A Study of the Impact of Statewide Database Licensing on Information Provision in Washington State

The Statewide Database Licensing (SDL) Project brought ProQuest, full-text periodicals and newspapers databases from Bell & Howell, to nearly every library in Washington State. The research presented here investigates the impact of statewide database licensing on the users of public, school and community college libraries. The study was conducted in two stages. At first, transaction log data from Bell & Howell were analyzed to provide a summary of statewide usage. Then, a study of how selected communities search and utilize information available through the SDL initiative was conducted using interviews, focus groups and a survey questionnaire. The usage data indicated that the database is used mainly in education. The heaviest use of ProQuest is in K-12 and academic institutions. The conclusions from the survey data draw attention to the importance of implementation and promotion strategies. The computer and information appear firmly linked in the minds of users. Computer literacy appears widespread amongst the community college users, who use computers to access information almost daily. Patrons who have not used the SDL database indicated that they did not know of its existence. Recommendations to improve the SDL project include, a vigorous marketing campaign, and training programs in the use of the database for librarians and patrons.