Managing Electronic Resources

The on going movement to electronic collections presents many exciting new service opportunities for libraries, as well as creating materials management, resource, and service challenges. This book looks at how online resources are causing the roles and practices of libraries to change. Forward looking consideration of critical emerging issues in library practice Draws on the author’s wide knowledge of electronic content management issues Presents a practical perspective based on the authors long standing experience

For academic libraries, this highly readable book provides the practical information needed to get started managing electronic resources throughout their life cycle. This book covers the five points of the e-resources lifecycle in a readable and accessible manner, providing valuable information that is applicable to real-world situations. Each of the working chapters covers one of the five lifecycle points (Acquisitions, Access, Administration, Support, and Evaluation), and supplies suggested readings and thought-provoking questions. Additionally, there are two chapters that guide readers from learning about the work to actually doing it. Electronic Resources Management in the Academic Library: A Professional Guide is full of practical assignments that teachers of e-resources management will appreciate. This guide will also be immensely beneficial to library and information science school students and independent learners who need immediate, practical knowledge from the field to get them started in a position which requires them to manage electronic resources.

A pronounced move from print subscriptions to electronic resources in all types of libraries has fundamentally impacted the library and its users. With the influx of resources such as e-journals; e-books; index, abstract, and/or full-text databases; aggregated databases; and others, the shift to electronic resources is rapidly changing library operational and organizational procedures. Electronic Resource Management in Libraries: Research and Practice provides comprehensive coverage of the issues, methods, theories, and challenges connected with the provision of electronic resources in libraries, with emphasis on strategic planning, operational guidelines, and practices. This book primarily focuses on management practices of the life-cycle of commercially acquired electronic resources from selection and ordering to cataloging, Web presentation, user support, usage evaluation, and more.

A significant shift is taking place in libraries, with the purchase of e-resources accounting for the bulk of materials spending. Electronic Resource Management makes the case that technical services workflows need to make a corresponding shift toward e-centric models and highlights the increasing variety of e-formats that are forcing new developments in the field. Six chapters cover key topics, including: technical services models, both past and emerging; staffing and workflow in electronic resource management; implementation and transformation of electronic resource management systems; the role of the electronic resource librarian in discovery systems, layers and tools; and academic library consortia and the evolving role of electronic resources and technology. The leading chapters include case studies from around the world, and a concluding chapter focuses on the disruptive nature of e-books and how broad adoption of this format is emerging as the tipping point towards holistic ‘resource management’, where separate technical services processes for print and electronic resources are finally merged. An emphasis on ‘access’ within the new technical services model Focuses on the unique attributes of electronic resource management that are distinct from traditional print serials workflows Covers consortia and how membership affects electronic resource management workflows, priorities, and technical processes

To get to the bottom of a successful approach to Electronic Resource Management (ERM), Anderson interviewed staff at 11 institutions about their ERM implementations. Among her conclusions, presented in this issue of Library Technology Reports, is that grasping the intricacies of your workflow—analyzing each step to reveal the gaps and problems—at the beginning is crucial to selecting and implementing an ERM. Whether the system will be used to fill a gap, aggregate critical data, or replace a tedious manual process, the best solution for your library depends on factors such as your current software setup, staffing levels, and local support from systems staff. Providing guidance to library technology decision-makers, this report offers coverage of such important topics as:The five major elements of managing electronic resources: knowledge bases, acquisitions, administration and contracts, licensing, and reporting;Vendor systems from EBSCO, Ex Libris, and Innovative Interfaces, as well as three open source (OS) solutions;How ERMs function as a component of the library service platforms of OCLC Worldshare, Ex Libris Alma, Serial Solutions Intota, Kuali OLE, and Innovative Interfaces Sierra

This work provides innovative ideas and practices for new and experienced information professionals ready to take the next step in electronic resource management.