The Statewide Database Licensing (SDL) project requests your assistance in reviewing database products  to help determine which products will be available to Washington libraries for the next several years. Reviews will need to be completed between March 14 and March 31, 2011. Scoring from these reviews is crucial to the selection process, and will contribute significantly to the overall scores assigned to each vendor’s proposal(s).

Vendors can propose products in one or more of three categories:

• General periodical collections providing full text in a wide array of topics (4 or 5 vendor proposals anticipated);
• Full-text newspaper collections featuring both Washington and national papers (3 proposals anticipated);
• Resources for children and students, with a focus on products aimed at the younger researcher (8 proposals anticipated).

Vendors will provide one-hour online demonstrations of the products they propose. These presentations will be scheduled the week of March 14-18, but we hope to offer them in an archived format for reviewers unable to attend the scheduled presentations.

It is not necessary to review all of the proposed products. Reviewers should review all products in one category, or in the case of resources for children, review at least four of the proposed products. Volunteers are also needed to join the evaluation teams that will score the proposals, which is a separate process from reviewing the products.

To volunteer, or to ask a question, please send e-mail to Will Stuivenga at [email protected]. Please indicate which category or categories you are interested in reviewing. For more information on this procurement process, visit www.sos.wa.gov/quicklinks/SDL.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!