Initial doubts about availability of enough suitable materal on the Internet needed to be -- and soon were -- alleviated through a detailed investigation, results of which will be highlighted. Following a preliminary decision to proceed, an academic "media integration" specialist was consulted to verify feasibility and identify primary types of components for the workstation; knowledge and insights gained will be outlined. Specific product selection resulted in orders from four different vendors.
Planning included a day of consultation at The Learning Center, Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, and the Learning Resources Center of the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland. Security concerns led to unanticipated complications in selecting and preparing a site for the workstation. Initial legal/copyright ambiguities about scanners in libraries also were investigated and resolved. Model changes and product availability problems resulted in lengthy delays.
Software selection and updating as well as set-up experiences and initial user responses will be detailed. Implications for possible future expansion as well as relevance for other library contexts will be explored.