ERIC Number: EJ858678
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Sep
Pages: 3
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1041-7915
EISSN: N/A
The Elusive Cost of Library Software
Breeding, Marshall
Computers in Libraries, v29 n8 p28-30 Sep 2009
Software pricing is not a straightforward issue, since each procurement involves a special business arrangement between a library and its chosen vendor. The author thinks that it is reasonable to scale the cost of a product to such factors as the size of the library, the complexity of the installation, the number of simultaneous users, or the quantity of resources involved. While some may feel that it is odd for different libraries to pay different amounts for the same software, adjusting the cost by these factors generally allows libraries with more modest needs and more modest budgets to pay less than those with more complex needs and larger budgets. In the library automation industry, pricing is not only scaled according to multiple factors, it is also a result of a private negotiation. In this article, the author discusses the elusive cost of library software and the need to gather data on pricing and expenditures to help make informed decisions about a library's technology strategies. The author stresses that a body of systematic pricing data might help guide libraries as they evaluate the options available so that they can make informed decisions regarding which offers the best value in short- and long-term technology costs.
Descriptors: Computer Software, Libraries, Library Automation, Evaluation, Vendors, Higher Education, Information Systems
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A