Endorsed by the Council of New Jersey College and University Library Directors, the VALE concept was developed by a 28-member group called the VALE Task Force. Members include representatives from all sectors of New Jersey higher education as well as the New Jersey State Library, the New Jersey Library Association, NJIN and several electronic database vendors. Once established, the VALE Task Force will be replaced by a nine-member Steering Committee composed of directors from the participating libraries. This group will be charged with responsibility for the ongoing operation and growth of VALE, including budgetary accountability and planning for future funding sources.
Academic information professionals throughout the state have enthusiastically endorsed the VALE concepts and look forward to the opportunity to expand their collaborative efforts to achieve new levels of information access and resource sharing unknown in New Jersey. In doing so, New Jersey academic information professionals will join their colleagues in Georgia, Virginia, Ohio and elsewhere who have successfully harnessed the benefits of collaboration and information technology to acquire cost-effective statewide databases.
The New Jersey Virtual Academic Library Environment (VALE)
Introduction
The Virtual Academic Library Environment (VALE) initiative described in this proposal seeks funding under the provisions of the Higher Education Technology Infrastructure Fund for the purposes of improving access to information among New Jersey's public and private academic libraries. By leveraging capital outlays and technology investments and the collaborative harnessing of new information technologies, all institutions of higher education will have significantly improved access to the information resources each needs to support their teaching, research and service missions. Bond funds and their matching dollars will be used to expand and upgrade local library technology infrastructure, acquire and make available statewide electronic resources and enhance resource sharing among all participants.
Developed under the aegis of the New Jersey Intercampus Network (NJIN), the VALE proposal
complements another NJIN-initiated proposal calling for improved telecommunications
networking services. Several scenarios, which focus on higher education data and video transport needs, are being investigated by the NJIN Intercampus Connectivity Committee. This NJIN
proposal will seek to provide superior and cost effective access to the Internet. Thus
positioned, New Jersey institutions of higher education will gain greater bandwidth and higher
speed telecommunications at lower costs-- necessities for the increased educational demands for
multimedia and interactive video services.
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VALE Background and Principles
The VALE initiative, begun as a grassroots project among New Jersey academic librarians in the winter/spring of 1997, builds upon the ongoing efforts of the Council of New Jersey College and University Library Directors to expand and improve resource sharing. A group of librarians, recognizing that an astounding number of new academic electronic resources were becoming available each year and that significant improvements in local access and delivery could be made through collaboration, worked to put together a virtual library concept for New Jersey. A planning meeting held at Rutgers University on March 27 was attended by more than 80 library, computer center and network professionals from 42 institutions across the state. The group enthusiastically endorsed the concept of developing a virtual library network linking together all public and private institutions of higher education for the purpose of improving access to information in the pursuit of academic excellence. More than 40 of the 80 participants volunteered to take part in the planning and development of the proposed library network.
The grassroots nature of the VALE initiative, coupled with the overwhelming enthusiasm of the academic librarians to work towards its fulfillment, demonstrates the critical need for a VALE project in New Jersey at this time. No academic library, private or public, can provide the depth and breadth of information resources needed to support its academic programs. This economic need, combined with the opportunities provided by collaboration and technology, have led to successful statewide academic initiatives in many other states, including Georgia, Ohio, Virginia, Texas and Louisiana, to name just a few. It is imperative that New Jersey libraries join together and use the synergy of their collaborative efforts to achieve, through VALE, a network of information resources far greater than the sum of individual library efforts.
VALE planning efforts continued through the spring months and at its April meeting, the Executive Board of the New Jersey Intercampus Network (NJIN) voted to adopt the VALE project as one of its major initiatives. NJIN is a non-profit educational organization whose goal is to foster the use of information technology and access to information technology for the purposes of teaching, learning, service and scholarship. NJIN's endorsement of the grassroots VALE effort provided a formal organizational structure for VALE planning efforts to continue.
From its beginning, the VALE initiative was based upon three underlying principles: dedication
to academic excellence, the effective use of information technology to enhance teaching and
learning and a commitment to cost efficiencies through collaboration and resource sharing.
