Selection Criteria for Internet Resources included in BEOnline Plus

BEOnline+ includes selected Internet resources of reference value to researchers in the humanities, social sciences, and science and technology. Generally, only such resources as are freely available on the Internet will be considered, although fee-based Internet resources to which the Library of Congress subscribes may also be considered. The committee will give priority to resources which provide substantial information on topics for which reference staff receive frequent questions and/or which provide comprehensive referrals to sources of such information. In particular, such resources may include:

• online versions of published print monographs and serials (journals, newspapers, and newsletters)
  
• monographs and serials (journals, newspapers, and newsletters) that appear only in online form
  
• resources offering frequently updated information which in the past has appeared in formats difficult for the Library to collect and maintain, such as looseleaf publications, working papers, and newsletters.
  
• Internet sites that offer a range of the above types of resources.

In selecting resources for this project, the team will be guided by LC's current selection policies as outlined in the LC Collections Policy Statements, including those noted below:

• Electronic Resources
  
• Ephemera;
  
• General Works;
  
• International Organizations;
  
• Government publications (Foreign);
  
• Government publications (U.S.);
  
• International Organizations;
  
• Newspapers--Foreign --Current;
  
• Newspapers--U.S.;
  
• Periodicals of General Content;
  
• Societies and Associations;
  
• Statistics
  
• Technical Reports, Working Papers, and Preprints.
  
• Translations.

If the Team believes that electronic resources which contain timely information that is frequently requested by researchers, but which in the past may have not been well-represented in LC's collections (eg:, newsletters, latest releases of statistical data, and online versions of "looseleaf" publications), are not adequately covered by the above collections policy statements, the Team will forward to the Collections Policy Committee suggested modifications for consideration.

For additional guidance in the selection of resources, see Questions for Selectors for BEOnline+

Last modified 8/11/2001.