Reflections of ERM terms

I appreciated the fact that we started our class discussion with the core competencies for electronic resources librarians, the Wikipedia definition of Electronic resource management and then we progressed to the information in the readings. In our group, we discussed the six terms below from the Emery’s article (page 6) at length.

• ·         Investigating new content for purchase

• ·         Acquiring new content

• ·         Implementation

• ·         Ongoing evaluation and access

• ·         Annual review

• ·         Cancellation and replacement review

One colleague spoke specifically about how his library acquires new content and then advertises or markets the material so the teachers and students know what new items are available.  We also talked about licensing, and negotiating with vendors for the best deals for the library. It was interesting that some of the issues we discussed in our group, Galadriel also dealt with in her talk. Galadriel believes librarians should have a good understanding of their patrons and how they use library resources. She also made a strong point about negotiating with vendors for the best products and fair prices. While the attorney general in Connecticut has the final say of licensing, librarians have a lot of power because they can decide where they spend their money. Librarians must speak up and be assertive regarding asking for better prices. Librarians must be professional and let know vendors know what they expect.  

TERMS Investigate

TERMS Investigate

In 1981, Paul Mosher gave a keynote speech in which he “challenged librarians to move toward a new vision of collection management”.  This new vision, which many others contributed to as well, was a turning point for resource management in libraries.  Samuel Demas and Mary Miller discuss the next turning point, which suggests that librarians re-write collection management plans to address both the influx of electronic resources and how to archive current resources.  An updated plan on archiving existing resources is especially salient given that space is increasingly limited.

 A big part of rewriting, or even writing a plan for the first time, is first asking how to best analyze current resources and anticipated future resources to make a better plan.  Electronic resources provide an opportunity to share more instantaneously, which can be a great asset to collaboration between institutions.   As space and general resources decline this collaboration can be the foundation in restoring any lost public trust and there can be a way to specialize in types of electronic and hard resources so that less materials are removed from public libraries.  I liked the message put forth for community “Education, Outreach, and Communication” to help prevent dumpster diving, and hope that any updated collection managements plans would include this public trust issue as well. 

Reflections: ERM Overview by E. Anthony

            Based on several different overviews about Electronic Resource Management, one thing is certain—ERM is vastly different from the management of traditional, print resources and thereby requires its own set of tools and skills. 

            “’Two decades after the advent of electronic journals and databases, librarians are still grappling with ways to best manage these resources in conjunction with their print resources. In addition, economic pressures at most institutions of higher learning are resulting in librarians having to justify every dollar spent on collections and resource management.

in librarians having to justify each dollar spent on collections and resource manage- ment’ (Emery and Stone, 2011).” (Weir, 2012)

            Up until recently, managing electronic resources was mostly an art of trial and error. New techniques and best practices are finally starting to be agreed upon by the consensus of librarians whom have been involved in acquiring and administering these resources for years. Many of the basics of overseeing a digital resource collection are now part of a new culture of nuanced librarian skills. Things a libriarian previously did not have to worry about—haggling and negotiation, for example—are now a part of everyday responsibilities.

            Pesch’s electronic resources life cycle, created by Oliver Pesch, demonstrates the steps involved all the way from the acquisition of these resourced “Acquire” to the stage of renewal of resources “Renew” and everything in between.

Based on Pesch’s model, there are some emerging skills necessary for ERM librarian’s specific tasks. These skills vary from a traditional collection-management librarian and I want to highlight some of the main differences. 

            At the acquisition stage of the lifecycle, we see the need for librarians to research different resources and decide which ones are necessary to their particular library and community. While exploring resources is not a new task, finding guidance for electronic journals or databases, for example, is different because with print materials guidance exists in the form of reviews. At the acquisition stage, negotiating a price and contract is also complicated.

            Troubleshooting problems with databases or other electronic resources is a technical skill that could be required at the stages of “Providing Access,” “Administer” and “Support” stages of the lifecycle. Typically, a traditional collections management librarian would provide access to a print material, sound recording, or DVD by cataloging the resource and putting it on the shelf or display. Troubleshooting technical problems is a separate skill.

