An Exploratory Study of the Collection Development Implications of the Availability of Rare Books on CD-ROM

Abstract

CD-ROMs of rare books are becoming increasingly prevalent. This article explores the kind of information available on CD-ROM and compares it to the kind of information available from the microform copy and from the book itself. It compares access and preservation issues for each format. Finally it presents the results of research in WorldCat showing the kinds of institutions purchasing CD-ROMs of rare books and whether they own the CD-ROM in addition to other formats. The results show that a positive trend toward making rare books accessible to a wider audience may be developing. As more rare books become available on CD-ROM, this study should be duplicated to determine the full impact of rare books published on CD-ROMs.

Key Words:

• Collection development
• public libraries
• academic libraries
• rare books
• CD-ROMs