However, with the ever increasing competition for fewer research dollars, researchers need to know what is currently being explored so that time and energy is not wasted on duplicate results. This course will review these resources and the techniques used for locating and using them. The growth of the Internet as a publishing medium has produced a wealth of scientific resources, many available for free, and some never available in any other format. These include preprint servers, numerical and bibliographic databases, research in progress home pages, and electronic journals. Tracking, evaluating, and presenting these resources to our patrons in an easily comprehensible way has been difficult, and is nearly impossible for the individual information provider.
Cooperative programs can provide much of the answer.
Cooperatives involve a number of volunteer individuals, most information professionals with a similar collection emphasis, who can each provide a piece of the tracking and evaluative process. These individuals and their patrons benefit from the high quality product produced by the cooperative. This course will address these challenges in a practical, case-orientated manner. A full-day presentation dealing with the practical issues of managing a successful web server.