These same three principles are espoused in Looking to the New Millennium: New Jersey's Plan
for Higher Education, the 1996 document which sets forth a vision for New Jersey higher
education as it prepares for the 21st century.
Academic Excellence
As a higher education initiative, the VALE project is committed to furthering the academic goals
of New Jersey's public and private institutions by providing the information resources necessary
for teaching, learning and scholarship at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As a
network of academic libraries, VALE promotes the use of information resources beyond the
classroom setting for purposes of ensuring life-long learning and for promoting linkages to K-12
schools and public libraries. In these ways VALE embraces one of the characteristics of
excellence set forth in the New Millennium which "places teaching and learning at the core of its
mission, preparing individuals for fulfilling lives, rewarding careers, and lifelong learning" (p.4).
Effective Use of Information Technology
Recent advances in information technology and telecommunications have provided libraries with significant new methodologies for delivering information resources to students and faculty. Electronic databases may be searched simultaneously by hundreds of users in remote locations using sophisticated retrieval features. Users are no longer confined to library buildings or hours of operation as database searches may be conducted from dorm rooms, offices and homes 24-hours a day.
For the VALE project, the development of web-based and other Internet-accessible
databases means that academic libraries across New Jersey can collaborate on database
acquisitions and leverage their collective buying power with other consortia, thus providing
access to information resources beyond that which any single institution could provide on its
own. In concrete terms, it is no longer necessary for each and every academic library in the state
to purchase print copies or electronic databases such as Biological Abstracts at $9,000 per year;
rather, a single, statewide license can be purchased and provide users across the state with
simultaneous, unlimited remote use of a single database located almost anywhere. By harnessing
the benefits of information technology to support higher education, VALE endorses another
characteristic of excellence as stated in the New Millennium, for it "uses and advances
technology to enhance the communication of ideas and improve access and efficiency of program
delivery" (p.5).
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Cost Effectiveness Through Collaboration
A decades-old principle of academic librarianship has been the sharing of collections and other resources among institutions of all types. It has long been recognized that no library, even such national treasures as Harvard and Princeton, can systematically acquire all of the world's information needed for study, teaching and research. Interlibrary cooperation is fundamental to the VALE project and, when combined with the new information technologies, provides unprecedented new avenues to maximize resources. Statewide vendor licenses to single databases shared by all of New Jersey's more than 300,000 college students can free-up thousands of dollars to be reallocated towards additional information resources.
Another manifestation of VALE's commitment to cost effectiveness is its reliance for infrastructure on previous local campus capital outlays and technology investments made under the state's Equipment Leasing Fund and the Higher Education Facilities Trust programs. Network hardware and telecommunications investments already in place can be extended to provide the infrastructure backbone for the VALE project's network of electronic databases.
By seeking cost effectiveness through cooperative purchasing, resource sharing and utilization of
existing infrastructure technologies, the VALE effort is responsive to a third element of
excellence outlined in the New Millennium, for it "utilizes resources responsibly and
efficiently....capitalizing on the advantages of collaboration, cooperation and resource sharing"
(p. 4).
The VALE Vision
The principles of academic excellence, effective use of information technology and cost
efficiency through collaboration are inextricably intertwined in the following statement:
Through a broad-based, state-wide partnership, VALE, the Virtual Academic Library Environment, seeks to provide a seamless network of information resources accessible throughout the state. Viewed as an integral part of New Jersey higher education, VALE will raise the level of access to information resources for students and faculty on campuses across the state beyond that which any institution can provide on its own. Under the aegis of the New Jersey Intercampus Network (NJIN), the VALE vision of library information access in the 21st century will be achieved through innovation, collaboration and the creative deployment of recent advances in information technology.
Approved, VALE Task Force
September 11, 1997
Overview of New Jersey Academic Libraries
The New Jersey Intercampus Network (NJIN) and the academic library sector are the most appropriate collaborators on the development of VALE. NJIN's sponsorship of statewide initiatives to strengthen the technology infrastructure of higher education, including Internet connectivity, multi-media and video applications, has provided a knowledge base and a ready organizational structure to support the VALE goals. NJIN's organization has always included a library committee through which NJIN's mission and the needs of academic libraries for technology-based educational programs could be meshed.
