Desperately Seeking E-Resource
Management
Karen Calhoun
Associate University Librarian
For Technical Services
Cornell University Library
HKIUG - November 30, 2004
A Short History of Why We Cared
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OCLC Cooperative Online Resource
Catalog (CORC) project
Cornell’s CORC Report (Dec. 1999)
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11/30/04
http://www.library.cornell.edu/staffweb
/CORCFinalReport.html
CORC eventually evolved into OCLC
Connexion
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Short History, Continued
“CORC can allow collection development
and acquisitions staff to assume a
broader role in the CUL networked
resources workflow… Of particular
importance, they could enter those fields
that rely on special knowledge of the
resource or the acquisitions process… The
full potential of the workflow with which
we have experimented can be realized
only if selectors and acquisitions staff can
use a database—CORC or an alternative—
that includes those fields and features
most useful to them... “
11/30/04
Cornell University Library
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The Birth of the Digital Library Federation EResource Management Initiative (ERMI)
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Descriptive metadata is not enough; need evaluative
and managerial metadata
This kind of metadata not well supported in library
management systems
More research in 2000-2001:
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Tim Jewell, University of Washington
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“An Application Profile and Prototype Metadata
Management System for Licensed Electronic
Resources” (Adam Chandler, Cornell, ALA Lazerow
Fellowship)
“Corral the various individual initiatives into a standard
solution, a solution less institution specific and thus
more valuable to librarianship”
Work done for the Digital Library Federation (2001-)
Cornell University Library
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More on ERMI
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DLF Electronic Resource Management
Initiative Steering Group
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A Web Hub for Developing
Administrative Metadata for
Electronic Resource Management
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11/30/04
Ivy Anderson (Harvard), Adam Chandler
(Cornell University), Sharon Farb (UCLA), Tim
Jewell (chair, University of Washington),
Kimberly Parker (Yale); Angela Riggio (UCLA),
Nathan Robertson (Johns Hopkins)
http://www.library.cornell.edu/cts/elicensestudy/home
.html
Cornell University Library
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DLF ERMI Deliverables)
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11/30/04
Problem Definition/Road Map (lead: Tim)
Functional Requirements (lead: Ivy)
Workflow Diagram (lead: Kim)
Entity Relationship Diagram for Electronic
Resource Management (lead: Nathan)
Data Element Dictionary (lead: Angela)
Electronic Resources Management System
Data Structure (lead: Kim)
XML Investigation (lead: Adam)
Cornell University Library
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So What?
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11/30/04
How are we doing?
How are other
libraries doing?
Cornell University Library
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Cornell University Library
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“misery loves company”
“The three most cited challenges were workload
(ensuring sufficient staffing levels to cope with
increasing numbers of electronic resources),
the need for an electronic resources
management module to assist in managing
and tracking electronic resources, and the
accessing and cataloging of electronic
resources” [February 2004 survey, reported in
Managing Electronic Resources (August 2004),
ARL Spec Kit #282, pp. 13-14].
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Cornell University Library
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Now
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E-resources are complex to select, describe, fund,
support
2.14 FTE reported (Cornell staff survey)
 E-resource licensing, maintenance, troubleshooting
Plus selector time
 Trying to figure out where in the workflow their
purchases are, etc., etc.
Plus access services and other staff time
 Identifying which resources available for ILL, ereserves, distance ed, course Web sites, course
packs
Plus reference staff time
 Difficult to readily answer users’ questions
Plus user time (and frustration)
Cornell University Library
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Some E-resource tasks not supported by
current library system
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Generating and maintaining alpha and subject lists
Loading “aggregator” holdings information
License term negotiation, tracking, and
communication processes
Wide staff involvement in selection & support
Problem tracking
Escalation/ triage paths
Planned, cyclical product reviews
Systematic usage reporting
Cornell University Library
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Result: creation of many separate
documents and applications; and
too much knowledge in the mind
of a few key staff members.
