Deberah England

Electronic Resource Management System Integration Strategies: Opportunity, Challenge or Promise?

Karl Maria Fattig and Rebecca Kemp, two librarians who have completed a majority of the steps involved in their electronic resource management (ERM) system implementation, and a subscription agent, Christine Stamison, shared their experiences working with electronic resources in this ERM system integration session. Bob McQuillan, an ERM system vendor, led the panel through a series of topics relating to the transition from print to electronic resources and ongoing management of electronic resources. They included addressing budget strategies, allocating and integrating staff workflows, and harvesting usage statistics. The session wrapped up with some soothsayer “dreams” for the future role of ERM systems, which included some observations from the audience.

We Have Our ERM System, It's Implemented: Why am I Still Going Here and There to Get the Information I Need?

In this session the presenter advocated for the development of an electronic resources management (ERM) system administrative record to facilitate the storage of administrative data needed to manage e-resources. Included was a summary of the results of a survey conducted to ascertain where libraries were currently storing administrative data and whether or not inclusion of an administrative record in an ERM system would facilitate use of records for such purposes. Steps to adapt current ERM system records for use in creating stand-in administrative records was offered as well as a sampling of administrative ERM records created at the presenters institution.

Navigating Your Way through the E-journal Rapids

Several members of the e-journal supply chain came together to discuss their roles in managing electronic resources. The tasks of managing print subscriptions were compared and contrasted with the tasks now required to manage electronic subscriptions. The complex nature of managing electronic resources and the impact that it has had on the workflows of all parties involved were shared.

Journal Title Display and Citation Practices

In this tactics session two Library of Congress catalogers and one former Library of Congress cataloger discussed how metadata issues with journal title presentation on provider and publisher websites can be problematic. Through a series of examples, the speakers demonstrated how lack of metadata and citation practices result in users not finding content and libraries not getting access to content for which they paid. Reactions from publishers and attendees were welcomed with the goal of enhancing communication among stakeholders and generating interest to form a collaborative effort in establishing a NISO working group to develop best practices with journal title display and citation practice.

A New Approach to Library Service Discovery and Resource Delivery

ABSTRACT In this vision session, Daniel Chudnov discussed how current specifications in development and use, including COinS and unAPI, could improve service discovery and resource delivery. The speaker focused on the benefits of each spec and examined each from a critical perspective. He concluded that each spec could not deliver the ultimate performance of current commercial counterparts such as iTunes. The specs combined, however, contribute to a preferable ideal to which libraries should aspire. Throughout his talk, Chudnov built on a strategy libraries can utilize to begin implementing that ideal.

ER Sleuths are on the Case: Best Practices for E-Resource Acquisitions

ABSTRACT This conference report describes a discussion about e-resources acquisitions work from the perspectives of a continuing resources acquisitions librarian, an electronic resources librarian, and a subscription agent. Topics addressed include the use of ticketing systems to track e-resources problems, the role of the subscription agent in the e-resources lifecycle, and best practices for communication in e-resources workflows. The presenters used real life situations as case studies to share tips, tricks, successes, and pain points in the e-resource lifecycle. They emphasized setting realistic expectations and employing effective communication strategies to solve e-resource cases with more success and less stress.

Why Using a Subscription Agent Makes Good Sense

In late summer of 2014, there was an exchange on the SERIALST listserv about why libraries would or should pay a service charge to work with subscription agents rather than order directly from publishers. The Swets Information Services bankruptcy was announced in September, impacting libraries, publishers, and others in the supply chain. The speakers explore the advantages of using an agent for both libraries and publishers and reported on the responses to a survey sent to various communities regarding the use of subscription agents. An analysis of the Swets bankruptcy illustrates some strategies that librarians can use to assess an agent’s financial health as well as gauge the quality of service.

Minding the store; Insights and perceptions on the role of the subscription agent in today’s scholarly resources marketplace

This article summarizes the responses to a survey about working with subscription agents conducted in Spring 2015. Questions were designed to elicit feedback from all segments of the information industry: publishers, libraries, subscription agents, and consortia. The survey included several questions about changes in library procurement practice after the September 2014 Swets bankruptcy, and how libraries evaluate an agent’s financial health and quality of service. Questions were also designed to learn how well the various segments understood how subscription agents worked. One overall impression came through very clearly. There is a need for regular education about the roles of publishers, agents, libraries, and consortia in the information chain to maintain good relationships, effective services, and satisfied customers.