Hey! What About Us?! Changing Roles of Subject Specialists and Reference Librarians in the Age of Electronic Resources

For the acquisition of periodicals and indexes, the selector role of subject specialists and reference librarians has been transformed by electronic access. In the past these librarians made independent recommendations for new periodicals, indexes, and abstracts by using traditional selection criteria (e.g., relevance, quality, and cost). With electronic resources, considerations such as licensing negotiations, consortial agreements, and technical issues have complicated the decision-making process and have sometimes removed it from individual librarians or even individual libraries. The author discusses the opportunities for individual librarians, particularly in public service roles, to participate in serials collection management decisions and provides a case study of business periodicals collection management in an academic library. Serials Review 2002; 28:283–286.     

Rethinking Print Periodicals Holdings Retention Policy in Small Academic Libraries

Abstract

Collection development policies in small academic libraries may lack a formal policy statement about print periodical holdings retention. However, there is a need for a distinct policy about print periodicals holdings and their retention. Periodicals collections at academic libraries have been greatly affected by publishers’ decisions to discontinue print journal formats and move to online-only electronic versions. The move from one format to another produces challenges to the retention of an effective print periodicals collection. Given these continuous changes in publication format, it is necessary for academic libraries to rethink their print periodicals holdings retention. This article will present a literature review on and case study of periodicals collection management and explore strategies for developing holdings policies and guidelines for retention. It will argue that collection development policies ought to include a separate policy for the print periodicals collection and that unlike their reputation for being time-consuming and inflexible, periodical retention policies can improve flexibility and guide in decision making, helping to preserve core titles and acquire new titles that support academic programs and the work of the college community.     

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.     

Management of Electronic Serials in Academic Libraries: The Results of an Online Survey

Abstract

This article presents the results of an online survey of academic librarians conducted in 2011 on the topic of electronic serials management. Since online journals had by 2011 become a major part of academic library serials collections, a central objective of this survey was to explore whether this had led to any degree of standardization in online serials management procedures across academic libraries. The focus of the survey was generally on issues affecting technical services, specifically exploring the impact of electronic serials on collection development, library staffing, and serials management tools. The responses to the survey did not reflect any significant level of uniformity among these libraries in any of these areas, suggesting that libraries primarily take into account the needs of their own institutions when formulating procedures for managing online serials.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Web-Exclusive Articles in Traditionally Print Periodicals

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of Web-exclusive articles offered by traditionally print periodicals and provides examples of various types of periodicals with inconsistent contents between their Web and print editions. The author discusses citation issues that confuse users and librarians with inconsistencies and lack of standards in coverage of Web-exclusive articles in full-text databases and by publishers. These inconsistencies cause difficulties in retrieving, archiving, and OpenURL linking to Web-exclusive articles.     

A Review of Laura S. Young's Bookbinding & Conservation by Hand: A Working Guide

Abstract

University librarians in China face many of the same challenges related to serials management that confront librarians in the United States. The authors discuss the importance for librarians in the United States, especially those working with serials, to establish and build ties with librarians in other countries, such as China. Benefits of an exchange could include sharing information about best practices, exchange of serial materials, and working together on mutually advantageous projects. Acknowledging the growing interest in international library exchange programs, the authors relate their own institution's efforts to build international ties with Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and Shaanxi Normal University in Xi'an, China. In establishing these ties, the authors have traveled to China and interviewed librarians about serials acquisition, processing, and management.     

Serials Digest

Abstract

A collection manager and an acquisition librarian discuss difficult decisions to be made regarding electronic resources and associated value-added services. Balancing budget constraints with patron demands for easy access to information requires librarians to reevaluate assumptions about the electronic products and associated services that have quickly become staples of library life, even as these staples become increasingly untenable. The authors scrutinize the cost/benefit of continuing value-added services, such as providing access to abstracting and indexing tools and full MARC cataloging records of journal titles, as well as considering the adoption of new services such as federated search engines and link resolvers.     

Evaluating,Selecting, and Acquiring Electronic Resources

Abstract

The entire back archive of over 140 titles published by Oxford Journals has recently been digitized from print and made available online. The author discusses the motivation behind this undertaking, the resulting end product, and reviews the advantages of an online archive over a traditional print collection both to librarians and to academic researchers. The author also provides an overview of the business models and logistical challenges of such a project which will be of interest to librarians and of relevance to all journal publishers considering a similar digitization program.     

Project Feedback Loops: Visualizing Collection Evaluation Decisions

ABSTRACT

In 2016, a collection assessment project evaluated print serials and book collections at Johns Hopkins University in preparation for an upcoming renovation of the Eisenhower Library. Project metrics provided librarians with both goals and measures of success that varied by humanities, social sciences, and science and engineering—such as estimated number of volumes, decision type, and the percentage of serials staying or moving out of the building. A feedback loop with data visualizations helped reduce anxiety and improve communication across library departments by illustrating volume estimates, linear feet, and shelf height by decision type. Key takeaways include lessons learned about necessary data proficiency for academic librarians and the need for better data from our library software and applications to facilitate future collection evaluation projects for weeding off-site serials.     

The Role of an Electronic Resources Librarian in Procuring Accessible Online Resources

Abstract

Per the 2019 NASIG Core Competencies for electronic resources librarians (ERL), ERLs “work with concepts and methods that are very much in flux … [they are] knowledgeable about the legal framework within which libraries and information agencies operate… [including] laws relating to… equal rights (e.g., the Americans with Disabilities Act)”. However, the Core Competencies do not define the level to which an ERL is responsible for determining the accessibility of an electronic resource. This article aims to create a better understanding of the steps an ERL can take to develop an accessibility statement pertaining to procuring accessible content. This article synthesizes key laws and policies that ERLs should be aware of in order to draft an accessibility procurement statement for their institution. It will also discuss licensing strategies, documentation collection, and conducting potential audits of electronic purchases.     

Finding the Delicate Balance: Serials Assessment at the University of Nevada,Las Vegas

Abstract

In the spring of 2003 the University Libraries at University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), conducted a Serials Assessment Project which combined technology with effective communication between library users and subject librarians to successfully identify journals that could be cancelled, should cancellations be necessary due to budgetary constraints. Although the library had conducted similar assessments in 1998 and 2000, a fresh look at past assessments resulted in an innovative approach. The project and experience proved to be tremendously positive for both the library and its users. This article describes the planning and process by which the UNLV libraries designed and conducted the 2003 review of UNLV's serials collection, comparing it to methods used in the two previous assessments.     

Print Magazines for American College Libraries

Abstract

This paper opens discussion about the periodicals that are left behind in the debate over the transition from print to electronic journals in academic libraries, particularly college libraries. The author annotates 100 English-language print magazines titles that support a liberal arts curriculum and the leisure reading of an American college community. These titles should be maintained in print versions for browsing and usefulness, even if online availability exists. Magazines, with their mix of articles, illustrations, sidebars, tables, charts, graphs, lists, and short features, still have an important place in college libraries.     

Reports of Conferences,Institutes, and Seminars

Abstract

This column covers sessions from the 2018 Charleston Library Conference, an informal annual gathering of librarians, publishers, electronic resource managers, consultants, and vendors of library materials in Charleston, South Carolina, in November. Topics include the impact of open access and open research, assisting faculty with locating and integrating these resources into their courses through partnerships and open applications, and managing gifts and donations with restricted resources.