Cambridge Scientific Abstracts |
Note from the Washington State Library: In order to participate in the Winter 2002 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). If you want us to link to more than one product, provide a unique description for each product. Be sure we know what information belongs with each product. If there are special hardware or software needs, please make sure you include them in this description. When you provide a description of your product, please go beyond the typical advertising brochure text. We are hoping for a thoughtful, descriptive paragraph that will enable someone unfamiliar with your product to understand the nature and coverage of your product. The more concise the description, the better.
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts publishes and licenses a wide variety of abstracts and Indexing databases covering all aspects of science, engineering, technology, social science, art and humanities. Databases are delivered through the Internet Database Service, featuring site-wide access with unlimited use. The Internet Database Service is a multi-functional search interface including features such as quick and advanced search screens, online thesauri, browsable indexes, search alerts, online serials source lists and several output options. Other features include the Web Resources Database, which provides searchable links to Internet information sources in the sciences; Recent References Related to Your Search, a citation-only current-awareness service; and full-text document acquisition features including Links-to-Fulltext and Link-to-Holdings modules.
Databases published by Cambridge Scientific Abstracts available through the service include:
Aerospace & High Technology Database
ARTBibliographies Modern
Aquatic Sciences & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA) Database
CSA Biological Sciences Database
CSA Biotechnology & BioEngineering Database
CSA Computer Information & Technology Collection
Complete Cambridge Sciences Collection
CSA Environmental Sciences & Pollution Management Database
CSA Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts
CSA Materials Science Collection with METADEX
Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts Database
Physical Education Index
CSA Sociological Abstracts
CSA Social Services Abstracts
CSA Technology Collection
CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts DatabaseDatabases by other publishers available through the service include:
AgeLine
AGRICOLA
Computer Abstracts International Database
EconLit
ERIC
FINDEX
GeoRef
IPA (International Pharmaceutical Abstracts)
MEDLINE
Microcomputer Abstracts
NLM TOXLINE
NTIS Database
PAIS
Paperbase
Polymer Library
PsycINFO
SOFTBASE
WELDASEARCH
Zoological Record Plus (ZR Plus)For more information about the Internet Database Service and specific databases available, go to
Using the Internet Database Service requires:
o Any hardware that will support a Web browser
o Access to the World Wide Web
o Netscape 3.0 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and above with JavaScript enabled. Modifications have been made to meet Netscape Navigator 3.0 Gold compatibility (8.3.1999). (Other Web browsers may also be adaptable to the Internet Database Service.)
2. 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? If applicable, please discuss any methods or assistance you offer regarding remote access patron verification and authentication.
CSA restricts access to Internet Database Service Accounts by IP address and username and password. Any user within the IP ranges of a subscriber is allowed access to the Internet Database Service at no extra charge. Remote access may be achieved through a proxy server which would be provided and maintained by the customer. As long as the proxy server is within the IP range specified, there would be no additional charge. In some special cases where there are very few remote access users, an account can have an open IP restriction and achieve access with a username and password and java scripting. An additional charge may be assessed depending on the number of remote access users.
3. What customer training is provided, and at what cost? Please include "freebies" such as Web-based tutorials, end-user documentation tents, cheat-sheets, etc.
CSA has staffed trainers that are available to conduct training sessions free of charge. User guides, database fact sheets and quick reference cards are available from CSA. In addition, they are available in PDF format on the web site. There are also help screens available from almost every screen of the interface.
4. What customer and technical support is provided, including hours of operation? In your reply, please include contact names (if applicable) or name of department, the phone numbers and e-mail addresses for your support services. If you have toll-free access to these support centers, please make sure they are available here.
Live customer service and technical support is available from 8:30am to 6:00pm, EST or EDT, at 1-800-843-7751. Queries for technical support can be sent to [email protected] and are generally answered by the next business day. Queries for customer service can be sent to [email protected] and are also answered the same day or by the next business day.
5. Please describe the statistics you provide, and discuss whether your statistical reporting complies in part or in whole with the guidelines developed by the International Coalition of Library Consortia found at http://www.library.yale.edu/consortia/webstats.html
CSA provides online usage statistics for all IDS accounts, which comply with the ICOLC guidelines. Each customer can access the statistics on our web site for their own account. Access to these usage reports is restricted by IP address and username and password. The usage report summarizes monthly usage in three parts:
- The first part reports the number of times your username and password were used to access the Internet Database Service each month. (Earliest available data is from September 1996)
- The second part shows a count of the number of searches that were submitted by persons accessing with your username and password. (Earliest available data is from April 1997)
- The third part reports the number of times each database was searched. Since it is possible to search more than one database with each submitted search, this count will be higher than the number of searches submitted. (Earliest available data is from September 1996).
All of this information can also be expanded to show the statistics broken down for each month within the date range specified.
6. Describe your pricing structure or formula for the product. If there are additional costs for retrieving full text, describe the pricing for this service. (Note: This question means - we want to know what your list prices are and how you calculate your prices: Based on FTEs? On buildings? On a combination, or on something else?)
If you cannot provide a standard price list that
would enable each library to understand their cost to subscribe, then
for each product you must tell us the list price that you would charge
these hypothetical libraries.
a. Library A: A high school library with 750 students in grades 9-12
b. Library B: A public library that serves a population of 100,000 and
has two branches
c. Library C: A public library that serves a population of 20,000 and
has only one building, no branches
d. Library D: A community college library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent
students
e. Library E: A four-year academic library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent
students
f. Library F: A hospital library serving a hospital that employees 1,000
staff plus has 200 doctors attached to the hospital
CSA has a published Price List for all of the databases that are offered on the Internet Database Service. CSA bases its pricing on site license access with unlimited concurrent users which is restricted by IP address. The site license is intended to cover the building or group of buildings associated with a single location for an institution. CSA offers Small Institution Pricing for academic institutions with an FTE of 3,500 or less. The Small Institution Price List is also a published price list and provides site license access with unlimited concurrent users using the same parameters outlined above.
Each database or database collection is priced differently ranging from $555 to $11,800.
CSA has a Document Acquisition Feature which allows subscribers to link to their catalog if it is in web format, link to full text for e-journal subscriptions that the customer has, link to ILL, and link to document delivery. There is no fee for the Document Acquisition Module.
7. If a library subscribes to any of your products as a result of this trial, will their future subscription rates continue to reflect any savings or discount they may receive today?
Yes, the discount determined at the time of initial purchase will be honored for successive renewals provided the original requirements for receiving that discount are still met. I.e., number of participating institutions, or minimum purchase amount for a dollar-volume discount.
8. 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? How will you treat existing library customers with regard to a group buy?
A dollar volume discount will be offered with a minimum of 5 new participating institutions (does not include existing customers). All participating institutions must have coinciding subscription cycles in order to be eligible for the group discount. The discount structure for the dollar-volume discount is as follows:
Amount of Purchase Discount $0-50,000 10% $50,001-99,999 15% $99,999 and over 20% Discounts are NOT retroactive. The Discount Threshold established at time of initial purchase is the discount that will be extended to existing customers at time of renewal.
9. Please provide the name and contact information (toll-free telephone number, e-mail address, hours, etc.) for libraries to make further inquires. (Sales representatives for our area preferred.)
Shannon Brooks
Sales Supervisor, Mountain and Midwest Region
Phone: (303) 861-0330
Email: [email protected]
Hours: 8 AM-6 PM M-F
Headquarters in Bethesda, MD toll-free phone: 800-843-7751