Finding the ERM that Fits Now...and Later

Wendy Allen ShelburneElectronic Resources Librarian

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it…”

Yogi Berra

E-Resources at Urbana

• 60,000+ electronic journals• 250,000+ electronic books• More than 300 databases• 2.0 FTE solely devoted to E-resources – 1

just hired in August 2007, another position to be added in 2008

• Partial support from Cataloging and Library IT

Big Questions

• How are we currently managing electronic resources?

• What are the limitations of the current situation?

• What do we need to do and what can we do to improve staff management and user experience with electronic resources?

Big Questions Answered

• How are we managing? – Fair to middlin’, with a big mess brewing

• What are the limitations?– Staffing and current tools

• What can we do to improve?– Improve staffing and tools

Now What?

We needed to find our fit in a product, relative to our current resources and current needs, while being mindful of

where we really want to go with all of this!

• Home Grown A-Z/Hybrid ERM (ORR)– http://www.library.uiuc.edu/orr/– (Live June 2004-populated from 8 data

sources-)• Local Installation of SFX– Live October 2005 –

• Voyager– Voyager Acquisitions implemented in 2004

after a migration from III, OPAC 2003

Our Tools

ORR

• Our homegrown A-Z/hybrid ERM– Still a great A-Z interface, but…– Significant data overlay problems (bad coverage

information and disappearing resources)– E-Resources has inadequate control of the

database– Market changes affecting our primary knowledge

base– Long term intentions to remap SFX data to

populate this system

SFX

• Sources still need activation• No matching workflow for target activation

from new activations in ORR• Differences between this knowledge base and

our ORR knowledge base• Unable to manage two commercial e-resource

knowledge bases• Ability to manage some titles here without

putting in ORR

Voyager

• Acquisitions Client is unsuitable for almost all electronic resource needs

• Difficult to keep pace in public display of OPAC changes

• Unable to provide good statistical data internally or externally

• Never had strong desire to use the OPAC as a finding aid or inventory of electronic resources

The ERM Decision

• Lack of ability to continue investments in back end of ORR and increasing problems managing the knowledge base of ORR

• Increased number of subject selectors choosing electronic only subscriptions

• Redundant, almost comical, workflows• E-books• Unlikely to receive substantial staff increases• One time availability of funds

Firm Commitments

• SFX• Voyager• ORR• Desire to focus on knowledge base relative

to future work –federated searching, next generation OPAC, etc.

Major Factors in Decision Process• Insufficient support to manage two commercial

knowledge bases (TdNet and SFX)• Inability to reflect in Voyager Acquisitions

subscription format, and split payment titles.• Inability to adequately manage shared UI three

campus products• Inability to adequately manage titles under

consortial agreements.• Desire to support user focused initiatives• Unexpected availability of funding

Major Players in UIUC Decision Process

• AUL for Collections• AUL for Information Technology Planning

and Policy• AUL for Services• Head of Content Access Management• Electronic Resources Librarian

Implementation Plans

• First and foremost: Straightening out the journals

• Completing our SFX implementation• Focus on building a solid knowledge base

that we can better control• Prepare for loading MARC records for

licensed, as opposed to purchased, titles• Carve out workflows that make sense,

where we can…

Your Current Situation

• Acquisitions– ILS data, another system, use all, use some,

and if so, how?• A-Z List and Link Resolver– Will there be a relationship with your ERM?

• All those folders, spreadsheets, and lists– What if this is your best data?

Introspection

• What do want to achieve first with an ERM?– Map licenses?– Improve acquisitions?– Create workflows?– Straighten out your databases?– Just figure out what you have and how you

are paying for it?

Issues to Consider

• Locally served or hosted?• Primary relationship to ILS, or something else?

Maybe a mix?• Will it work with your existing tools?• Will it work with your existing staff?• Do you have datasets to load, or students to type?• What needs to be improved now, and what can

wait?• Are you better served diving in now or should you

wait?

Future Tense

• What do want to achieve in the long term with your ERM?– Information for staff and users– Population of other systems– A searchable repository– Vendor Supplied Data– Invoice payment– Something not listed here or something

that hasn’t been thought of…yet?

Thank You!!