Making engineering standards available at the University of the West Indies: perspectives of a developing country

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to continue the discussion of the difficulties that librarians face in creating a relevant and useful collection of standards. For developing countries the magnitude of the available standards and the huge costs make this task daunting.Design/methodology/approachThe types of standards, their role in ensuring that the World's structures, facilities, goods, etc. conform to ensure health and safety, the ranges and finally the needs of the University of the West Indies (UWI) are discussed. The UWI Main Library's approaches to grappling with the relevant issues are then explored.FindingsThe electronic age offers speedy access to information resources provided that there are financial resources. Electronic access to such documents as and when they are needed (just‐in‐time philosophy) seems the most viable option, given the cost constraints. Other options could be customised collections crafted to suit the needs of students and faculty, or electronic clearinghouses externally subsidised by a philanthropic body to obtain the articles via an Internet system. Any of these could be developed and ensure cost‐effective seamless access, so giving a world‐class service anywhere in the World. Of course, knowledgeable librarians and good abstracts are also essential.Practical implicationsThe cost of these technical documents is prohibitive for a developing country library to be able to have a large collection of standards but, if there is good internet access and a sound database to obtain abstracts, and if sufficient funds are in place, an efficient procedure could be developed for “just‐in‐time” access.Originality/valueThe paper examines some of the best options available to the Main Library of The University of the West Indies to ensure that engineering students gain access to current standards.

Accessing Engineering Standards: A Study in ARL Best Practices for Acquiring and Disseminating Standards

“…This statistic illustrates the importance of standards to many fields from business to medical instruments, to transportation. However, in no greater industry are standards more important than in that of engineering [7]. Engineers are responsible for researching, designing, and building almost all the products humans use every single day.…”

“…This is great if libraries know exactly what types of standards their students/faculty need but not great if the university engineering school lacks focus. This model also is very wasteful as it includes many standards that students/faculty will never use [7]. Also, many aggregators overlap publishers, which leads to paying twice for the same publisher.…”

“…The primary way for an academic library to best provide cost effective access to standards for its students is a hybrid between these two purchasing models [7]. This can be achieved only when an academic library comes up with a standards collection development plan based on the needs of its researchers.…”