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CHEST case studies
University of East Anglia
University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
University of East Anglia
"After some investigation, we realised that there was a demand at the University
for reference management bibliographic software, but unfortunately the cost of purchasing
the software was inhibiting both purchase by departments and of personal copies by students.
Therefore, we canvassed for support around the university and put a proposal together to
explain the business case for purchasing a site licence.
Consequently, we have taken out a 3-year CHEST license for EndNote
, ProCite
and Reference Manager.
As with all Universities, budgets are always under pressure. With a long-term financial
commitment such as this, we have to be sure that the software is used. We therefore
keep a careful record of the number of software licences we distribute, because it enables
us to justify the annual spend. We also recover some of the money spent on the site
licence by charging departments and research groups for copies of the software.
Between November 2001 and 10 April 2002, we distributed 153 copies of EndNote, 18 copies
of ProCite and 16 copies of Reference Manager. We have also installed EndNote on around
450 machines and we have integrated it with current library systems. We have a helpdesk
to provide IT support. Although it is difficult to track student use, we are trying to
spread the word about the benefits of bibliographic software. Training for staff and
research postgraduates has been implemented and we are actively promoting its use.
Although we don't separately market our CHEST licence for bibliographic software as a
benefit of attending UEA, it acts as evidence to our students and colleagues of our
continual investment in IT. We do draw attention to the general high standard of IT
facilities at the University.
In investigating the need for reference management software, we received many positive
comments about the need for such software, in particular for researchers, postgraduate
students and 3rd or 4th Year students working on their dissertations.
With a site licence in place, new updated versions of the software are now more affordable.
For the University, such tools would be regarded by many as essential for their academic
work. Any major University should consider investing in some bibliographic software."
Mr Steve Mosley - Head of IT User Services - University of East Anglia
University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
"We've had the CHEST licence for EndNote for 12 months now. We took it out as
soon as it became available - we didn't think twice! There has always been a demand
for reference management software and in particular EndNote. In addition, following
several requests, I have just sent in the paperwork to include Reference Manager in
our licence.
We used to buy individual boxed copies of the software, but naturally, this was not
cost-effective. It meant we could only provide a limited number for public use, because
we just couldn't afford it. Since the purchase of the site licence, we have been able
to put EndNote on all customer machines (some 400-500 staff PCs and cluster machines).
This alone justifies the spend despite the fact that it is expensive. We could never have
rolled out the software to so many computers if we had carried on buying individual
copies. The CHEST licence also makes upgrading to latest editions of the software
accessible. Previously you would find users working on outdated versions, because they
could not afford to upgrade.
EndNote is used extensively throughout the campus and demand has only grown. One
important advantage of the site licence is that our students now have access to discounted
copies of the software for their own personal use. Since grants were abolished and
students generally fund their own studies, this is an invaluable financial saving."
Gill Lynch - Software Licence Co-ordinator - University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
"Historically, the Library at Newcastle University has been responsible for user
education regarding EndNote. I run very basic introductory workshops in the use of
EndNote intended for the novice user. After this, users contact me directly with specific
queries. And I can say that the introduction of the CHEST site licence has led to a
dramatic increase in the number of bookings on my workshops. I have even been asked to
run more 'advanced' workshops, but I feel that users soon become proficient, once they
start using EndNote in their day-to-day work."
Jenny Campbell - Engineering Liaison Librarian - The Robinson Library, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
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