NASIG Newsletter

OTHER SERIALS & E-RESOURCE NEWS
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY HOSTS NASIG-SPONSORED SYMPOSIUM ON E-RESOURCES AND LIBRARIES
Reported by B. Jean Sibley

For an eighth year, Mississippi State University (MSU) Libraries hosted an e-resource symposium for information professionals working in libraries across the Southeast. Co-sponsored by NASIG, MSU Libraries, EBSCO Information Services, and Serials Solutions, this year’s symposium was held at Mitchell Memorial Library on August 8, 2008. Titled “Play Your Cards Right!” this symposium 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 symposium featured four presentations given by leading innovators in the field of e-resources and libraries. Keynote speaker Jane Burke, vice president and general manager of Serials Solutions, got the symposium off to a lively and thought-provoking start with her presentation “The OPAC is Dead: Managing the Virtual Library.” Jane addressed trends in both the access and management of library resources in an environment where library collections are increasingly digital.  She stirred up some controversial issues, such as doing away with serials check-in and bibliographic instruction. “They don’t work,” emphasized Jane because they are based on a print model.

The symposium’s second speaker was Dan Tonkery, vice president of Business Development, EBSCO Information Services. In his presentation, “Publishers, Agents, Users and Libraries: Coming of Age in the E-World,” Tonkery draws on over forty years of experience to expound on the major battle publishers are facing to remain in business. Tonkery stressed that the overall success of e-content is driving changes in the economic models as more information is becoming openly accessible online. Libraries also are finding pressure to change workflows and staffing to support this new medium.  Tonkery presented the attendees with the latest thinking on these issues.

The symposium’s third presentation, titled “Evolving Serials Workflows: Knowing When to Hold ‘em, When to Fold ‘em,” was presented by Maria Collins, Associate Head of Acquisitions at North Carolina State University Libraries. Collins discussed four phases of effective workflow management: planning, efficient strategies, staffing and resources, and ERM/communications tools. Collins shared with the attendees concepts, web sites and applications currently being used for workflow management to illuminate the possibilities for librarians to create their own e-resource tools to meet their specific workflow needs.

The symposium’s final presentation was given by Emily Alford, reference and technology librarian at Michigan State University Libraries.  In her dynamic presentation, titled “Promoting and Marketing E-Resources,” Alford focused on strategies that academic libraries can use to promote and market their e-resources.  Alford showed how we can educate our users about changes, updates, and information about library e-resources. These included some freely available ways to promote resources out on the web, as well as creative ideas, handouts, and materials to help us reach our users.

Based on the enthusiastic evaluations submitted by attendees, this year’s symposium can be declared a success. While Burke’s presentation inspired the attendees to contemplate the larger issues associated with the move from print to digital, the presentations of Tonkery, Collins, and Alford 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 symposium speakers’ PowerPoint slides and podcasts are accessible at http://library.msstate.edu/eresource/schedule.asp.