The academic libraries of New Jersey have also collaborated for many years through the Council of New Jersey College and University Library Directors. This group has undertaken several initiatives recently to strengthen inter-institutional collaboration. One of these, a journal overlap study, was a first attempt to consider the necessity of maintaining multiple print subscriptions among these libraries. In a recent survey of automation capacity, 81% of academic libraries responded that they are automated, with 24% of these sharing local systems with other libraries or library computer consortia. Dial-in access to these catalogs are provided by 71% of those libraries responding. Only 30% have a windows or web interface to their catalog, and only 26% are Z39.50 compatible. Nearly 30% expect to replace their automation system in the near term. Only 39% of these libraries have an Internet address. Approximately 85% of the academic libraries do not have Ariel workstations to scan and transmit documents over the Internet.
Nearly all the libraries subscribe to one or more general, full-text electronic periodical database and most are acquired directly from the vendor, not through a consortia arrangement for discounts. More than 100 different databases are subscribed within the academic library community with a handful of relatively widely-used databases duplicated among these libraries. OCLC's EPIC or FirstSearch Service is subscribed by 47% of these libraries and of the 25 libraries that do not currently subscribe, 17 (68%) indicated that they are interested in doing so. Most of the databases currently available in academic libraries are accessed via CD-ROM with a very small percent accessed through local data loads. Approximately 70% of the libraries have local area networks for expanded CD-ROM access.
These statistics indicate a considerable amount of information technology and expertise available
throughout the academic library community, but also a need to upgrade a significant portion of
the technology infrastructure and pursue a more collaborative approach to the purchase of
electronic resources for cost benefits. These resources would be used to satisfy the instructional
and research needs of the nearly 220,000 FTE students, 10,000 full-time and 7,000 part-time
faculty on the campuses of New Jersey colleges and universities. The enhanced technology
infrastructure would support the development of a more seamless access to resources sharing
among these libraries.
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Key VALE Components
1. Support the necessary infrastructure improvements at each institution to ensure
adequate local access to statewide networked information services.
Success of the VALE initiative is directly affected by the local infrastructure capabilities of participating institutions. The VALE Task Force endorses the concept that institutions should establish local priorities which provide improvements of local campus networks and thus ensure quality access to statewide information services. Furthermore, the VALE Task Force emphasizes the importance of ensuring that an institution's library is connected to the campus network and has adequate access to the Internet. The Task Force will make presentations to both the Council of NJ College and University Library Directors and to the Presidents' Council illustrating the value and necessity of investing local resources to ensure Internet-based access to statewide networked information resources.
In addition to providing political support for adequate local Internet connectivity, the VALE
project will provide participants with funds to upgrade and/or purchase equipment within their
libraries, such as workstations, so that remote electronic resources can be fully accessible.
2. Promote resource sharing opportunities by creating direct, simple and cost effective access to library catalogs and by improving document delivery.
The development of transparent interfaces among participating libraries' catalogs and the establishment of an ARIEL document delivery network will significantly improve resource sharing options among New Jersey academic libraries. Direct, simple, and cost effective electronic access to each others' holdings, including title by title availability status, is prerequisite to the serious intra-state library sharing of books and journals which is the cornerstone of the VALE initiative. Seamless catalog interfaces and ARIEL delivery mechanisms will provide this necessary foundation.
Surveys of academic libraries in New Jersey conducted by the New Jersey State Library (1996) and the VALE Task Force (1997) show a wide diversity of vendors' online library catalog systems in use. Furthermore, only a few libraries have the Z39.50 software necessary to enable one vendor's online catalog system to "communicate" with another vendor's system in a transparent electronic interface. Based upon these findings, the VALE Task Force concluded that it is not feasible at this time to connect all institutions' library systems together via the electronic interface. However, the Task Force does recommend that such connectivity be pursued as an important goal and phased in over several years.
The Task Force recommends that a Phase I pilot study be conducted in which libraries using at least two different types of catalog systems (DRA and SIRSI) would test the industry-standard, Z39.50 (Level 3) software to determine the degree to which it provides a direct, simple and cost effective electronic access across system barriers. The design and specific objectives of the pilot study will be articulated based upon information derived from other Z39.50 studies currently underway around the country, such as that of the SILO project in Iowa (see Note at end of proposal narrative, page 12). Findings from the Phase I VALE pilot study would provide the basis for development of a Phase II plan that would provide Z39.50 capability to libraries using various vendor systems.
