Techniques For Electronic Resource Management

Whether a single team manages electronic resources or responsibility is spread across your library, this book will be your go-to ERM reference.

Libraries have witnessed a prominent transition from print to electronic resources that have not only impacted their services, but users too. Inflow of resources in electronic format and subscription of e-books, e-journals, e-databases and others have totally changed the library operations. E-Resources are important component of the collection building process of the library that is accessed through computers or mobile devices either remotely or locally. Some of the frequently used e-resources in the libraries are e-journals, e-books, e-database such as full text, citation and abstracting, reference, images, audio-video materials, etc. Some other examples of e-resources include, but are not limited to, web and online databases, whether free or fee-based. Libraries are always committed to preserve their e-resources to ensure permanent access to them by the users to support research and academic activities of an institute. In this age of rapidly changing technologies, it is essential for all library professionals to keep abreast of the latest developments, emerging trends & techniques in the area of Electronic Resource Management (ERM) in libraries. Certain issues and challenges faced in these areas need to be taken care of with proper solutions. This book intends to explain the concept of Electronic Resource Management in Libraries, its associated issues and challenges, emerging trends and techniques in ERM, search and discovery techniques and scholarly communications. It aims to help all library and information professionals understanding the emerging trends and technologies in ERM arena. It also helps in understanding the various issues and challenges faced by the library professionals and attempts to provide the probable solutions to adopt at their workplaces. [Subject: Library Science, Electronic Resource Management]

Electronic resource management is becoming a primary responsibility of library managers. This book approaches electronic resource management as a system affecting all library work, linking it to concepts of collaborative management and the assessment cycle. The author demonstrates how collection development, acquisitions, licensing, budgeting, and cataloging techniques; technological infrastructure; and user services for electronic resources fit into the new collaborative management that relies on learning more than control to respond to change. The techniques presented for managing electronic resources improves the library's service value through relationships between library professionals and with library customers. Engaging the librarian in a cycle of constant learning and assessment, the approach ultimately makes work lighter, relationships with colleagues and customers more productive, and library services more relevant to community needs.

This guide to ERM fundamentals will prove invaluable, both as a primer for those preparing to enter the field as well as a ready reference for current practitioners.

This primer offers a thorough introduction to electronic resource management for librarians with little or no knowledge of these specialized materials. Libraries today face rising costs, contract issues, changing formats, and technical complexities when it comes to electronic resources. This instructional guidebook will prepare you for managing every aspect of your virtual "stacks." From evaluating resources, to negotiating and licensing, to staff training and mastering authentication software, you'll learn everything you'll need to know to fund, procure, and organize your digital collection. The work offers step-by-step guidance for overseeing collection development of electronic resources with a special focus on activities revolving around the life cycle of the materials, such as identifying and evaluating appropriate resources; managing the knowledge base, link resolver, discovery layer, and administrative accounts for each resource; and gathering and analyzing usage statistics and other assessment data. Content includes a chapter on communicating with authors, funding sources, publishers, and libraries regarding digital rights and access to texts. The book concludes with a look at the future directions of electronic resource management.

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...