i just spent the whole day thinking today was wednesday.
we came up with a list of major tasks that needed to be completed so that my library’s electronic resource program is thorough, with a focus on responding to patron needs; the task list is 113 items long. something that extensive is going to need a management system to keep things on track. enter: gantt chart. we entered all of the tasks into the free platform-agnostic software, ganttproject, then identified which people should be involved with each task and decided when each task should begin and end, and which tasks were dependent on others being completed before new ones could begin. now all of that mess is organized, and i can export it into a .csv file so i can sort on date. i’m using this date information to plan agendas for weekly meetings where we discuss all of the tasks. for someone interested in things being organized, you can imagine how happy this makes me.
here’s a screen shot of the program with all of our tasks entered:
and here is a screen shot of the tasks with the time outline. you can see when tasks begin and end:
Many librarians are surprised to learn that marketing communication is not about inventing something new and sexy to sell the library. It’s about mission — and making a conscious effort to build understanding and appreciation for the library’s role. (p. 2)
excellent. thanks, linda k. wallace, for saying this so well.
Wallace, Linda K. 2004. Libraries, Mission, & Marketing. Chicago: American Library Association.
I’m experimenting with using GanttProject software for creating timelines and participants for our electronic resources program. Do you have a favorite bit of software that you use to schedule tasks/people for a project over a period of time? Fill me in with what you’re using by leaving a comment.
One year ago on this date we began the implementation process for our electronic resource management system, Innovative’s ERM. In the past year we have entered 352 resource records, which describe our databases, e-journal collections, and e-book collections. Through the ERM we are providing 72,841 access points to electronic content. We are managing 23,029 serial titles via the system. We’re using the ERM to store our usage statistics and are working with Innovative to persuade more of our publisher friends to provide usage statistics via the SUSHI protocol through the ERM. We’re beginning to manage our license agreements through the system too, and are now in the midst of that project.
The advantages of the administrative back end of the system aside, what we’re most pleased about are the patron-facing features of the ERM. Now when our patrons perform a keyword search in our catalog, relevant electronic resources are provided first in search results. We are able to now convey to our patrons their rights and restrictions for use of these resources, via the license record. Check it out live by looking at our record for ARTstor: http://linus.lmu.edu/record=e1000028~S1. The information in the box at the bottom of the screen is the rights of use.
Our development of the ERM is ongoing, but we are amazed at the progress made in just one short year. Happy birthday, ERM! May you have a long and healthy life here at our library.
keyword search results for ARTstor