Z39.50 is a national standard computer-to-computer communications protocol designed to support searching and retrieval of information (full-text documents, bibliographic records, images, etc) across different vendor online catalog platforms. Based on client/server architecture and operating over the Internet, Z39.50 provides users with remote access to different vendor online catalogs without knowing the search syntax used by those different catalogs. The software acts as computer-to-computer "translator" of users' search and retrieval strategies.
For the VALE resource sharing goal to be attained, two components must be in place across the state. The first component relates to the direct, cost effective access to local library catalogs described above: library staff and end users must be able to determine what library or libraries in the state have a desired title, if it is available on the shelf and if so, to place holds on needed titles. However, the book or journal must then be physically or electronically delivered from the home location to the borrower. In the case of books, New Jersey already has in place a highly effective courier system funded by the New Jersey Library Network which transports books and other materials between libraries across the state within 2 to 4 days.
The delivery of photocopied journal articles can be accomplished by sending them via the courier system, by traditional fax or by an Internet-based fax system such as ARIEL. ARIEL (for Windows) works by scanning, sending, and receiving documents electronically over the Internet from one ARIEL work station to another, using either the FTP or MIME e-mail standards. Because ARIEL uses the Internet as a communication source, documents are transmitted more clearly and quickly than traditional facsimiles. Articles are then printed out on a laser printer or sent directly to the patron's e-mail account. Articles sent directly to patrons' email accounts bypass Interlibrary Loan personnel and thus are economical in terms of labor, time and money. Please see Attachment at end of proposal narrative for fuller description of how ARIEL works.
The VALE Task Force recommends the enhancement of journal sharing by developing an ARIEL document delivery network because it provides for faster, more cost effective electronic transmission than the physical courier service and vastly superior image resolution over traditional fax copies. Moreover, a VALE Task Force survey conducted in summer, 1997, indicates that a number of libraries already use ARIEL and others' already have some of the hardware and software necessary for the system.
The VALE Task Force recognizes the copyright implications of sharing photocopies of journal article originals. At an early meeting, the group affirmed its commitment to copyright compliance within accepted Fair Use parameters established for interlibrary lending. With respect to journal photocopies this understanding is that
the borrowing library is responsible for limiting its requests for journal photocopies to five or
fewer requests from journals published within the past five years (the rule of 5). Should a
borrowing library need more than five such articles, it must seek copyright clearance from the
copyright holder or join the Copyright Clearance Center and remit payment.
3. Provide statewide access to a suite of core undergraduate and graduate electronic
databases including full-text periodicals, standard reference sources, and
subject-specific indexing and abstracting services.
A primary objective of VALE is to provide a uniform set of core undergraduate and graduate electronic database resources to students at all institutions of higher education in New Jersey. This objective seeks to further the VALE vision by ensuring access to core information resources across the state, without respect to local campus limitations. It also responds to the VALE vision by using information technology to improve study and teaching in a cost effective manner. This cost effectiveness will be achieved in two ways: first, through participating in deep vendor discounts for consortial purchases of databases and second, by establishing two mirror sites as hosts for the VALE electronic database resources. The electronic databases purchased from information providers will be loaded, maintained and made accessible through the Internet to all NJ higher education institutions, from two host locations.
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Electronic Resource Recommendations:
1. A general academic, full-text periodical database such as IAC's Expanded Academic Index ASAP, Ebsco's Academic Search Full-Text, or UMI's ProQuest Direct Research.
2. Encyclopedia Britannica Online
3. FirstSearch
4. PsycLit or PsycInfo
5. Biological Abstracts or Ovid's Core Biomedical Collection
6. UMI's ABI Inform or IAC's Business ASAP
7. Academic Press's IDEAL collection of full-text science journals
Internet Access Services - The mirrored host sites for VALE should be directly connected to the
Internet. The institutions which volunteer to locate the VALE host system should not be
compromising their own Internet network performance as a consequence of their service to the
VALE initiative. If necessary, provisions should be made to connect the VALE mirrored hosts
directly to the Internet minimally via a dedicated T1 (1.54 MB/Sec.) digital link.
