Pricing and Acquisitions Policies for Electronic Resources: Is the Market Stable Enough to Establish Local Standards?
SUMMARY Librarians establish pricing policies for traditional acquisitions to systematize what can be an unpredictable process. This article discusses whether the electronic resource market is currently stable enough for librarians to apply similar policies to their electronic acquisitions. It also examines the history and current state of electronic resource pricing, and relates electronic resource pricing policy preferences as articulated by professionals who work closely with electronic resource acquisitions.
Qualitative Analysis of Association of Research Libraries' E‐Metrics Participant Feedback about the Evolution of Measures for Networked Electronic Resources
The Association of Research Libraries’ (ARL) E‐Metrics Project is an ongoing effort to develop new measures that describe and measure networked electronic resources and also to underscore the need for measuring the value of such resources. This article presents results from an ongoing iterative qualitative study with the following goals: (a) to understand ARL libraries’ needs for evaluating electronic resources; (b) to refine proposed definitions for describing and measuring electronic resources; (c) to institutionalize data collection for ongoing, annual reporting purposes; and (d) to develop reliable indicators for summative evaluation of electronic resources. Qualitative data collected from participants attending the initial meeting to develop the E‐Metrics Project in 2000 are analyzed and compared with an ongoing analysis of interview data collected from the 2003–4 E‐metrics participants. The evolving nature of the formats, methods of access, and acquisition plans for electronic resources present challenges in describing and measuring them. New methodologies that use a mixed‐methods approach should also evolve to support creative and innovative ways for evaluating an increasingly complex information environment.
Axonal sensorimotor neuropathy in patients with β-thalassaemia
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of peripheral neuropathy in patients with β-thalassaemia. Methods: Thirty six patients with a mean age of 29.2±8.2 years and 17 healthy controls with a mean age of 27.6±9.1 were included in this study. Measurements included the neuropathy symptoms score (NSS), the neuropathy disability score (NDS) as well as nerve conduction studies of two motor (ulnar and peroneal) and two sensory (ulnar and sural) nerves of the right limbs. Results: A mainly sensory axonal polyneuropathy was present in 19 out of 36 patients (52.7%). Eight out of these 19 patients also had abnormal NDS values. The neuropathy correlated significantly with the age of the patients and the hematocrit. However, it did not correlate with the presence of antibodies against HCV, the ferritin levels, or with a history of transfusions, desferrioxamine treatment, or splenectomy. Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of a predominantly sensory neuropathy in patients with β-thalassaemia. The electrophysiological data suggest that the underlying pathology is an axonopathy. Chronic hypoxia of the nerves resulting from severe anaemia may contribute to the pathogenesis of this neuropathy.