Many libraries are routinely challenged by e-resources maintenance but that challenge can become exponentially greater when those libraries also have to cope with a multi-access environment including local + consortial catalog, discovery layer, link resolver, library website, Google Scholar, and various vendor platforms. Working from his experience in a small academic institution, the presenter will outline key aspects of this challenge and then discuss innovative approaches to successfully navigate this environment so that library users get ready access to the content they want.

1. E-Resources Maintenance in a Multi-
Access Environment: Challenges,
Opportunities, and Practical Ideas
Steve Oberg
Assistant Professor
Electronic Resources and Serials
American Library Association Annual Conference
LITA/ALCTS Electronic Resources Management Interest Group
29 June 2013

2. Problem?

3. We hold these truths to be self-evident…
 There is not enough time or resources in the universe to
be fully on top of e-resources maintenance!
 Users expect consistent, easy access to e-resources from
any location, at any time, and from any device.
 We throw too many access paths at users; each one is
inconsistent; and we end up managing similar data in
multiple places.
 Consortia are wonderful but they can complicate things,
too.
 Vendor solutions can be a help but they can also present
their own challenges.
 Library colleagues expect e-resources to somehow be
easier to manage, like plug and play, but they are not!

4. …that all e-resources are not created
equal.
 Define an e-resource.
 Yes, e-resources are slippery and changeable and
multiply like rabbits in terms of
– Formats
– Delivery mechanisms
– Content
– Options for purchase/lease
 Bottom line: Big challenge to manage.

5. What can be done?

6.  Approach e-resources from user perspective first. We
should be students of information architecture.
– What access paths are most commonly used?
– Spend the time to understand user needs and realize this is an
ongoing, iterative process.
 Rethink your existing workflows to maximize time and
resources devoted to e-resources
– Quit doing stuff that isn’t as important to users as easy access to
e-resources
– Advocate for shared responsibility for maintenance activities
 Lean on the broader community of e-resources experts
and other sources of support such as consortial help.
Opportunities

7.  Communicate, educate, advocate, over and over
again.
– Provide radical transparency about problem areas to other
library staff and administration.
 Be realistic.
– Break down e-resources maintenance into manageable
pieces.
– Some library staff and many of our users still think of e-
resources as an add-on to traditional library collections and
services, rather than an integral part.
 Batch processing can be your best hope.
Opportunities, continued

8. Practical Ideas?

9. Ideas and approaches that work…
 Implement an ERM that is flexible and pieces of which
can be implemented in stages.
 Figure out areas where you can save disruption to
users and minimize maintenance efforts over time.
 Reuse data where possible.
 Prioritize your maintenance work.
1. Discovery layer
2. Link resolver
3. Catalog
 Crowdsource whatever work you can!
 Set up a helpdesk ticketing process.

10. Implement a flexible ERM

11. Minimize future maintenance

12. Implement a helpdesk ticketing system

13. To summarize…
2 431
FOCUS
ON
USERS
STOP
DOING
OTHER
STUFF
FLEX
MAKE
THING
S
SIMPLE
KCACO!

14. Questions?

15. steve.oberg@wheaton.edu