Selecting websites
These guidelines are intended to advise selectors on which free websites and
internet resources should be added to the library catalogue.
- All sites should be evaluated using the criteria listed.
Selection criteria
1. Quality
- Authority of publisher/provider/author of the information, is of a high
level and is clearly indicated on the site/resource. For example, the UN
official site could be viewed as more authoritative than a relatively unknown
3rd party provider of UN information.
- High standard of writing and information provided by the site/resource.
2. Relevance
- Content of site/resource is highly relevant to Monash users. That is, it
accords with a particular collection development policy, or with Monash holdings
in a particular area.
- Content replaces/supplements that already held by Monash libraries, eg
series of reports previously or currently held in paper, but now available
on the web.
3. Permanence
- Site/resource is likely to be relatively permanent rather than transient,
in terms of both its base web address (eg that of a Govt or organisation)
and content.
4. Currency
- Overall currency and date last updated.
- Regularity of updating of information may be relevant for some sites.
5. Comprehensiveness
- Overall coverage is considered to be sufficiently comprehensive for the
scope of the topic.
- Site/resource clearly specifies its coverage, scope and parameters.
6. Usability
- High standard interface with satisfactory searching and browsing capabilities.
- High standard of readability eg use of colours, style of information display.
- Site/resource uses standard web technologies or readily available plug-ins,
eg Adobe Acrobat.
7. Exclusivity
- Information contained at the site is not available elsewhere. Such sites
may not meet some of the above criteria but their content may be of such
significance to warrant their inclusion in the catalogue.
8. Accreditation
- High quality web sites are often accredited by such bodies as the Resource
Discovery Network (RDN) or are given a seal of approval by ISI, the Argus
Clearinghouse, Scout Report Selections and other similar bodies.
9. Commercial activities
- Commercial websites will not be catalogued when the purpose of the link
is the promotion of the site's commercial services.
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