Beyond Library Software: New Tools for Electronic Resources Management

The boom in easy-to-use Web-based software has inspired some libraries to adapt tools that were not designed for the library market to meet their needs in new and creative ways. This column will explore three examples of academic libraries that have used mainstream technologies to create new approaches to managing electronic resources acquisitions, workflows, and metadata. Each case study highlights a particular software platform, describes the decision to adopt the software, details the implementation process, and explores strengths and weaknesses of each tool.     

Electronic Resources Forum - Managing Researcher Identity: Tools for Researchers and Librarians

Abstract

Researchers have increasing opportunities to identify themselves and raise the profile of their research and scholarship through online researcher identity management and researcher profile systems. This column provides a basic introduction to researcher identity management and examines four widely used researcher profile systems: Google Scholar Citations, Open Researcher and Contributor Identifier (ORCID), Scopus Author ID, and Web of Science ResearcherID. System benefits and comparisons are provided, with the purpose of helping researchers and librarians to select appropriate researcher identity management tools to support their work.     

The eIFL.net Initiative: Access and Management of Electronic Resources by Library Consortia in Developing and Transition Countries

Abstract

eIFL.net is an umbrella organization of library consortia in fifty transition and developing countries. Its main purpose is to negotiate, encourage, and advocate for the wide availability of scholarly electronic information by library users from the education and research sectors, professional communities, governmental organizations, and civil society.

The paper presents the beginnings, goals, and development of eIFL.net in its five years of existence. The authors outline what it has achieved so far and provide an overview of the main challenges that developing countries face in accessing quality e-resources. Some success stories will demonstrate concrete accomplishments of the organization and its participating countries.     

The eIFL.net Initiative: Access and Management of Electronic Resources by Library Consortia in Developing and Transition Countries

eIFL.net is an umbrella organization of library consortia in fifty transition and developing countries. Its main purpose is to negotiate, encourage, and advocate for the wide availability of scholarly electronic information by library users from the education and research sectors, professional communities, governmental organizations, and civil society.The paper presents the beginnings, goals, and development of eIFL.net in its five years of existence. The authors outline what it has achieved so far and provide an overview of the main challenges that developing countries face in accessing quality e-resources. Some success stories will demonstrate concrete accomplishments of the organization and its participating countries.     

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.     

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.     

Innovative Interfaces' Electronic Resources Management System: A Survey on the State of Implementation and Usage

This paper presents the results of a survey on Innovative Interfaces' Electronic Resource Management System (III's ERM). The authors distributed the survey to III ERM users through LISTSERVS in November 2009 and received sixty-one responses. The survey contained seventeen questions that focused on three themes: satisfaction with implementation, impact on workflow, and impact on patrons. The results indicated that difficulty with implementation caused some dissatisfaction with staff workflow, although a majority of informants indicated that III's ERM improved staff workflow to some degree. The major benefits of III's ERM were listed in terms of the product's impact on patrons.     

Staffing for Electronic Resource Management : The Results of a Survey

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.     

Major Chinese Full-Text Electronic Information Resources for Researchers and Scholars

China's electronic publishing industry has developed very rapidly over the past decade. China has become one of the electronic publishing centers in Asia and will continue to flourish in the future. Chinese electronic databases provide the most efficient way for scholars, researchers, and students to perform searches, as well as to provide information for businesses and governments. In this article the author gives a brief overview of selected databases that represent a small portion of the Chinese electronic resources and will serve as a reference to Chinese scholars worldwide.     

Things Are Looking Up: Using Cloud-Based Technology Tools in Collection Management Workflows

Abstract

Between 2018 and 2019, two librarians at the College of Charleston Libraries incorporated cloud-based technologies into their collection management workflows. The following paper was derived from a presentation they prepared for the 2020 North Carolina Serials Conference, which was to be held on March 27, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper highlights which cloud technologies they use and provides an overview of the literature that has been published on project management and cloud-based technologies in libraries. It includes an explanation of how they use each tool, and provides examples for setting up each tool in different scenarios so that other collection management librarians may implement them into their own routines. The paper ends with an exploration of the advantages and disadvantages of integrating these tools into collection management workflows. Although the librarians had not prepared to discuss the role these technologies may play when working remotely, they have both found them invaluable during this unprecedented time when many librarians are working from home.     

Electronic Journals: Cataloging and Management Practices in Academic Libraries

The growth and availability of electronic journals offer libraries the opportunity to provide end users with quick and easy access to more journals than ever before, thereby creating a complex new workload in academic libraries. Libraries have addressed the evolving challenges unique to electronic resources by creating new policies and workflows and dedicating staff to work on the processes, despite the lack of best practices. In the fall of 2009, a survey was distributed to ninety-five libraries at peer institutions to gather information about their policies and practices for cataloging and managing electronic journals in order to gauge the current status of electronic journal management among these peer institutions. This paper reports on the survey findings related to cataloging approach, sources for bibliographic records, methods for identifying problems, and the staff and staff hours dedicated to electronic journals.     

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.