Host Storage and Database Delivery Services It may be cost effective to develop such a mirrored system by building on existing resources in the state. An example of this would be Rutgers University (New Brunswick) which currently provides information resource databases using the Ovid system. Rutgers University has expressed an interest in assuming a key pivotal role in this initiative. This would require expansion of the existing resource capacity of the Rutgers University host information database system. In addition to Rutgers University, a second institution would be selected to provide a mirrored site for the VALE initiative. This approach
provides not only reliable redundancy, but also allows for distribution of the potential network
load that one institution alone would have to assume.
4. Train faculty and staff in the effective use of the expanded networked information
opportunities.
The degree of success for VALE initiative depends on providing of appropriate training for both
faculty and staff. The accomplishment of this requires development of an ongoing mechanism
for faculty and staff training in the unitization of the VALE network and its resources. Training
efforts will concentrate on the following recommendations for ensuring that library faculty and
staff acquire the needed technical skills to make the VALE resources locally accessible.
- Train library faculty, staff and systems support staff in effective use of the expanded networked information opportunities, i.e., any resources that are designated by the Electronic Resources Workgroup.
- Deliver multi-formatted training opportunities through electronic Internet offerings, audio visuals, ITV, on-site workshops/seminars and printed manuals.
- Develop website training that provides clarification in use of software/hardware in respect to product utilization manuals.
- Offer training sessions that are convenient for the learner and not limited to a physical site.
- Explore the feasibility of using Training Service Providers (TSP) through regional cooperatives, vendors, PALINET and in-house trainers from VALE institutions.
- All vendor proposals in response to RFPs for VALE projects shall include training components and product support services.
5. Address technical support needs by the creation of a centralized Help Desk.
The establishment of a centralized Help Desk service for the VALE Project represents a crucial element in the success of such an initiative. The Help Desk service would be composed of several components that range from a WEB based HELP Menu to either an Online Help Desk which is e-mail supported or an 800 phone number for assistance. The HELP menu would contain sections for FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), questions related to specific protocol questions for an individual database, connectivity questions and online search skills.
Each participating institution would appoint an individual or group of individuals with technical
expertise to respond to local hardware and software questions or problems. Those institutions
will also provide reference services expertise to respond to information resources questions.
These individuals or local support group should have interpersonal skills and the ability to
communicate clearly via remote means and thus will form the nucleus of a statewide Help Desk
Team. The statewide VALE Help Desk Team will also contain designated focused sub-teams.
with specific designated areas of responsibility.
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VALE Governance, Organization and Planning
VALE will be established under the aegis of the New Jersey Intercampus Network, as the Executive Board of NJIN has adopted the VALE project as one of its major initiatives. As a non-profit educational organization whose goal is to foster the use of information technology and access to information technology for the purposes of teaching, learning, scholarship and service, NJIN's mission fits well with the mission of VALE. Its broad-based institutional membership provides an appropriate organizational umbrella for VALE.
A Steering Committee composed of the directors of nine libraries representing various library types and constituencies will form the oversight committee within NJIN for the ongoing operation and growth of VALE. Recommendations for the purchase of databases, other software and hardware, and networking, will be reviewed and approved by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee and NJIN will seek external funding for the continued growth of VALE and will work within the academic library community to leverage collaborative purchasing with existing resources. The committee will elect its own chair. VALE purchases will be made by a fiduciary agent selected from among the participating libraries. Costs of purchases will be assessed to VALE libraries based on the extent of their participation in different aspects of the project. Databases will be licensed according to the user population defined on the purchase or leasing contract.
As in the planning stages, there will continue to be topical working groups to develop, implement, and assess the goals and activities of VALE. These will include, but are not limited to:
- A Training Workgroup will develop an ongoing mechanism for staff of participating libraries to receive the training necessary for optimal use of the VALE network and its resources at each local institution. The Training Workgroup will focus on recommendations for ensuring that library staff acquire the needed technical skills to make the VALE resources locally accessible.
