guidelines developed by the International Coalition of Library Consortia which may be found at www.library.yale.edu/consortia/webstats.html .
SIRS Usage Statistics were originally constructed using the Guidelines for Statistical Measures of Usage of Web-Based Indexed, Abstracted and Full Text Resources developed by the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC). They comply with these guidelines.
SIRS provides statistics on a monthly basis. They are e-mailed each month to a designated contact. The statistics include:
SIRS Knowledge Source
- total accesses to all databases
- total sessions
- total number of references viewed
- total number of searches
- total for each type of search
- total accesses to almanac databases
- total number of summaries/descriptors viewed
- total number of sources viewed
- total number of graphics viewed
- total number of article e-mailed
- total accesses to the Search History
- total accesses to the Tagged List
- total accesses to the Dictionary/Thesaurus
- total accesses to the Help & Tips.
SIRS Discoverer Deluxe
- total accesses
- total number of reference materials viewed
- total number of searches
- total number of searches by type of search
- total number of full-text articles viewed
- total number of World Almanac for Kids keyword searches
- total number of World Almanac for Kids table of content searches
- total number of encyclopedia searches
- total number of Dictionary/Thesaurus searches
- total number of sources/summaries viewed
- total number of articles e-mailed
- total number of charts viewed
- total number of graphics viewed
- total accesses to Workbooks
9. Describe your pricing structure or formula for the product. If there are additional costs for retrieving full text, describe the pricing for this service.
Product
List Price
SIRS Researcher Online
via SIRS Knowledge Source
Annual Unlimited Site License$1,350.00
SIRS Government Reporter Online
via SIRS Knowledge Source
Annual Unlimited Site License$800.00*
SIRS Renaissance Online
via SIRS Knowledge Source
Annual Unlimited Site License$800.00*
SIRS Discoverer Deluxe Online
Annual Unlimited Site License$600.00*
* New or active SIRS Researcher licensees are eligible to receive a 50% discount off the list price of any other full-text SIRS database.** Active licensees to SIRS full-text databases are eligible to request one free back up CD-ROM. All back up CD-ROMs must be used at the same site as the original license.
10. What is the minimum participation level (however you care to define it) that would be needed to allow participating libraries to receive a discount? What is the minimum discount for a group buy? Please clarify how you would treat existing library customers with regard to a group buy.
Number of Sites SIRS Researcher Annual SIte License(per site) 1 - 4 $1,350 5 - 9 $1,215 10 - 19 $1,150 20 - 29 $1,080 30 and above custom quote Number of Sites SIRS Discoverer Deluxe Annual Site License (per site)* 1-4 $600 5-9 $540 10-19 $510 20-29 $480 30 and above custom quote Number of Sites SIRS Renaissance Annual Site License (per site)* 1-4 $800 5-9 $720 10-19 $680 20-29 $640 30 and above custom quote Number of Sites SIRS Government Reporter Annual Site License (per site)* 1-4 $800 5-9 $720 10-19 $680 20-29 $640 30 and above custom quote * New or active SIRS Researcher licensees are eligible to receive a 50% discount off the list price of any other full-text SIRS database.
Institutions receiving a group discount must submit purchase orders to SIRS Mandarin, Inc. in a single envelope.
Current licensees of SIRS online databases that have placed orders within four months of the contract date will be issued credit vouchers for the prorated amount of their license fee. This credit voucher will be mailed directly to current licensees who are purchasing under this contract. The voucher can be used for future orders and must be attached to the purchase order.
11. Please indicate whether libraries from Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and/or Hawaii would be eligible to participate in the group buying process.
SIRS Mandarin, Inc. is willing to allow libraries from Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and/or Hawaii to view our databases during the trial and participate in any buying group that may be established.
12. Please provide name and contact information (toll-free telephone number, e-mail address, hours, etc.) should libraries wish to make further inquires.
Libia Diaz, Inside Sales Representative
SIRS Mandarin, Inc.
P.O. Box 272348
Boca Raton, FL 33427-2348
Voice 800-232-7477 ext. 222
Fax 561-994-4704
E-mail [email protected]Elisa Hynds, Regional Representative
SIRS Mandarin, Inc.
P.O. Box 272348
Boca Raton, FL 33427-2348
Voice 800-232-7477 ext. 607
Fax 561-994-4704
E-mail [email protected]
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