U.A. Library Policy on Software Purchases
Policy
All software under consideration for purchase by any library staff member or team for use on library owned equipment must be approved by the Digital Library & Information Systems Team before purchase. Library staff must also consult with DLIST before attempting to install new software or upgrade current software. In some cases the software might be available with Keyserver. Please check the Keyserver documentation to see if the desired software is available for keyserving. There must be one software license for each computer. It is illegal to copy software to another machine without purchasing another license.
Evaluation Criteria
DLIST will evaluate software being considered for purchase or installation using the following criteria:
- The software product must run on our currently supported network operating system. New software must not conflict with any other installed products.
- The software must be able to be run on the hardware we have available. Requests for software requiring new hardware purchases will be considered, but the requestor will need to justify why this product is desired over another that runs on existing hardware platforms.
- If it is a networked application, the product needs to be able to be installed such that the security of the network is not compromised.
In the interests of compatibility, file sharing, technical support and cost savings, the library has standardized on the Microsoft Office Suite for basic word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation manager products.
Once approved by DLIST, arrangements can be made for installation when the product is received.
DLIST will keep the copy of the license agreement. If a computer is upgraded, the software will be removed from the old computer and installed on the new, if still required.
Click here to fill out a software request form. Hardware and software upgrades are considered within the established U. A. Library Guidelines for Equipment Replacement and Upgrades document. A hardware request form can also be found there.