Conclusion

Benchmarking is an approach, not a prescription. It offers a means to evaluate choices for how best to balance quality, costs, timeliness, user requirements, and technological capabilities in the conversion, delivery, and presentation of digital resources. The value of this approach will best be determined by extensive field testing. We at Cornell are committed to further refinement of the benchmarking methodology, and we urge others to consider its utility before they commit considerable resources to bringing about the brave new world of digitized information.