The Digital Resources Committee is in the process of reviewing the databases in the eLibrary collection to determine which databases will be renewed for 2026.
Each database is evaluated by the same set of criteria to make sure our evaluations are consistent and thorough. Some of the criteria we consider are:
User Experience
- Quality of interface: functionality, appeal, etc.
- Availability and usefulness of help features
- Search function/options
- Translation function availability/language options
Relevance
- Uniqueness of information: Readily available elsewhere? Costly to attain in other ways?
- Appropriateness for the target audience
- Degree to which content of database meets a community information need
- Level of audience interest
Authority
- Amount of peer-reviewed content
- Publisher/vendor reputation
- Ability to identify authority
- Quality of content contributors
Content Availability
- Amount of full text
- Amount of embargoed content
- Access to retrospective content
Accessibility Interface
- Compatibility with accessibility software
- Does the page layout allow for logical navigation using JAWS (or other software)?
- Quality/existence of alt tags and/or other coding
- Ability to adjust font size
The following databases have been reviewed
- Ancestry Library Edition
- Gale Biography in Context
- Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context
- Gale U.S. History in Context
- Gale World History in Context
- Historical Black Newspapers
- Novelist Plus
- Novelist K – 8 Plus
- Creativebug
- Business Source Elite
- Consumer Reports
- Morningstar
Based on the criteria, the use and cost of the databases, and discussions during our monthly meetings, the following database will not be renewed upon its upcoming renewal date.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context
The remaining databases will be reviewed over the next couple of months:
- Gale Legal Forms
- Tutor.com
- Udemy
- Little Pim Languages
- Mango Languages
Announcements will be made after the DRC concludes our evaluation to notify staff which, if any, of these databases will not be renewed.
The databases not listed in our evaluation that are on the eLibrary site are Power Library databases, so we are not including them in our evaluation process.
If you have questions, please contact Hilary Lewis at lewislacknerh@carnegielibrary.org.