NASIG Newsletter

MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY HOSTS NASIG-SPONSORED WORKSHOP ON E-RESOURCES AND LIBRARIES
Reported by Patrick L. Carr

For a seventh year, Mississippi State University (MSU) Libraries hosted an e-resource workshop for information professionals working in libraries across the Southeast. Co-sponsored by NASIG, MSU Libraries, EBSCO Information Services, Haworth Press, and SirsiDynix, this year’s workshop was held at Mitchell Memorial Library on July 20, 2007. Titled “Black Cats & Broken Links: Dispelling E-resource Superstitions,” this workshop provided the approximately one hundred attendees with valuable insights and knowledge that will enable them to overcome the many challenges related to the role and management of e-resources in libraries.

The workshop featured four presentations given by leading innovators in the field of e-resources and libraries. Keynote speaker Stephen Abram got the workshop off to a lively and thought-provoking start with his presentation “Our User Experience: Puzzle Pieces Falling in Place.” Drawing on his experiences as Chief Strategist of the SirsiDynix Institute, Abram argued that libraries’ tools for information access and management must evolve in light of the changing needs and expectations of users.  The presentation explored this topic by discussing the information environment in which libraries currently exist and highlighting the conceptual challenges that information professionals must overcome to succeed.  Abram ultimately provided attendees with ten key recommendations that will allow their libraries to thrive in the future.

The workshop’s second speaker was Tim Bucknall, Assistant Director for University Libraries at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In his presentation, “Are Consortium ‘Big Deals’ Cost-Effective? A Comparison and Analysis of E-Journal Access Mechanisms,” Bucknall provided attendees with detailed data regarding the various e-journal acquisition models that his library has explored in recent years.  Comparing individual subscriptions, pay-per-view access, and consortium packages, Bucknall analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of each option, including cost-per-use and the impact on collection development at the library. Ultimately, Bucknall advocated that the advantages of consortial partnership for e-journal access—embodied in his development of the Carolina Consortium—can often provide a library’s users with the greatest amount of e-journal access at the lowest cost.

The workshop’s third presentation, titled “ERM on a Shoestring: Betting on an Alternative Solution,” was co-presented by Dalene Hawthorne, Head of Systems and Technical Services at Emporia State University, and Jennifer Watson, Head of Electronic and Collection Services at University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center Library. Hawthorne and Watson’s presentation provided attendees with snapshots of how two libraries with limited resources have developed innovative ways to use existing tools in order to effectively manage e-resources. Watson began the presentation by describing how her library has utilized three separate tools—a Filemaker Pro database, a MySQL database, and the Blackboard course management system—in order to successfully manage the licensing, access, and invoicing terms of her library’s collection of e-resources. Hawthorne’s portion of the presentation provided an alternative e-resource management strategy which utilizes the acquisitions module of her library’s ILS.

The workshop’s final presentation was given by Oliver Pesch, Chief Strategist at EBSCO Information Services. Pesch’s presentation, titled “Library Standards and E-resource Management: A Survey of Current Initiatives and Standards Efforts,” provided attendees with a whirlwind tour of the standards and initiatives which are currently shaping how libraries manage and provide access to e-resources.  Among the topics that Pesch described in his presentation were organizations leading the way in the development of e-resource-related standards and the role that specific standards and initiatives play over an e-resource’s lifecycle.

Based on the enthusiastic evaluations submitted by attendees, this year’s workshop can be deemed a success. While Abram’s presentation inspired the attendees to contemplate the larger philosophical questions related to the evolving role of e-resources in libraries, the presentations of Bucknall, Hawthorne and Watson, and Pesch all brought to light specific tools, trends, and strategies that promise to shape the future of e-resources.  Article-length write-ups of each of these presentations are to be published in an upcoming issue of The Serials Librarian. At present, the workshop speakers’ PowerPoint slides and handouts are accessible at http://library.msstate.edu/nasig/schedule.html.  Audio recordings of the presentations, along with the presenters’ PowerPoint slides and handouts, are accessible at http://library.msstate.edu/nasig/schedule.html