             I think the most difficult obstacle facing ERM librarians is the task of promoting and marketing new electronic resources. Many library patrons are familiar with E-books and seek out electronic versions of bestsellers for their Nook or Kindle. Databases and electronic journals, especially outside of the university library setting, would definitely take a lot of marketing and promotion for basic visilbity.

            For me, the initial readings helped highlight the differences between an ERM librarian and a traditional collections-management librarian. Electronic resources have ushered in a new set of tasks, which requires librarians to be equipped with a new set of skills. 

E. Anthony

Some Thoughts on TERMS Investigate

The second week's readings emphasize different ways that libraries can move towards more electronic resources and, seemingly, more “automation” of the collection management and development process. Downey’s piece specifically addressed software developed at Kent State University to automate resource selection. The SERU framework, while not a form contract, provides a basic and relatively universal model from which to create licensing arrangements. The Demas and Miller piece argued for the consolidation of print collections in shared storage facilities, freeing up valuable space for institutional members of library consortia. The reading from Chapter 2 emphasized the value of creating a purchasing model for electronic resources.

Models and other tools seem to be essential in building electronic resource collections because of the key differences between e- and print resources. Obviously having standardized procedures is better in both print and electronic collection management, but it seems that the complexity of electronic resources demands a procedure. This relates back to the discussion from last week’s class as all of these projects involve significant changes to traditional librarian roles.

Good communication is a common thread in several of these articles. One major part of the Kent State project’s software was a means for generating form e-mails and keeping communication channels clear and direct. Similarly, the SERU agreement was designed as a model for libraries and content providers to come to terms over the important aspects of an electronic resource licensing agreement.

One of the values that I found most interesting in adopting a purchasing model and formulating plans for collection maintenance is the ability of the model to provide transparency. When the library has fully defined criteria for what resources will be purchased/weeded/stored off-site/etc., the library’s patrons and other stakeholders can better understand the way decisions are made. The articles made it clear that this can be very valuable in explaining collection decisions to patrons who may be unhappy that specific items are no longer available. As staunch advocates for the freedom of information, fostering transparency and accountability in library operations aligns with these larger ideological principles.

One issue I foresee with the “Rethinking Collection Management” shared archives/print collection plans is the potential risk associated with “putting all your eggs in one basket.” If something happened to the shared collection, who would replace it? This highlights the importance of communication between the member institutions that the authors mention repeatedly.

Reflection - Electronic Resource Expentitures

Unit 2 Reflection

In Electronic Resource Librarians in Academic Libraries: A Position Announcement Analysis, 1996-2001, that we were assigned written by (Albitz, 2002) a table was included. What I found interesting was while the author saw those numbers “as a call to action” they were quite low by today's standards.  

When Galadriel Chilton gave her presentation to LIS 755 (06/26/2013), if I heard her correctly, she mentioned 90% of her budget was on electronic materials. Even if this number is slightly high I strongly suspect the number is closer to Chilton than Table 5 above.

In the article, Learning the Basics of Electronic Resource Management, we read (Weir, 2012) quotes Lanning and Turner about the K-12 context in particular.

"The survey of school librarians extends what we know about the desirability of print reference sources at the K-12 level. Print reference resource use exhibits a general decline versus their electronic counterparts, receiving the least use at both higher education and school libraries. Although the preference for print reference resources increases as we move down from high schools to middle schools to elementary schools, in no case are print reference sources the preferred format." (Lanning and Turner, 2010: 218-219)

I am of mixed thoughts on this. On the one hand I agree there are certain affordances with electronic resources when they come with the right licensing agreements such as multi-use and simultaneous access.  At the most affordable level electronic resources can be accessed by multiple users, simultaneously, on or off site. In the past year I have noticed the higher quality content going electronic, so while print reference material may be available they are of lesser quality.

On the other hand, I have teachers, and I am sure there are professors that can fall into this group too, that the very mention of an electronic or online database make their eyes gloss over. I am not sure who Lanning and Turner were talking to, but while I certainly have a strong bias toward electronic content, I also get my share of push back from teachers. There are some that still adapting to the card catalog going electronic.

