World Library and Information Congress
73rd IFLA General Conference and Council
Cape Town Pre-Conference, August 16-17, 2007
Electronic Resource
Management Systems:
Alternative Solutions
Dalene Hawthorne
Emporia State University
dhawthor@emporia.edu
Jennifer Watson
University of Tennessee
Health Science Center
jenniferwatson@tennessee.edu
Introduction
• Electronic Resource Management Systems
(ERMS) now exist, but many libraries do not
yet own them
• Our premise about why:
– ERMS are prohibitively expensive for many
libraries to purchase and implement
• We wanted to know:
– Does the size of the collection factor in the
decision-making process?
– Are there other reasons libraries have not yet
purchased an ERMS?
– What are libraries doing when they can’t justify
the purchase of a full-blown ERMS?
– Are there alternative solutions we can share?
Brief Literature Review
• Focused the review on the period after
commercial ERM Systems became
available
• Most of the literature on ERMS since 2004
is about implementation of commercial ERM
Systems
• Some limitations of commercial systems
emerged from these articles:
– the lack of a solution for organizations with
multiple integrated library systems, such as
consortia
– the lack of integration with acquisitions data
– commercial systems don’t address local needs
ERMS Survey
• Emporia State University and University of
Tennessee Health Science Center
representatives presented their alternative
solutions at the North American Serials
Interest Group meeting
• Realized from the discussion there was a lot
of interest in alternatives to full-blown ERM
Systems
ERMS Survey
• Decided to conduct a survey to try to
learn more about ERM Systems in
libraries
• Developed the survey and announced
it on e-mail lists in the U.S. and Europe
• Left the survey open for a little over a
week
Survey Results
• 196 respondents completed the survey
• Where are they located?
–
–
–
–
–
–
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73.2% United States
17.1% Europe
3.2% Canada
2.8% Australasia
1.9% Asia
1.4% Africa
0.5% South America
Survey Results
• What types of libraries do they
represent?
– 81.8% Academic
– 15.0% Special/Other
– 2.8% Public
– 0.5% School
How many libraries own a
commercial ERMS?
• 50% of responding libraries own
commercial ERMS
• Not sure everyone understood the
question in the same way
Is price a limiting factor?
• 104 respondents do not own ERMS
– 47% indicated cost as a very relevant
factor
– Cost was the most relevant factor for
libraries that do not own a commercial
ERMS
Does the number of eresources matter?
• Survey Question: Approximately how
many electronic resource licenses
does your library manage/renew
annually?
If you buy a bundle of 12 e-journals or a database,
count that as 1 license. Count an individual
subscription to an e-journal as 1 license. Please
estimate the total even if licenses are handled
outside of your library.
Number of resources as a
factor in owning an ERMS
• Approximately 40% of libraries with
fewer than 100 e-resources own a
commercial ERMS
• Approximately 57% of libraries with
more than 100 e-resources own a
commercial ERMS
Number of resources as a
factor in owning an ERMS
• However, 49% of libraries that manage
more than 500 e-resources own a
commercial ERMS
Other factors?
• 28% cited concerns about
interoperability
• 27% cited concerns about functionality
• 25% indicated limited staff and funding
to manage an ERMS
• 18% said already have home grown
system
Other factors?
• 15% cited limited resources to
research which system to buy
• 15% indicated reliance on consortia
• 12% said current workflow was OK
• 11% said they had too few e-resources
to justify the expense
• 10% cited unsupportive management
Alternatives in Practice
•Homegrown databases
•Vendor tools
•New uses for existing tools
•Content management systems
Homegrown databases
•No annual subscription fee
•Ability to instantly update and alter database
•Customize database to needs of library
•Ensure database will integrate into website
•Staff must keep up with e-journal changes
•Technical expertise to maintain database
FileMaker
MySQL
Vendor Tools
•Help handles aspects of eresources management
•Inspire developers of
home-grown tools
EBSCOhost EJS
WorldCat Lists
New Uses for Existing Tools
•Library catalog
•Blackboard
•Blog
•Microsoft Excel
•Microsoft Outlook
•Paper calendar
Innovative Catalog
Blackboard
Blog
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft Outlook
Shared Folder
Calendar
Content Management System
• Provides multiple points of access to
databases on the library’s website
• Staff have an easy-to-use interface to
add and edit databases
Conclusion
• Electronic resource management
challenges our organizational skills
and tools
• As with any system selection, it is
critical to analyze the needs of the
institution and select an appropriate
solution
• System can be as simple as a paper
calendar or as complex as a
commercial ERMS
Discussion?
• Are there interesting ideas we haven’t
covered?
• Did anyone identify an option that
might be useful?
Thank You!
Dalene Hawthorne, Emporia State
University, dhawthor@emporia.edu
Jennifer Watson, University of
Tennessee Health Science Center,
jenniferwatson@tennessee.edu
We thank Kimberly Parker for
graciously agreeing to present for
us!