Electronic Resources Communications Management: A Strategy for Success

This paper is based on a presentation given at the Electronic Resources and Libraries Conference, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, March 23, 2006.Communications in the workflow of electronic resources (e-resources) acquisitions and management are complex and numerous. The work of acquiring and managing e-resources is hampered by the lack of best practices, standards, and adequate personal information management software. The related communications reflect these inadequacies. An e-resource management communications analysis at The Ohio State University Libraries revealed the underlying structure of the communication network and areas that could be improved in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. E-resources management must be responsive to the high expectations of users and other library staff. Efficient management of the related communications network increases the likelihood of a productive and successful operation

Managing Collections Between the Chemists and the Consortium: Assessment, Engagement, and Creativity

Managing The Ohio State University Libraries' collection of chemistry journals within OhioLINK's consortial environment mixes objective assessment with engaging the chemistry faculty and the consortium. Basing collection decisions on hard facts has the immediate goal of cost-effectiveness. The most effective technique is a mediated three-party dialogue of the library managers, the chemistry faculty, and the consortium with the long-term goal of reforming scholarly communication. Many methods to assess electronic journals are available, such as article download statistics, impact factors, Eigenfactors, cost per article and cost per citation data, and engaging faculty input. The reality, however, is that high subscription costs do not diminish the importance of chemistry journals to the faculty. Assessment of consortial electronic journal subscription packages is crucial to managing collection content effectively, but library managers and chemistry faculty often disagree about the appropriate assessment method. The most effective approach is a combination of several assessment methods coupled with clear and open communication of the facts. Communicating the results of the assessment techniques is more than a matter of giving the faculty the bad news. The most effective and credible assessment methodology always includes communicating faculty input to the consortium. Difficult decisions are easier to make, announce, and live with when all stakeholders openly share information

The Time Has Come…For Next-Generation Open Access Models

Libraries, consortia, and publishers are exploring new models to support Open Access (OA) content. Native OA journal publishers are facing a different set of challenges as there is no existing library subscription base to transform into support for OA. Author-pays OA models are challenging to the ecosystem for a variety of reasons. Large institutions with heavy scholarly output may pay more, small institutions that use the content but publish less are wondering what role they will play, and authors from the global south may not have funding to pay Article Processing Charges (APCs). What new models are under exploration to address the complexity of funder mandates, reduce administrative burden of complex APC models, and the need to be more inclusive of a diverse community

Toward Greater Satisfaction: An Electronic Resources Communication Audit

Celeste Feather is an Electronic Resources Librarian at Ohio State University Libraries.An audit and analysis of the internal communications channels involved in the daily workflow of the electronic resources unit at Ohio State University revealed patterns and styles that are best suited for managing the complexity of electronic resources. Adjustment and adaptations were made in order to achieve maximum efficiency

WorldCat Registry: Making the case for a comprehensive registry of library data

Celeste Feather is an Electronic Resources Librarian at Ohio State University Libraries. Scott Shultz is a Product Manager for Registry Services at OCLC.A many-to-many problem exists in the exchange of data among libraries, consortia, and electronic content vendors. Currently numerous vendors maintain separate closed registries of essentially the same kinds of library information such as contacts, geographic sites, IP addresses, etc. The problem for libraries is that they are expected to maintain this data in many places if they want to ensure continuity of service from the vendors. In turn, the vendors have an ongoing problem with data currency in delivering their content and services to libraries. One way to solve this problem is with a comprehensive central registry of library data that could be used to improve efficiencies throughout the e-content supply chain, and in the process improve what is becoming a difficult workflow issue for librarians. The purpose of this presentation is to introduce the WorldCat Institution Registry as a way to improve the efficiency of the current situation. The WorldCat Institution Registry is a free service from OCLC designed to enable the secure exchange of data among libraries, consortia and e-content suppliers. We will examine the motivation to launch the service, the expected value across the e-content supply chain, and some examples of how the service can be used by a library to facilitate the exchange of data with vendors