21:3 (2006:09) 21st Conference: Old Is New Again: Using Established Workflows to Handle Electronic Resources

August 31, 2006 at 6:02 pm | Posted in Conference Reports, Tactics Sessions | Leave a comment

TACTICS SESSION

Old Is New Again: Using Established Workflows to Handle Electronic Resources

Amanda Yesilbas, Assistant Serials Librarian, Florida Atlantic University
Reported by Janet Aracand 

Amanda Yesilbas, Field Specialist at Florida Center for Library Automation, was formerly Serials Librarian at Florida Atlantic University. She gave a presentation on how the staff at FAU proactively handle electronic journal subscription problems by modifying the check-in workflow for print serials issues and applying it to create a check-in process for electronic journals.   

This new workflow was designed after FAU staff realized they were not receiving all of the journals to which their library had subscribed in a large publisher journal package.  A systematic process was created to handle check-in for approximately 1600 paid online subscriptions.  The number of titles and their expected issues for the year were calculated and split up according to the number of workdays in the year.  Only 25 to 30 titles need to be checked for receipt in the course of a workday.  Issues are checked-in on statements in the NOTIS OPR record.  The check-in activity enables staff to find problems in terms of access, renewals, license terms, and URL or publisher changes.  

The log of the check-in statements is useful for problem-solving, since it indicates the last time access had been successfully ascertained by FAU staff.  Since the number of print subscriptions had declined, there was sufficient staff time to accomplish this new activity. This task was implemented in February 2005.  It is notable that the statistics of reported access problems was significantly lower in February 2006 than it had been in the two previous years.  February had traditionally been the month in which problems with electronic renewals manifested themselves, but it is possible that this calendar trend is shifting later due to publishers extending grace periods. FAU is in the process of converting to a new LMS, and will be making decisions on how to handle this workflow in the ALEPH system.

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