by the Management Committee of the Machine-Assisted Reference Section of the Reference and User Services Association
These guidelines are intended to assist librarians who provide and publicize new electronic information resources to users and potential users. This document applies to Web-based, networked, and stand-alone resources that users may directly or indirectly access in an electronic format. The guidelines primarily apply to electronic information resources provided for end users and secondarily to mediated services. They apply to resources created by the library, commercially licensed, or freely available. Directed at information service staff who coordinate and manage the introduction of new electronic information resources, this document offers practical guidance to any library staff concerned with strategies for implementation, policy, procedure, education, and/or direct provision of electronic information resources. Though intended for all types of libraries, not every statement will apply to a particular library or type of library. Accordingly, this checklist contains suggestions and recommendations that may be adapted to local library environments. These guidelines apply to the implementation of new resources that have already been selected by the library for purchase; processes for selection and purchase of new resources are not addressed in this document, although some of the same points may apply.
Available at http://www.ala.org/rusa/resources/guidelines/guidelinesintroduction