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Re: Simultaneous User Pricing 

Paul Gherman writes:
Date: Wed, 05 Feb 1997 09:14:27 -0600 (CST)
From: "Paul M. Gherman" <gherman@library.vanderbilt.edu>
Subject: Re: Simultaneous User Pricing

Ann Okerson says:

> III.  My discomfort with the simultaneous user model is further increased
> by the fact that with many systems and products, calculating how many
> simultaneous users one needs is a total guess.  It is an art (to be kind
> to it) and not a science.  While there are some systems -- and some
> skilled individuals -- that provide good management information -- and
> people who know how to interpret it -- it does seem to me that until we
> know what our needs as producers and subscribers are, this model is as
> full of holes as a swiss cheese.  Again, this is not true for all
> electronic systems and products, but it is true (I believe) of the
> majority of them.  Mind you, likely we will get better at it over time,
> but that's in the future. 
> 
> Reactions? Corrections?

It seems to me that we really do not have a sound way of knowing how 
many simultaneous users we need in any case. Indeed, let us assume we 
find that at times our users cannot get access to a specific vendor's 
database. We would assume we need more simultaneous users, right. 
Well could it be the opposite, that the vendor's system is not robust 
enough to support all the simultaneous users they have contracted 
for. Am I wrong here, is there a way we can tell which condition 
exists when our users are refused access, or is it all built on 
trust? Or better said faulty data. I worry more and more about the 
dollars we spend for access, which in reality may not be buying us 
much of anything at all.

Paul M. Gherman

University Librarian
611B General Library
419 21st Avenue South
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37240
Office: (615) 322-7120
Fax: (615) 343-8279
gherman@library.vanderbilt.edu


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