- An Electronic Resources Workgroup is charged with recommending specific electronic resources which could be purchased under the auspices of VALE and made available to all participating academic libraries throughout the state. They are also charged with reviewing the current complement of databases to ensure that quality is maintained.
- A Help Desk Workgroup is charged with the establishment and ongoing assessment of a centralized help desk that provides technical expertise to respond to hardware and software problems, and reference services expertise to respond to information resources questions.
Yearly assessment reviews will be undertaken by the Steering Committee to ensure that services and information resources desired by VALE members are meeting their collective need. This assessment may take the form of focus group interviews completed by member libraries with their campus constituency on the impact of electronic access to databases; statistical reports of database usage; recommendations for desired changes or enhancements, etc.
Continued planning and policies will be developed by the Steering Committee in collaboration with participating libraries. Policies and planning will be flexible to take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace as database producers introduce new and enhanced products, and hardware and networking opportunities as ELF and HEFT funds become available.
Future Directions
This proposal represents the beginning stages of the creation of a virtual academic information environment for New Jersey libraries. While it focuses on the academic sector, building on an existing network for cooperative resource sharing and leveraging work already in progress for cooperative collection development, it does not ignore the public library and K-12 community. VALE planning has taken into consideration Libraries 2000, the State Library's plan for a network infrastructure for libraries in the state. The VALE Task Force has worked closely with the State Librarian to ensure that when it is possible to satisfy the needs of both communities, similar electronic databases be purchased to leverage the purchasing power of an even larger constituency. In addition, Internet connectivity and plans for Z39.50 compatibility will ensure that the access to information is available to the entire New Jersey community. This collaboration will continue as VALE grows.
VALE planning is scalable dependent upon the resources allocated to its growth. As the amount of quality full-text data becomes available in electronic format, VALE libraries may escalate their purchasing and consider the necessity of retaining duplicate print copies of journals. For the remaining print subscriptions, the availability of ARIEL workstations in each library will make interlibrary sharing of these resources more timely. Journal articles may be transmitted initially between and among VALE libraries, but as campuses become more fully networked, scanned articles may be transmitted directly from the owning library to the user's workstation.
Once all academic libraries have Z39.50 compatible online catalogs, a VALE goal for the future, users will be able to transmit online searches from their own institution's catalog directly to other online catalogs on the network. Direct borrowing from a user to another library without an interlibrary loan mediator may also become possible.
Future growth will also have to address the management impact of the increasing number of
databases being made available. Such operations as data loads, storage and preservation of the
data, management of the server, and user services will have to grow accordingly. While a central
staff to operate VALE is not proposed for the immediate future, it may become necessary should
VALE expand its proposed suite of locally mounted databases beyond those planned in this
proposal.
Note: Twenty-five Iowa libraries, using nearly every major library automation vendor, are participating in a pilot project to make their online catalogs available through Z39.50. One goal of the project is to evaluate the level of vendor compliance with the standard. The results of the project will be made available to the library community nationwide.
Attachment
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Introduction to ARIEL
Resource sharing has always been in existence in the library community, but it has never been the
challenge it is today. Libraries are continually searching for new methods in the transfer of
materials from one library to another. Turnaround time and the quality of requested materials
have become the priority of our patrons. In the early 1990s, the Research Libraries Group
introduced Ariel software. This software was originally developed for DOS and later upgraded
to Windows 3.1 and Windows 95.
What is Ariel for Windows?
Ariel for Windows scans, sends, and receives documents electronically over the Internet to other
Ariel work stations, using both the FTP and MIME e-mail standards. Because Ariel uses the
Internet as a communication source, documents are transmitted more clearly and quickly.
Articles are then printed out on a laser printer, or sent directly to the patron's e-mail account
(version 2.x).
Ariel features include: importing of TIFF files created by other programs, archiving incoming
and outgoing documents, sending archive documents, and holding/saving/viewing/deleting
documents. Any Ariel document received can be redirected to another Ariel site, and there is a
store-and-forward feature that allows received documents to be stored at an intermediate address
when Ariel is not actively running. Up to 100 documents can be kept in each Ariel queue (Send,
Receive, or Archive), depending on available disk space.
