Disappearing Databases

Going into the new fiscal year, Collection Anywhere has made some changes to the databases. There will be some replacements, as well as a couple outright cancellations. Read more to see the list:

AP Images has been cut. The reasoning: there are enough quality and authoritative images on the open web.

Biography and Genealogy Master Index will be cut June 21st. The reasoning: too many members reported being disappointed in the lack of full text. Yes, it says ‘index’ in the title but with all the other full text databases we offer, it’s easy to see how members would assume this was one too. Without full text, it simply isn’t useful to them.

DemographicsNow (disappearing June 21st) has been replaced with BusinessDecision. The reasoning: BusinessDecision does much of what DemographicsNow does but at a lower cost and with a more user-friendly interface.

Gale Artemis will be replaced with Ebsco’s Literary Reference Center Plus (coming soon). Artemis disappears June 21st. The reasoning: while Artemis is certainly a comprehensive literary criticism database, Literary Reference Center Plus offers much of the same content and has the benefit of sitting behind the Explora interface.

Historic Map Works will be cut May 31st. Try Sanborn Maps and HistoryGeo.com. The reasoning: low use, high cost, and a frustrating user experience.

NetAdvantage will be cut September 19th. The reasoning: poor usage and a frustrating user experience combined with reports that there is an overwhelming amount of business resources.

Action Steps:

• Check out some of the alternative resources
• Make any members who might frequently use any of these databases aware of their cancellations and offer alternatives