Communicating E-resource Management Needs to Library Stakeholders: Theory and Praxis

Abstract

Conflict management studies and the communication needs addressed by the NASIG Core Competencies standards will be the framework for how to communicate electronic resource management to library stakeholders. This article provides both theory and praxis as it is applied at Kansas State (K-State) Libraries for electronic resource access ticket resolution. The librarians responding to these tickets at K-State Libraries assessed their communications and workflows in the past year to provide a more effective customer service model. This provides evidence of technical services having public-facing elements in its core activity.     

Negotiating Accessibility for Electronic Resources

Abstract

Accessibility of library electronic resources is a must. Its importance derives from professional ethics of librarianship, rising total costs of acquisition, and mounting legal challenges to colleges and universities that fail to provide resources accessible to users with disabilities. Library staff are responsible for ensuring the accessibility of vendor-licensed eresources. This column reviews the accessibility clauses of nine model license agreements for electronic resources. It describes terms that should go into an optimal accessibility clause and creates a composite model clause. It also provides guidance for library staff seeking to negotiate stronger accessibility language into vendor license agreements. Finally, it addresses the impact of accommodation requests on the total cost of acquiring library eresources, concluding with a call to redouble efforts to advocate for greater accessibility and educate both vendors and library staff about its importance.     

The Development and Use of the NASIG Core Competencies for Electronic Resources Librarians

The Core Competencies for Electronic Resources Librarians was adopted by NASIG in 2013 and provides a framework to assess skills needed for electronic resources management. In this column, Sarah Sutton, whose graduate dissertation research led to the creation of the NASIG task force responsible for developing the core competencies, describes the development and adoption of the core competencies. Paula Sullenger describes the application of the core competencies at two institutions: Auburn University and Texas A&M University. The competencies have supported libraries in reorganization efforts as well as assessing current staff to identify gaps in skills and more effectively manage electronic resources. They have also been used to assess Library and Information Science (LIS) curricula. It is important that the core competencies be reviewed and revised to ensure their enduring relevancy within the profession.     

Digital Accessibility as a Core Competency for E-Resources Librarians

Abstract

This article will outline the electronic resources life cycle and identify key elements involved in e-resource management that exhibit potential for growth in terms of accessibility remediation. The aim of the article is to convey an understanding of the importance of digital accessibility to electronic resources librarians and the role they may play in making digital collections more available to users with impairments.     

Just Popping In: Collections and Outreach Collaborations to Increase Student Engagement with Electronic Resources

Abstract

Promoting electronic resources in a physical space takes ingenuity and cross-library partnership. This article discusses a collaborative approach to promote electronic resources by an outreach librarian and an electronic collections librarian. As members of the teaching and research assistance team, the librarians observed how students relied on “big name,” multidisciplinary databases and were often intimidated by the expansive list of digital materials and electronic resources available to them. A literature review on the topic of similar promotional activities introduces the pop-up methodology used for the event. The purpose of the collaboration was to not only promote ebook collections but to also create awareness of the library outside of the traditional space, and librarians as resources. This collaboration resulted in student-librarian engagement, and a spike in ebook use was reported for the collection promoted.     

Me and My Shadow: Observation,Documentation, and Analysis of Serials and Electronic Resources Workflow

Abstract

Librarians in the Metadata & Cataloging Department at the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries embarked on a comprehensive project to document and review the Libraries' serials and electronic resources workflow with the goals of introducing greater efficiency, clarity, and simplicity into processes across the serials unit and of increasing training opportunities for department-wide understanding of the serials lifecycle. This paper examines the method used to observe and collect information about serials and electronic resources work, the process of synthesizing that information into a graphical representation of the serials lifecycle, and the workflow analysis undertaken to introduce improved serials processes. The value of the project is demonstrated through a discussion of efforts for workflow education, analysis, and improvement at the NCSU Libraries directly instigated by review of the process documentation by technical services staff members.     

The Impact of Web-Scale Discovery on the Use of Electronic Resources

Abstract

In 2015, the University of California, Berkeley, launched EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS), a web-scale discovery tool, with a goal of improving visibility and usage of collections. This study applies linear regression analysis to usage data for ebooks, ejournals, and abstracts and indexing (A&I) databases before and after implementation of EDS in order to identify correlations between the discovery layer and usage of library electronic resources across platforms. Our findings diverge from conclusions drawn in the previous literature that indicates that resource use generally increases after a discovery tool is implemented. We examine data from a longer period of time than the previous literature had, looking for statistically significant changes in resource use. The discovery layer at UC Berkeley did not lead to equal increases across platforms, but rather to a complex array of increases and decreases in use according to a variety of factors.     

No Satisfaction? But We Try,and We Try,and We Try!

ABSTRACT

When Old Dominion University Libraries conducted the LibQUAL+ survey in 2015, results indicated a lack of satisfaction in effectively discovering and using our electronic resources. This article is based on a presentation from the 2017 North Carolina Serials Conference describing how Old Dominion University Libraries used data from the LibQUAL+ survey results to help our users connect more effectively with information resources, resulting in an improved user experience and an increased level of satisfaction.     

Effectively Evaluating the Accessibility of Electronic Monographs Using VPATs and Other Resources at the College of Staten Island Library- CUNY

Abstract

This study, building upon previous research work at the College of Staten Island (CSI) library, attempts to evaluate the accessibility of select digital monograph platforms and file formats utilized at the City University of New York (CUNY). The usability of CSI library’s locally developed ER-ACT tool to assist librarians with limited technical knowledge to review VPATs and to perform simple testing was also evaluated with challenges and successes reported. It was determined that the use of color-coded results in this study can help identify serious accessibility issues within ebooks and to communicate the results within libraries to assist with collection development decision-making. The study also includes a review of new court rulings related to accessibility issues in higher education and discusses where accessibility staffing reports in terms of job roles and duties held by university professionals. The testing of the accessibility of library ebooks, with various accessibility tools, are reviewed within the context of Section 508 revisions and new VPAT standards.     

