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Monday, April 15, 2019
Introduction
The libraries
are amidst a profound shift from paper to electronic resources due to
developments and advancement in ICT. As
many libraries are transforming from traditional to digital there has been a rapid
proliferation of electronic resources. This has led to the complexity of management
of these electronic resources and hence requires tools that centralizes and
assimilates all the technical and administrative details of library’s
electronic resources.
Traditional integrated management system
has been designed to manage print resources and are not well suited to manage
electronic resources. For example, library systems typically lack the ability
to describe the hierarchical nature of that an e-journal is a part of a
package, and the package is by an interface provider. Nor do traditional
libraries have a means to describe attributes such as licence and access
information; to handle various workflows required specifically for e-resource
management, such as a workflow; and to deal with archival rights and the
restrictions of access to specific locations and specific communities. Lacking
such capabilities many libraries have been looking for solutions to help them
manage this new form of resource (Sadeh & Ellingsen, 2005). Hence library professionals and content
providers have developed tools for the management of electronic resources in a
more systematic way.
Many authors
have attempted to define Electronic resource management. In a simplest form electronic
resource management is a tool, a system or a software that is used to manage
electronic resources. An Electronic resource management system
(ERMS) is a software that assists the library in managing the details access
and manages the e-resources. An ERMS is basically a tool for librarians, but
its impact relates to end-users. The information gathered in the ERMS can serve
as a starting point for user’s interaction with e-resources. Further, ERMS
addressed the issues on new standards and protocols (Patra, 2014).
According to Yu
& Breivold (2008), electronic resources management can be defined as
overseeing of all aspects of electronic resource management from pre-selection activities
such as trials and initial vendor inquiries to renewal/cancellation decisions,
from the perspectives of planning, policy, and workflow issues experienced by
many libraries.
Electronic Resource Management System
(ERMS)
According to McCracken (2007) ERMS are
used “… to keep track of a library’s digital titles, subscription and
vendor/publisher information, and link resolution with more accuracy and less
duplication”. ERMS are systems designed to manage the details involved in the
acquisitions of e-resources, including subscription and licensing details,
usage, cost, and access tracking and data gathering. In general, an ERMS is
used for record keeping and budgeting activities, while Content Management
Systems (CMS) are used for access and authority control.
In 2002, the Digital Library Federation
(DLF) and the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) co-sponsored a
workshop that eventually led to the Electronic Resource Management Initiative
(ERMI). The landmark ERMI report published in 2004
(http://www.niso.org/news/events/2011/nisowebinars/erm/) that the early
challenges for librarians dealing with e-resource management were four-fold:
e-resource data existed in many formats and locations, was not centralized, was
often stored and accessed in a variety of silos and was not integrated with the
Integrated Library System (ILS). Generally, ERMS has a one-stop solution of
e-resource management which contains two parts includes “management” and
“access” for both librarians and end-users, compliance with specific standards
and compatibility (Patra, 2014).
Managing an electronic resource requires
the provision of the right information to the right people at the right time.
One of the greatest payoffs of implementing an ERM system is the ability to
share usage rights and restrictions with various staff needing this
information. Implementing an electronic resource management system forces the
establishment of an electronic resource workflow from selection to
troubleshooting access problems. An ERM system centralizes the storage and
distribution of electronic resource information but decentralizes its
management.
Electronic resource management system is
less complex and generally much easier to use than the typical integrated
library system, requiring very few steps to retrieve data related to electronic
resource subscriptions. This ease of use encourages library staff to locate
information on their own rather than relying on electronic resource manager to
provide needed information. Another unexpected benefit of implementing an ERMS
is the opportunity to clean up bibliographic data. ERMS can also provide
opportunity for staff to learn new technologies. Another foreseen benefit is
the improvement of relationships between staff in various library departments
and the formation of new alliances and partnerships. Opportunities for outreach
will increase as the ERMS is introduced to library staff not involved with the
implementation. This outreach may also extend beyond the library. Implementing
an electronic resource management system allows the controlled provision of
subscription information to non-library staff. The implementation of an ERMS
can improve and streamline a library’s selection, evaluation, acquisition, and
maintenance of electronic resources. The centralization of information is
perhaps the greatest benefit. Better-defined workflows, catalogue clean up, and
the forming of new alliances, however, are few hidden rewards that can occur
along the way (Ballard & Lang, 2007).
References
Ballard, Rochelle & Lang, Jennifer (2007). The Hidden Benefits of Implementing an Electronic Resources Management System. June 27, 2018, from https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/serials-and-continuing- resources/Conferences/ballard.pdf
Ballard, Rochelle & Lang, Jennifer (2007). The Hidden Benefits of Implementing an Electronic Resources Management System. June 27, 2018, from https://www.ifla.org/files/assets/serials-and-continuing- resources/Conferences/ballard.pdf
Patra, N. K.
(2014). Electronic resource management: A case study of management school
Sadeh, T. &
Ellingson, M. (2005). Electronic resource management system: the need and
the Realization, New Library World, 106 (5/6). Retrieved July 4, 2018, from http://www.Emaraldinsight.com/nlm.htm
Yu, Holly &
Breivold, Scott (2008). Electronic resource management in libraries: research and practice. London: Information
Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global), 2008. Retrieved June 25, 2018, from http://elibrary.bsu.az/books_rax/N_364.pdf
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