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Policies: Internet Policy
As part of our continuing role to support the curricula and the research needs of the faculties of National Cathedral and St. Albans schools, the St. Albans and National Cathedral School librarians have agreed to pursue a cooperative approach to identifying quality Internet resources and cataloging them into the Cathedral Library system. The overall goal of this policy is to:
- reduce the workload for individual librarians by sharing knowledge and information that will help us determine which Internet resources will enhance the CLS collection
- ensure quality control for the selection, classification and cataloging of Internet sites.
Unlike print materials, Internet resources are not subject to an evaluative process before they are “published”. It is important that all of us be critical and highly selective when recommending Internet sites to our users. We also agree that a link to a Web site from CLS does not imply endorsement of the contents of that site or of a particular point-of-view. Member librarians reserve the right to add or remove links at any time for any reason. Our goal is to build a collection of Internet links that will serve the members of the NCS and STA community. CLS recognizes that links acceptable to one person or group may not be acceptable to another, but no group has the right to impose its standards on others. Users may comment on or provide suggestions for links. Users are also welcome to bring broken links and outdated or inaccurate material to the attention of a librarian.
To create an orderly plan for collecting and cataloging Internet sites, the following criteria can be used to facilitate future collection development.
Selection Criteria
Authority |
Include sites sponsored by universities, government or professional associations that offer some commitment to authoritative information and perpetuation of their sites |
Accuracy |
Select sites that contain information, seem error-free and provide bibliographic information, when appropriate. |
Diversity |
Choose sites that are representative of many different religious, ethnic and cultural groups. |
Content |
Provide sites that are sound research sources with substantive content, written or compiled by scholars, professionals, government officials, librarians, or other experts, they should enrich and support the curriculum. |
Ease of Use |
Include sites that are easy to navigate, presented in logical and reasonably sized units, do not require user registration, provide online help and that provide Boolean logic and search engines when appropriate. |
Accessibility |
Select sites that are usually “active” or have accessible mirror sites and have a fast response time. |
Objectivity |
Choose sites that do not reflect an evident bias and represent viewpoints that are important to understanding the subject matter. |
Currency/Timeliness |
Provide sites that are up to date and contain a publication date, or last revised date. When appropriate, the site should be updated frequently and contain few “dead-end” links. |
Costs & Copyright |
Exclude sites which charge fees or violate copyright restrictions. |
Subject Scope Guidelines
Reference Resources |
Search for general and discipline-specific sites containing either statistics, primary sources, interactive media, multimedia or biographical information . |
Full-Texts |
Search for research reports, legislation, documents, journal articles and complete books when appropriate. |
Comprehensive Indexes |
Search for comprehensive indexes in various academic disciplines. |
Online Instruction |
Search for sites that contain multimedia texts, online instruction and techniques for incorporating technology into teaching. |
Professional Organizations |
Search for sites containing lists of professional organizations and associations. |
Frequent Requests |
Search for sites that provide information for frequent information requests such as colleges. |
Class Assignments |
Search for sites to supplement the book collection about frequently assigned topics such as gun control, creationism versus evolution, and euthanasia. |
Library Reference Needs |
Search for sites that assist in answering reference questions, provide cataloging information or include helpful library science and information studies materials. |
Special Instructive Sites |
Search for sites that enhance student learning and teach critical thinking skills. Sample site: “The Soundry” (an interactive site about the Physics of Sound) |
Subject Scope Guidelines
- Is the site an appropriate level for the research that my school's students and/or faculty need?
- Does the site support a course of study that is presently being offered?
- Does the site fill a gap in the collection?
- Does the site contribute to student learning?
Cathedral Library System Selection and Cataloging Procedures
Overall Goals
- Maintain the bibliographic integrity of the Cathedral Library System.
- Ensure quality control for the selection, classification, and cataloging of Internet sites.
- Share the responsibility for classifying and cataloging of Internet sites.
- Collaboratively build a collection of Internet sites that will enhance the print collections of NCS and STA libraries.
Procedures
Each quarter one library will assume responsibility for the following:
- Confirming that all submitted Web sites satisfy the criteria for inclusion in CLS.
- Verifying that all submissions have appropriate identifying fields and Library of Congress Subject Headings.
- Entering the Web sites into Winnebago using Marconnect.
- Notifying submitting libraries that their Web sites have been inputted.
- Running a Web site checker program for one quarter to determine whether sites have either changed their addresses or removed their site.
- Notifying the contributing library about unresponsive sites so that they may remove them or locate an equivalent one.
Internet Collection Development Tools
The following journals and Web sites are considered for selecting an Internet site for inclusion in the Cathedral Library System: Classroom Connect American Libraries, Booklist, Library Journal, School Library Journa l, Homework Central (http://www.homeworkcentral.com)
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