British Library Catalogue, &c. (formerly ESTC)

Dave Postles (pot@leicester.ac.uk)
Mon, 6 Mar 1995 08:39:55 +0000

One of the problems with subscription to the British Library Catalogue is
that it seems to encompass access to the whole BLAISE network. On the
positive side, they do provide a subscription rate for institutions but
then one has to pay for access per hour on top of that. Our library
here has no problem with the annual subscription to the catalogue but
refuses to pick up the tab for per hour searches. Either way, it could
be viewed as good value as compared with some of the alternatives
available on this side of the world.

Treating of another aspect to this question, the net very often only
really gives the illusion of increased access rather than the substance.
For example, if I send a message to the Center for Research Libraries in
Chicago asking to borrow microfilms, I will still be told I have to
perform that operation through Inter-Library Loan services and that the
number of reels of film I can borrow in a year is pre-set, to about 12.
On top of that, they are extremely nervous about sending material outside
the USA. The access to catalogues available on the net is promising us
more than the institutions linked to it can really deliver.

Simon Stevenson,
School of Cultural & Historical Studies,
Faculty of Humanities,
Griffith University,
Nathan Campus,
AUSTRALIA Q4111 e-mail: s.stevenson@hum.gu.edu.au

On Sat, 4 Mar 1995, Dave Postles wrote:

> It's good to know from Margaret de Lacy's note that she and presumably
> others are protesting about the pricing policies of Research Library
> Group etc. I wish someone had the know-how to protest about
> the costs of access to the British Library catalogue also. Or does the
> RLG control this too? These vast resources have been accumulated by
> generations of scholars after all - not by business managers: they are
> our birthright.
>
> Vic Gatrell, Cambridge
>
> vag1000@hermes.cam.ac.uk
>