At the end of the day, even with reservations and push back the winds of change will lean more and more towards the electronic. I think its less about a dichotomy between print or electronic, but that in our transition to electronic content we gain affordances rather than lose them. At times like this I think of JSTOR and how they limit basic user actions such as highlighting, annotations, and even electronic photocopying.

To bring this full circle to licensing, I think it becomes very important that we fight for terms that increase user options with electronic content. If we agree to poor terms that our patrons perceive as limiting their options there will be greater resistance.        

Albitz, R. S. (2002). Electronic Resource Librarians in Academic Libraries: A Position Announcement Analysis, 1996-2001. portal Libraries and the Academy, 2(4), 589-600. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/content/crossref/journals/portal_libraries_and_the_academy/v002/2.4albitz.html

Learning the Basics of Electronic Resource Management

Ryan Weir (2012)

Overview of ERM: How do these librarians do it?! (a reflection)

Even though I was quite aware of the necessity for librarians to be charged with electronic resource management responsibilities, the lit review by Emery and Stone and the white paper from the Association of College and Research Libraries made me feel like I was entering into a very abstract field of study. I can’t say I really understood what these kinds of librarians actually do, especially as I tried to learn the jargon and acronyms. Weir’s descriptions of the processes and Galadriel Chilton’s behind-the-scenes explanations (via our webchat) brought the “Overview” of ERM to a level where I felt like I finally understood. (I must have saved the best for last, right? Perhaps the Emery/Stone and ACRL articles would be more meaningful to me now and merit a second look!)

The e-resource life cycle seemed pretty transparent, probably because there are a lot of parallels to the selection/evaluation/curation life cycle of print resources. There are differences of course, especially in regards to negotiation and vendor interactions, but even the renewal process of an e-resource could be analogous to the weeding decision-making process of a book (keep it/sell it/toss it/replace it). Adding the technological layer in ERM is definitely unique though: we don’t troubleshoot or teach patrons how to use books. Because they have to work with tech and customer service, this is why the job description of an ERM librarian has become hybridized.

Some advice in regards to ERM from Galadriel Chilton of UConn Libraries:

• Learn what you can about this growing field and position yourself. Start by monitoring ALA joblist for these kinds of jobs and try to develop the the skills they require. It’s okay if you don’t have them all, of course, but it’s a good start.
• It is important for ERM librarians to interact with their users so that you know what they actually need and want from your resources.
• ERM librarians need to have good relationships with publishers, vendors, etc. We depend on them--but they also depend on us to create a good product. We need to be vocal and tell them what we’d actually like to see from them.
• Librarians often hesitate to negotiate. When making a licensing deal, a librarian should never sign without asking, “How much lower could it [the price] be?” She recommended this book on negotiation by Ashmore, Grogg and Weddle.

Summary of Rethinking Collection Management Plans: Shaping Collective Collections for the 21st Century

Summary of Rethinking Collection Management Plans: Shaping Collective Collections for the 21^st Century

                Academic libraries’ collection needs are continuously growing while physical spaces for collections are dwindling. In addition to the diminishing physical space for collection development, academic libraries are also losing State/University resources.  A new trend has arisen from these issues. A shared repository for print media might be the answer for many academic libraries. This repository for low use materials would be shared with other libraries and would cut on cost and space. Samuel Demas and Mary E. Miller, the authors of Rethinking Collection Management Plans: Shaping Collective Collections for the 21^st Century, also state that academic libraries can then connect print version of a certain material to a digital one allowing a patron access to either. The idea of libraries pulling together on resources and collaborating on collection development leads to some very interesting questions.   The whole notion of collection development than has to be revisited and revised to fit into a more cooperative framework.

                The article states the importance of collection management which included merging collections, transferring items to storage, weeding, preserving etc. It also stresses the significance for developing a formal plan for cooperative collection development. The article looks at the planning and policy of shared collection development, the fundamentals behind writing a collection management plan and goals and strategies.  

                This article was certainly fascinating, however it only gave broad terms on how to accomplish a collective collection.  Overall, the article addressed many of the pressing issues that would accompany creating a collective collection. It didn’t address the issue of start up cost to build it. The time and energy put into creating a new collective management plan or even the weeding would be enormous. However, once started I believe this would help libraries save resources and create more 

sustainability.