Electronic Resources Management Interest GroupSaturday, June 23, 2012 - 4:00pm to 5:30pm

This session of the ERM Interest Group focuses on the role that library initiated ERMS continue to play in the ERM marketplace. Major developments are taking place with the focus on ILS and ERM integration in systems such as ExLibris’ ALMA, Innovative’s Sierra and the Kuali OLE project but many libraries still choose to develop their own ERMS or turn to solutions created and offered by other libraries such as CUFTS, CORAL, ERMes and Gold Rush. This session includes presentations from representatives of these library initiated ERMS and will highlight the value and impact that these systems continue to have on the ERMS marketplace both now and in the future.

Text ImagesGood afternoon!

I’m delighted to be here with you all; many thanks to Benjamin Heet and the ERM IG for the invitation to join this panel, and the opportunity to explore this question of…

Why library-initiated ERMS during a time of next gen commercial ILS systems such as Alma and Sierra?

To get started, I’ll share who I am…

While at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse, I co-developed ERMes with William Doering, Metadata and Document Delivery Librarian.

ERMes is a library-developed ERM designed for small to medium libraries that functions in MS Access that is used by over 60 libraries from around the world.

Now, I am at the University of Connecticut where I am at the beginning stages of implementing CORAL – another library-initiated ERM that better suites a large library such as

UConn’s.So, why library-created ERMS?

1. Access to and ERMS in the first place.2. Flexibility.3. Integration.

Let’s start with access to an ERMS.

We know that libraries are spending huge amounts of their budgets on e-content.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 70% of serials expenditures in 2010 were on e-subscriptions/content.

At UConn this most recent fiscal year – FY12 – 88% of our collections budget is spent on e-content: e-books, e-serials, e-media/streaming video, and aggregate databases.Here’s the NCES data again in dollars instead of percentages.

A huge amount of money on content that no doubt needs managing.

At UConn, it looks like there will not be a budget increase for library collections this year. This is a familiar story as libraries continue to struggle just to maintain content, let alone pay for the necessary systems to manage it.

Consider Springfield Technical Community College…

Enrollment: 6,782Library Staff: 14Approx 78 Aggregate Databses

They are using ERMes to manage their e-resources, and while ERMes is not the most robust ERM, it is perfect for Springfield Area Community Colleges because they are small in collections and have a shoestring staff, but they have MS Access.

This is a library that – unless federal and student funding experiences a miraculous, unprecedented shift towards education and libraries, is always going to need access to simple and free ERM.

And Springfield isn’t alone…

See how the funds expended on e-resources per FTE drops dramatically by school size?

Now, let’s talk about flexibility and integration…

Why library initiated?

FelxibilityI would venture to say that changes in and complexities of e-resource management are occurring faster than other library processes housed in an ILS.

Thus the idea of a flexible ERM isn’t a nice option, it’s mandatory.

- Journal Packages + Reconciliationso Annual

- Aggregate Databaseso Annual

- One Time Purchaseso One time w/ various options for

payment- Budget changes; new tracking

methodologies- E-Books

o Purchases, subscriptions, PDA

To date, commercial systems and large systems simply take longer to change.

Whereas in a stand-alone ERM, changes can be made quickly without jeopardizing workflow.

For example, in ERMes, a user can add or edit a field in a few minutes and then continue on – a change in the system is a mere pause rather than a traffic jam.

Users need access to the e-resources, ERM libraries need a functioning system to manage/provide access to these e-resoruces.

We need the salt, not the most perfectly designed salt shaker.

We need something like Lincoln Logs or Legos; pieces that allow us to tweak our system constantly as we go.

Integration

And to some degree libraries have this…

Because libraries are full of independent systems right now – ILS, Illiad, etc. You could say that libraries are full of kits to build information access; you know like a set of Lincoln Logs or a set of Legos.

However, if we consider library-initiated ERMS and use a bit of imagination….

Then, along with flexibility, library-initiated ERMS also afford some amazing possibilities for integrating with other systems – thus gaining functionality without losing flexibility.

Example: Potential for CORAL to integrate with goKB which integrates with Kuali Ole.

Then, we get Lincoln Logs AND Legos.

With library-initiated ERMS, it’s like have separate nimble systems with a built in adapter kit that allows not just Lincoln Logs and Logos, but how about Duplos and Tinker Toys too?

There are already some separate library systems that integrate with one another – not necessarily perfectly – but are amazing from the user’s perspective.

For example, Open URL link resolvers and Illiad.

Each separate system is maximized for it’s unique function but integrates with the other.

So, in the end it’s not about big box systems for managing library resources; it’s about systems that work well but are open, flexible, and can interweave with other open flexible systems.

It’s about amazing potential for constructing an impressive architecture of information management and access, that can be deconstructed and rebuilt quickly by libraries to accommodate that only known constant: change.