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Vendor Initiatives (1)
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Innovative Interfaces: “ERM”
module announced 2003; some 60
sold to III customers, with another
4 or 5 stand alone (non-III)
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11/30/04
“In creating this product, Innovative
has taken care to comply with the
DLF’s (Digital Library Federation)
emerging standard for describing
electronic resources”
Cornell University Library
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Vendor Initiatives (2)
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ExLibris: “Verde” product
announced; release planned by end
of 2004
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11/30/04
From the outset, Verde was planned to
address the requirements of the Digital
Library Federation electronic resource
management initiative. The Verde
system extends these requirements,
particularly in its approach to library
consortia and its provision of costanalysis tools.
Cornell University Library
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Vendor Initiatives (3)
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Endeavor: “Meridian” product
announced at ALA
(http://www.endinfosys.com/meridi
an)
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11/30/04
“The system’s functionality is guided by
the requirements outlined by the
Digital Library Federation’s Electronic
Resource Management Initiative and
interacts with integrated library
systems, like Endeavor’s Voyager, for
MARC and acquisitions data.”
Cornell University Library
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Vendor Initiatives (4)
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Dynix: ERM White Paper available
on the Dynix Web site, development
to follow
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11/30/04
“Dynix is a member of the DLF ERMI
Vendor Reactor Panel and believes that
participation in the DLF ERMI will not
only help accelerate the introduction of
ERM solutions, but will also promote
industry interoperability.”
Cornell University Library
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Vendor Initiatives (5)
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11/30/04
SIRSI: integrating ERMI concepts into
existing products (prototype shown at
ALA)
VTLS: "Verify" product and rapid
development plan announced; linking
product marketing to NISO "Views"
(Vendor Initiative for Enabling Web
Services)
Serials Solutions: a subset of ERM
functionality will be built into their online
management client
Cornell University Library
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Cornell ERM Functional Specs:
Stakeholder Analysis
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11/30/04
February 2004, Led a stakeholder
analysis of CUL staff ERM needs
DLF ERMI Functional Specifications
were used as a basis for the
interviews
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Stakeholder Interviews-1
Resource Admin
Group
End-User Group
•Kibbee
•Hyland
•Engle
•Horne
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•Cole
•Copenhagen
•Koennecke
•Currie
•Blankenship
Cornell University Library
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Stakeholder Interviews-2
Selection/Evaluation &
Business Functions
Group
Bibliographic & Access
Management Group
•Rosencrantz
•Li
•Saylor
•Hsu
•Ochs
•Silterra
•Solla
•Kozak
•Atkinson
•Block
11/30/04
•Banush
•Westlake
Cornell University Library
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Stakeholder Interviews-3
Across All Functions
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
11/30/04
Kara
Davis
Weissman
Hirtle
Rieger
Patrick
Zieba
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What they wanted…
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a better end-user interface
a less complex and labor-intensive
process for loading and transferring eresource metadata
more effective staff support for eresource selection, evaluation, tracking,
administration, and troubleshooting
Cornell University Library
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Vendor Visit – February 2004
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Cornell University Library
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ERM Implementation at Cornell
HOW’S
IT
GOING?
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Advantage of Data Relationships
Resource Record 1
Resource Record 2
Contact
info
License
info
Order
info
Bib info
(title A)
Bib info
(title B)
Coverage
Coverage
Other
info
Coverage
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ERM Status at Cornell (1)
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Signed contract with Innovative Interfaces,
Inc. in summer 2004 for purchase of
standalone ERM software
Task force
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11/30/04
Adam Chandler (IT librarian; data
conversion/migration)
Surinder Ghangas (database administrator)
Bill Kara (technical services)
Jesse Koennecke (access services)
Maureen Morris (user interface; public services)
Scott Wicks (project leader; licensing; acquisitions)
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ERM Status at Cornell (2)
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Server installed
Training completed (end of September)
Next steps
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11/30/04
Resolve data migration details (bib, coverage)
Retool CUL workflow
Customize public interface
Input resource and license data
Set switchover date
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11/30/04
Add screenshot(s)
of public interface
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ERM Implementation at Cornell
Target date: March 15, 2005
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Questions and Comments

Cornell ERM Project Website
http://www.library.cornell.edu/
tsweb/eresources/ermweb/ermprojectsite.htm
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Or Google “erm implementation cornell”
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Or Karen Calhoun or Scott Wicks
ksc10@cornell.edu or sbw2@cornell.edu
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