Electronic Resource Management. The Report of the DLF Initiative. - The Diigo Meta page

• 01 Mar 11
  

  Lisa Martincik

  erm libraries workflows

• 15 Jul 08
  

  Yun Zhang

  ers and five allied organizations that are pioneering the use of electronic information technologies to extend library collections and services. We pride ourselves on our ability to concentrate the talent of our librarians and technologists on issues of shared importance. The Electronic Resources Man

  lis578 ERMS serials

• 22 Jun 08
  

  Linda Hofschire
  • Meanwhile, user behavior and attitudes seem to be changing even more quickly. For example, nearly half of the undergraduates  surveyed by Outsell, Inc., for a recent study of the scholarly information environment indicated that they used e-resources  either exclusively or almost exclusively (Friedlander 2002). That study also showed that many faculty and graduate students  would like to see more journals available to them electronically. However, as many librarians can attest, demand for expanded  access to e-resources is only part of the story. Users now compare their libraries' services to such recent innovations as  the Google search engine and Amazon.com, and they expect libraries to provide similar levels of simplicity, power, and convenience.
  • Another challenge lies in the nature and characteristics  of some of the new resources. For example, most libraries now spend significant amounts of money on aggregator databases. Available from companies such as EBSCO, Gale, LexisNexis, and ProQuest, these databases provide access to the  contents or partial contents of large numbers of periodicals. Although such collections often provide substantial benefits,  reliably and routinely determining which journals they provide--for what periods of time, in what format, and with what degree  of currency or completeness--has been an elusive goal.
  • users were often presented with special alphabetical or subject lists of e-resources  to help meet this descriptive or resource-discovery need.
  • In recent years,  libraries have also begun linking their indexing and full-text resources through proprietary database vendor solutions and  broader, standards-based tools Ex Libris's SFX, thus not only providing greater user convenience but also adding a layer  of complexity to the management of e-resources.
  • Public Display Administrator
  • Libraries commonly present users with multiple routes to licensed resources, including OPAC catalog entries, alphabetical  and subject Web page listings, e-reserve links, and links connecting index or abstract entries to the corresponding full text.  The mechanisms used to provide these presentations are generally hidden from public view.

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    The Permitted Uses of Databases link takes users to the appropriate section of a lengthy document summarizing permitted uses  for many or most of the library's licensed resources
  • Whereas MIT's and Yale's summaries are designed for use by  those library systems alone, Gold Rush can provide summary license terms to all libraries sharing the system and particular  resources.

  • These problems may manifest  themselves in a variety of ways, such as prompts for usernames and passwords or other messages that may be difficult to understand.  Still more vexing may be that an access problem related to a particular publisher's package of e- journals or an aggregator  service can affect all its component journals--entries for which may be dispersed through an online catalog or Web list of  journals available online. 

       

    When any of these circumstances arise, it may be difficult or impossible for a library to effectively manage communication  with staff and affected users. One promising approach to staff communication is shown in figure 18, which depicts a Status  screen from UCLA's ERDb system. The upper half of this screen displays basic information about the resource in question, while  the lower half provides space to record information about a reported incident, such as a user's name, IP address, Internet  service provider, and browser; a description of the problem; the action required; and the present status of the problem.
  • • * Usage statistics are an increasing focus of interest for many libraries. In addition to relying on vendor-provided usage  data, many libraries collect such data locally. The steering group asked the panel members whether an ERM system should store  usage data or merely point users to external data sources. Although most respondents found pointers to be adequate, a number  felt that a common framework for storing and presenting statistics from disparate sources should be provided. 
       
    • * Many large libraries use persistent URIs. Support for them can be critical to the library's operation. In general, libraries  that assign persistent URIs want to be able to record them in the ERM system. Many agreed that being able to generate persistent  URIs was both desirable and feasible since the algorithms by which they are assigned tend to be highly formulaic. 
  • 5. Make resources available through or pass on information about resources to OPACs and Web-presentation services using traditional  resource discovery methods, including the ability to search and browse by author, title, alternate titles, cross-references,  subject, and keywords, facilitate the generation of dynamic, database-driven     

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        Web pages that constitute pathfinders, course- or discipline-specific pages, or lists of selected e-resources in a given subject  area and of a given type (e.g., e-journals, article databases) while supporting fully customizable presentation templates  that are not limited to the branding and look and feel of the native interface;
  • 6. Offer contextual presentation of relevant license information to the user at the point of access, regardless of the access  path taken through any supported tool,   
       
    • 6.1. make apparent to users whether or not they are authorized for access under the license
       
    • 6.2. display relevant permitted uses, use restrictions, and special requirements such as:   
         
      • 6.2.1. permission to use in course packs, course Web sites, and distance education
         
      • 6.2.2. unusual prohibitions, such as record download limits and time of day restrictions
         
      • 6.2.3. citation requirements;
  • • 8. Make available information about and provide access to other versions of the resource being viewed, including links to  catalog holdings information for physical manifestations and direct links to all accessible electronic versions; 
       
    • 9. Make available information about issues particular to the online interface, such as inaccessible or nonsubscribed portions  not marked as such at the site, unusual log-on and log-off requirements, and navigation or accessibility features; 
       
    • 10. Flag resources as unavailable in real time, with an optional explanatory note (see also Administrative and Management  Functions); and 
       
    • 11. Offer advisory notices of planned downtime and other time-sensitive information.

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