Collection Guidelines - Collection Development
Selection criteria for linking to websites
Websites can provide valuable information that supports the teaching and research areas of the University. Careful selection is required in terms of recommending a link in the library catalogue or on Library Resource Guides as websites can vary greatly in quality and stability.
Websites selected for linking should meet the general guidelines provided in 'Selection Criteria for the Acquisition of Information Resources' and 'Selection Criteria for the Acquisition of Electronic Information Resources'. In addition, websites should be assessed for the following specific criteria:
Content:
- provide informative, accurate, up to date and preferably authoritative content
- have direct relevance to teaching and research areas of the University
- offer factual information rather than commercial information
- offer content that is not duplicated in other resources already available
Access:
- must not be subject to any fees or payments
- shuold provide a stable, direct link
- should use standard multimedia formats
Terms and conditions of use :
- must not have specific terms or conditions other than general copyright statements that are no more restrictive than under Australian copyright law.
Note: any exceptions will require further investigation by the Electronic Resources Librarian and clearance by the University's Solicitor's Office. This will only be undertaken for resources identified as essential for teaching or research. The ability to negotiate terms or conditions of use for website resources is often highly limited.
- should preferably not require user registration
The following categories of websites should normally NOT be linked via the library catalogue or Library Resource Guides.
- websites that contain specific terms or conditions of use apart from general copyright statements
- websites that offer little content beyond contact details
- websites designed for temporary information or specific events
- websites whose primary purpose is to advertise products or services rather than communicate information
- websites with poor access or unstable access
- websites that require special equipment or browsers
- websites that are largely in a language other than English
- personal websites
All requests for linking to websites via the library catalogue should be sent to the electronic access email (electronic.access@deakin.edu.au) where they will be evaluated against the above criteria before access within the catalogue is created.
Regular reviews of links to gratis internet resources should be undertaken to ensure continued accuracy, quality and relevance to the University's teaching and research program.