Coming to TERMS with Electronic Resource Management: An Interview with Jill Emery,Graham Stone,and Peter McCracken

ABSTRACT

In this column of Serial Conversations, Elan May Rinck interviews Jill Emery, Graham Stone, and Peter McCracken, the editors of TERMS (Techniques in E-Resource Management) 2.0. Emery, Stone, and McCracken discuss developing best practices for electronic resource management and what lies ahead for TERMS 2.0.     

The SR Periodicals Miscellany

Abstract

Libraries play a crucial role in identifying, organizing, classifying, and delivering access to useful information at the point of need including information that is otherwise freely available online. A new classification system for free electronic resources called Scholarship, Persistence, Entity, Compatibility, and Convenience (SPECC) can help library personnel determine whether specific free electronic resources should be made available through their libraries. SPECC is not intended to be used as the only means of evaluating free electronic resources for collection development purposes, but SPECC does broadly categorize most free electronic resources and can save time and money.     

When ERM Met Alma: The Intricacies of Content Management in a Shared Consortia Landscape

ABSTRACT

In 2013, after nearly two decades of operating in a distributed legacy Integrated Library System (ILS) environment on local servers, the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a consortium of public and private academic libraries in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, began a two-year-long process to migrate its 37 members to a shared implementation of Ex Libris's cloud-based Alma library management system (LMS) and Primo discovery interface. Although much has been written on electronic resource management (ERM) functionality at an institution level, little has been written on serials and ERM functionality and workflows within a shared consortial environment. This article discusses the challenges and opportunities of implementing a consortial-based LMS, with particular emphasis on serials and ERM functionality. Key migration issues related to serials control, acquisitions, licensing, administration, cataloging, statistics, and interoperability are examined at the institutional and large-scale networked levels. Benefits and limitations of using a shared consortial cloud-based LMS are explored, and the overall capabilities of the Alma LMS for electronic resource management are reviewed.     

No Mind Reading Necessary: Conducting Evidence-Based Electronic Resource Marketing and Outreach Using Marketing Research Assessment

Abstract

In her presentation entitled “No Mind Reading Necessary: Conducting Evidence-Based Electronic Resource Marketing and Outreach” at the North Carolina Serials Conference April 2019, Kate Hill discussed marketing research strategies and outreach tools used to increase online users’ access to electronic resources and primary resources. In an effort to connect users to seldom-used resources, Jackson Library collaborated with university partners to develop surveys to identify the information-seeking behavior of its users and apply the gathered marketing research to strategically plan outreach activities.     

Staffing for Electronic Resource Management

Abstract

The authors offer the results of an informal survey of library staffing trends related to the acquisition and maintenance of electronic resources. They test their hypothesis that the problem of staffing for e-resources has reached a critical level. Serials Review 2002; 28:316–320.     

Nonparametric estimation of survival functions for incomplete observations when the life time distribution is proportionally related ot the censoring time distribution

Let X₁, X₂…,X_n be a random sample from [ILM0001] and let Y₁, …,Y_n be a random sample from [ILM0002]. Then instead of observing a complete sample X₁,…X_n, we can only observe the pairs Z_i. = min(X_i.,Y_i) and [ILM0003] In this paper, we consider estimation of survival function [ILM0004] when [ILM0005], where β is an unknown positive real number.

     

Streamlining Acquisition Workflows Through Collaboration and Innovation

Abstract

As a selector, have you ever wondered if the resource you requested was ordered? As an acquisitions staff member, are you struggling with keeping track of your order requests from various channels? As a manager, are you finding it challenging to monitor staff work? CORAL, an open source electronic resource management system, proved to be one solution to these concerns for North Carolina State University (NCSU) Libraries. This article discusses how to manage workflows in CORAL and outlines a NCSU initiative to evolve this tool through collaboration across departments and across the CORAL community.     

Authentication Methods and Recent Developments

Abstract

This segment of the “Sharpest Tool” column provides an overview of the current options for authentication for electronic resources and discusses recent developments in this area. Remote access to electronic resources is increasingly important as libraries purchase more and more electronic content. This column attempts to provide a baseline use for many terms relating to authentication, while incorporating discussions and concerns surrounding recent developments in authentication methods.     

More Than Things

Abstract

The often invisible labor of serials, technical services, metadata, and electronic resources workers sits in the space between required and preferred, assessment and surveillance. Although libraries and information workers did not explicitly create the systems many of us live in, we are responsible for their everyday functioning. In many ways the narratives from technical services to the library are centered in objects: item counts, COUNTER stats, door counts, discovery, and other transactional data. And yet, we are stewards and maintainers, innovators and storytellers of the countless ways these objects are experienced. How can we help our colleagues understand the outreach component of this work? How do we responsibly confront power in our systems—which often miscalculates the necessity of care in favor of the shiny? What does it mean to honor expertise behind the scenes, and how might we gain agency in our systems once more?     

Teaching E-journals: Building a Workshop for an Academic Health Sciences Library

Abstract

Prompted by survey results from users of the University at Buffalo Health Sciences Library, the Coordinator of Information Management Education created a workshop about electronic journals (e-journals). Common reference questions regarding accessing and using e-journals led to the development of specific course objectives. The workshop focused on the commonly held myths surrounding e-journals, and the recommended methods for accessing journals through the University at Buffalo Libraries. This article details the process of building the workshop and suggests reasons and methods for implementing similar instructional opportunities in other libraries. Serials Review 2002; 28:88–92.