Current Resource Trials

Davidson College Library works with electronic resource publishers and vendors to provide temporary access to resources that faculty express interest in using for their research and/or instruction. Electronic resource trials are the preferred method to assess materials for potential purchase or subscription.

Examples of electronic databases could include collections of ebooks, ejournals/newspapers, streaming video, primary source databases, abstract and indexing databases, or other platforms that provide access to unique materials. These resources are generally costly and can extend across multiple fiscal years. Most require significant work on the part of library staff to configure and maintain access.

Request for Trial: Please allow 1-2 weeks for trial coordination/setup. This provides adequate time to gather necessary information, price quotes, confirm access, and accounts for any delays on the vendor side.   

Trial Length: Typically a maximum of 30 days set by agreement between the vendor and library staff. We will make every effort to extend access in order to better evaluate the resource.  

Decision to Purchase: Please allow for 60-90 days for a final determination to purchase/lease a resource. This provides staff with enough time to gather feedback from faculty and/or students, evaluate licensing terms, negotiate pricing/licenses, consider short-term and long-term budget implications, and allows the library to evaluate the request alongside other resource/collection needs.  

Start Dates - New Resources: When possible, we prefer to initiate new subscriptions to align with existing resource subscriptions and/or fall in line with budget planning timelines. Most of our resource subscriptions renew on a fiscal year cycle (July 1) or calendar year cycle (January 1). In certain cases, we may be able to negotiate a timeline that both meets the needs of faculty/students and the library.

Once it is determined that a resource is available to trial and meets the criteria for library access including multi-user and authentication methods, the Collections Strategist and Discovery Librarian will work with the vendor/provider to coordinate access for the trial. See the section above outlining expectations on timing for trial activation. Upon trial activation, the library will notify the requesting faculty that the resource is live and the link and resource description will be added to the library A-Z Databases list and Current Trials guide.   

Occasionally the library will arrange for the vendor to demonstrate the product in a webinar or live demonstration to interested faculty/students/staff during the trial. These demonstrations can provide expertise in navigating the platform and ensuring all aspects of the resource are accessed during the trial period to facilitate thorough feedback and evaluation.   

At the conclusion of the trial, the Collections Strategist and Electronic Resources Librarian will collect relevant information, including but not limited to usage data from the vendor and feedback from faculty/students/staff who used the resource over the trial period. Feedback from requesting faculty is an important part of our assessment process and therefore required in order for the library to fully determine a resource’s value to the academic success of our students. Survey questions include evaluating the benefit of the content to our collection and ease of navigation on the platform. Additional comments including how the faculty will use the resource are beneficial to the evaluation process.