Organization Monkey

Electronic resource management systems

I am curious about the impetus and development of information systems. I have researched extensively on the topic of in-house programs designed to help manage the acquisition of electronic resources. I’ve written two articles and a book chapter that deal with the background issues in this kind of development, and trace their successes and failures.

Marie Kennedy. 2008. “The Impact of Locally Developed Electronic Resource Management Systems.” Electronic Resource Management in Libraries: Research and Practice, Holly Yu and Scott Breivold, eds.
Abstract:
As libraries dramatically increased their numbers of licensed electronic resources, such as online journals and databases, they realized the need for a record-keeping system that would help manage the details of acquiring and maintaining them. Since no off-the-shelf product existed, some libraries developed their own tools to manage electronic resources. This chapter discusses the development of locally designed electronic resource management systems; the process of developing the tools at several academic institutions is traced, with a focus on the aspects of the systems unique to each university. Locally developed electronic resource management systems have lead academic institutions to engage with other institutions building similar tools. As a result, community-wide efforts in identifying key elements for managing electronic resources have begun to emerge. These efforts are noted as laying the foundation for future development of tools and standards to assist in electronic resource management.

Marie Kennedy. 2005. “Dreams of Perfect Programs: Managing the Acquisition of Electronic Resources.” Library Collections, Acquisitions and Technical Services 28(4): 449-458.
Abstract:
For more than a decade, academic libraries have been wrestling with the thorny issue of managing the acquisition of electronic resources. Where are we in the continuum from paper lists to vendor-designed management systems? This paper takes a look at several in-house initiatives around the country, commenting on the successes and failures of the homegrown programs built to track, update and manage the acquisition and behind-the-scenes maintenance of electronic resources. Realizing that libraries are now well equipped to identify what dream programs should entail, this paper also comments on how we can prepare for the future of electronic resource management.

Marie R. Kennedy, Michele J. Crump, Douglas Kiker. 2004. “Paper to PDF: Making License Agreements Accessible through the OPAC.” Library Resources & Technical Services 48(1): 20-25.
Abstract:
In search of a cohesive tool for managing license agreements, the University of Florida Libraries has devised an in-house project. This paper tracks development of the project from its theoretical inception, which began in 1997. The project was intended to be an all-encompassing database that allowed tracking of license agreements from the time they were received in the Serials Acquisitions Unit to their final signature. The discussion follows the progress of the database development and details the current portable document format (PDF) project in place, which uses scanned license agreements linked to the OPAC (online public access catalog) title record for ease of access and tracking by libraries staff.