CultureGrams

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.

CultureGrams is a series of concise, accurate, timely cultural information designed for educational reference, available in traditional print or online/server editions. The product line includes:
CultureGrams Standard Edition: searchable information updated annually on more than 175 countries of the world. Includes coverage of the following: History, Customs, Lifestyle, Government, etc. Additional web features include Native Voices (sound files of natives speaking common words and phrases), Recipes, Photo Tours, Current Weather, etc.
CultureGrams Kids Edition: a resource designed to help children of all
ages learn about cultural and historical information for 50 countries. The library includes current information on Climate, Population, Languages, Holidays, Education, Government, Money, etc.
StateGrams: a reference resource for elementary-age children featuring all 50 states. The library includes each state's Climate, Geography, Resources and Economy, History, Population, Government, etc.

All products include the option to download a 4-page PDF that is all
inclusive of the country/state content.

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.

Remote access is included for the subscription price. Remote access, which is available for an additional fee of $50 per branch or school per year, requires a username (specified by the subscriber) and a password (specified by CultureGrams). Methods of remote access include the option of a School/Library/Site Welcome page, followed by a username/password box. Upon username/password verification, the user is allowed into the secured site.

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.

CultureGrams web and server editions are designed to be as simple and navigable as a website. Clickable maps, clear navigational menus, built-in search engine, and other features make the product as easy for early elementary school students to use as it is for teachers to use. We provide installation and use instructions, plus technical support.

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.

Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mountain Time
Toll-free: 1-800-528-6279
E-mail support also available at: [email protected]

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

We do not currently provide usage statistics to the user, but CultureGrams does remotely monitor general usage statistics for our internal use.

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

The pricing structure for CultureGrams online products depends on the amount of users, buildings, as well as length of subscription. We provide discounts for multiple buildings, multiple year subscriptions, as well as if a library can pay in advance for all multiple year subscriptions. Because our pricing is very specific on each situation, the following is an idea of the list price for each hypothetical library:

Library A: A high school library with 750 students in grades 9-12

Pricing for a one-year site license, including CultureGrams Standard Edition, CultureGrams Kids Edition, and StateGrams Kids Edition, for a high school library of 750 students would cost $499.00. If this library would like Remote Access, where students and teachers can access CultureGrams online information from home, it would cost an additional $50.00 and the total price would be $549.00.

Additional discounts are also available for a three or more year subscription. For example, a three-year site license subscription would cost $1,347.00 or $449.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). A five-year site license subscription would cost $1,995.00 or $399.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). Although we do allow billing on a year-by-year basis for multiple year subscriptions, an additional 10% discount will be taken off an order if you are able to to prepay for a multiple year site license.

b. Library B: A public library that serves a population of 100,000 and has two branches

Pricing for a one-year site license, including CultureGrams Standard Edition, CultureGrams Kids Edition, and StateGrams Kids Edition, for a public library system with 100,000 patrons, a main library, and two branches would cost $2,446.90 or $815.63 per branch. If this library would like Remote Access for their patrons, it would cost an additional $50.00 and the total price would be $2,596.90 or $865.63 per branch.

Additional discounts are also available for a three or more year subscription. For example, a three-year site license subscription would cost $6,606.00 or $2,202.00 per year or $734.00 per branch per year (simply add $50 per branch per year for Remote Access). A five-year site license subscription would cost $9,795.00 or $1,959.00 per year or $653.00 per branch per year (simply add $50 per branch per year for Remote Access). Although we do allow billing on a year-by-year basis for multiple year subscriptions, an additional 10% discount will be taken off an order if you are able to prepay for a multiple year site license.

Library C: A public library that serves a population of 20,000 and has only one building, no branches

Pricing for a one-year site license, including CultureGrams Standard Edition, CultureGrams Kids Edition, and StateGrams Kids Edition, for a public library with 20,000 patrons and one building would cost $999.00. If this library would like Remote Access for their patrons, it would cost an additional $50.00 and the total price would be $1,049.00.

Additional discounts are also available for a three or more year subscription. For example, a three-year site license subscription would cost $2,697.00 or $899.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). A five-year site license subscription would cost $3,995.00 or $799.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). Although we do allow billing on a year-by-year basis for multiple year subscriptions, an additional 10% discount will be taken off an order if you are able to prepay for a multiple year site license.

Library D: A community college library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent students

Pricing for a one-year site license, including CultureGrams Standard Edition, CultureGrams Kids Edition, and StateGrams Kids Edition, for a community college library with 5,000 full-time students would cost $1,048.00. If this library would like Remote Access for their patrons, it would cost an additional $50.00 and the total price would be $1,098.00.

Additional discounts are also available for a three or more year subscription. For example, a three-year site license subscription would cost $2,832.00 or $944.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). A five-year site license subscription would cost $4,195.00 or $839.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). Although we do allow billing on a year-by-year basis for multiple year subscriptions, an additional 10% discount will be taken off an order if you are able to prepay for a multiple year site license.

e. Library E: A four-year academic library serving 5,000 full-time equivalent students

Pricing for a one-year site license, including CultureGrams Standard Edition, CultureGrams Kids Edition, and StateGrams Kids Edition, for a four-year academic library with 5,000 full-time students would cost $1,048.00. If this library would like Remote Access for their patrons, it would cost an additional $50.00 and the total price would be $1,098.00.

Additional discounts are also available for a three or more year subscription. For example, a three-year site license subscription would cost $2,832.00 or $944.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). A five-year site license subscription would cost $4,195.00 or $839.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). Although we do allow billing on a year-by-year basis for multiple year subscriptions, an additional 10% discount will be taken off an order if you are able to prepay for a multiple year site license.

f. Library F: A hospital library serving a hospital that employees 1,000 staff plus has 200 doctors attached to the hospital

Pricing for a one-year site license, including CultureGrams Standard Edition, CultureGrams Kids Edition, and StateGrams Kids Edition, for a hospital library with 1,000 staff employees and 200 doctors would cost $1,756.00. If this library would like Remote Access for their patrons, it would cost an additional $50.00 and the total price would be $1,806.00.

Additional discounts are also available for a three or more year subscription. For example, a three-year site license subscription would cost $4,740.00 or $1,580.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). A five-year site license subscription would cost $7,025.00 or $1,405.00 per year (simply add $50 per year for Remote Access). Although we do allow billing on a year-by-year basis for multiple year subscriptions, an additional 10% discount will be taken off an order if you are able to prepay for a multiple year site license.

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?

No.

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?

There is no group buying agreement currently in place beyond corporate and educational district or headquarters' level buys, which are based on market type and total usage. Pricing follows the matrix briefly outlined above.

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.)

Joseph Pacini
(801) 705-4357
[email protected]