Ariel for Windows keeps a log of all activities, provides an address book option that allows the
user to create a directory of library IP addresses and aliases, and allows the user to set
preferences. Ariel has an enhanced document viewer that allows viewing of a document while
scanning or receiving it. Ariel files can also be viewed outside of the Ariel program using a
multipage viewer that handles a GEDI header and TIFF files. Coexisting with other TCP/IP
software packages complying with the WinSock 1.1 specification, Ariel runs while minimized,
allowing the use of other programs.
How Ariel Works
The requested document is scanned and sent by the lending library. The borrowing library
receives it at its Ariel station. The document can then be printed out and a hardcopy given to the
patron, or Ariel can send the document directly to the patron's e-mail account, bypassing ILL
personnel and thus saving labor and money.
Specifications
Ariel for Windows requires a PC, scanner, and laser printer. Windows version 3.1 (enhanced) and support for Winsock version 1.1 are required. Windows 95 is required to run Ariel for Windows, version 2.x. Ariel software is designed to work on PCS connected to a local area network that in turn has a direct high-speed connection to the Internet, running over any Internet connection that supports IP traffic. (See chart, section 3, for specific requirements.)
For further information, see the Research Libraries Group's homepage at http:\\www.rlg.org.
To run an Ariel workstation smoothly, the below listed hardware and software are required (as recommended by Research Libraries Group).
Pentium 133 MHZ or higher
Windows 95
32 MB RAM
1.2 GB hard drive
17" Monitor
HP ScanJet 4c with Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)
HP Laser Jet V or higher
Ethernet card
Ariel, 2.x version
CHART OF ARIEL COMPONENT S AND PRICES
| CODE | SPECIFICATIONS | COST |
| 1
2 3 |
Pentium 133 MHZ or higher with 32 MB Ram and Windows
95
1.2 GB 17" Monitor |
$1300.00
200.00 800.00 |
| 4 | HP ScanJet 4c with Automatic Document Feeder (ADF) | $1400.00 |
| 5 | HP Laser Jet V or higher | $1050.00 |
| 6 | Ethernet card | $50.00 |
| 7 | Ariel Software, Full version:
Single copy 10-49 copies *50+ copies |
$895.00 $560.00 $350.00 |
| 8 | Ariel Software, Upgrade to 2.x
*Single copy 10-49 copies 50+ copies |
$399.00 $260.00 $160.00 |
| 9 | Additional 16 MB RAM | $100.00 |
*Instead of buying upgrades, it is more economical to buy the full version of Ariel 2.x. We need
50+ copies of Ariel, at a price of $350.00, whereas we need less than 10 copies of the upgrade, at
a price of 399.00. Therefore, we recommend buying 64 full copies of Ariel 2.x, instead of 56 of
the full version and 8 upgrades. This consideration is reflected in the "what is needed" column
(column 7) of the table.
* In cost column of survey, the price quoted is for the full version of Ariel, 50+ copies; for the upgrade to 2.x, single copy. Prices were determined from survey results.
VALE Budget
(includes bond and matching funds)
Phase I
Component 1: Support the necessary infrastructure improvements at each institution
to ensure adequate local access to statewide networked information services.
Purchase and/or upgrade local workstations for web accessibility: $200,000
hardware
Component 2: Promote resource sharing opportunities by creating seamless catalog
interfaces using Z39.50 software and ARIEL document delivery software.
Purchase Z39.50 software and system upgrades for pilot project libraries: $275,000 hardware & software
Purchase Ariel components as needed based upon survey results: $339,650 hardware &
software
Component 3: Provide statewide access to electronic databases:
Purchase electronic databases: $1,663,574 software
Purchase servers, search engines and telecommunications to mount databases: $300,000 hardware &
software
Component 4: Train faculty and staff in effective use of expanded information:
$000000
Component 5: Address technical support needs: $000000
Grand Total Phase I $2,778,224
Phase II
Growth and expansion of VALE as guided by its Steering Committee for new $2,221,776
participating libraries, additional databases, expanded Z39.50 compliance and
disk storage, servers and telecommunications costs for database support.
Grand Total Phase II $2,221,776
VALE Grand Total $5,000,000
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