Systems and eResources Overview

Overview of department, roles, challenges and opportunities, for internal audience. Note, "Snakes and Ladders" courtesy of Syracuse University Libraries.

Transcript

1. Systems & Electronic Resources Angela Galvan | Brown University Library April 30, 2019
2. DOING THE WORK ▰ Troubleshooting, purchasing, licensing, auditing ▰ Maintaining integrity of resource life cycle ▰ Systems, data analysis, interoperability ▰ Relationship management, outreach, communications 2
4. TROUBLESHOOTING LibGuides/A-Z SpringShare, many hands in this. May be the easiest to fix. EZProxy Maintained by CIS, involves complex rules and settings. Providers ~250 logins, growing every year. 4 Best Bets Locally maintained by the electronic resources group, indexed by Digital Technologies. Sierra Looking at MARC records, updating links or asking metadata to do so if in scope. SerialsSolutions Ex Libris, resists batch processing work outside one outdated tool, is not KBART compliant (yet!) Some, but not all statistics gathered here. Users Sense of urgency, internal questions routed from all areas of the library. easyAccess Locally developed and maintained, uses SerialsSolutions API to manage
5. BUYING/RESTORING RESOURCES ▰ Via consortia (NERL, etc), subscription agent (EBSCO, Harrassowitz), or individual provider ▰ Requires knowledge of systems, acquisitions workflows, vendor relationships, organization to follow up with selectors, etc ▰ Checklist for ordering gets longer depending on needs (Best Bet? A-Z, license review? Serials Solutions? EZProxy configuration?Partial cataloguing) 5
6. ‘JUST’ BUY IT. ▰ Requires at minimum, knowledge of: ◦ Fokus, EBSCONet ◦ other platforms for purchasing ◦ Sierra ◦ acquisitions workflows ◦ Serials Solutions ◦ vendor relationships ◦ EZProxy configuration and Shibboleth authentication ◦ possibly LibGuides for A-Z configuration ◦ licensing 6
7. “This link doesn’t work” ▰ Requires at minimum, knowledge of: ◦ Acquisitions workflows ◦ Discovery tools and searching (Blacklight, Sierra, Journal Finder, Google Scholar, EBSCO EDS) ◦ Article level metadata ◦ MARC records ◦ Knowledge base updates ◦ Link resolvers ◦ Proxy servers ◦ Vendor platforms 7
9. AUDITING ▰ Some resources are broken down into individual title lists, usually as an appendix to a license agreement These have to be checked in Serials Solutions for accuracy, sometimes by hand ▰ Audit of NERL resources revealed many titles and packages not checked in Serials Solutions for years ▰ Auditing in the renewal cycle is necessary for access to library purchases and positive patron experiences 9
10. SYSTEMS ▰ Monitor updates, changes, and patterns in error reporting in hundreds of platforms and multiple critical systems ▰ Maintain fluency in standards: KBART, OpenURL, some metadata, and keep current on trends in discovery and access in order to best serve the library and advise on new initiatives or workflows 10
14. ““Infrastructure is created by people and therefore embeds and reflects the values of the people who create it…Such systems are also usually invisible as long as they work.’” --Emily Drabinski 14
16. MORE THAN THINGS ▰ Increasingly, electronic resource management isn’t limited to objects but how those objects interact with other library systems. ▰ Electronic resources aren’t like other technologies the library maintains. ◦ Not hardware ◦ Not software ◦ May include platforms and content 16
17. QUIZ TIME! ▰ Users prefer Kanopy over AVON. ◦ Why? ▰ The library relies on Serials Solutions and Sierra APIs for core services. ◦ What happens if our link resolver drops? ▰ Reaxys forces users to create an account even if they are IP authenticated. ◦ Explain why this recently mattered. 17
18. RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT ▰ Negotiation, including changes to license agreements ▰ Scheduling vendor visits, demos, webinars ▰ Communicating about new purchases ▰ Alerting staff and patrons about planned and unexpected outages ▰ Researching resource options on request 18
19. LICENSE AGREEMENTS ▰ Close readings for productive feedback to NERL ▰ Early stages of review and analysis process ▰ Difficult legal documents with widespread implications for HOW scholarship can work for the library 19
20. LICENSES ARE VALUES ▰ Breaches, leaks, privacy, data retention ▰ Resource sharing ability, walk-in access ▰ Author rights, how scholarship can be used, perpetual and post-cancellation access ▰ Protections and responsibilities. ▰ How to balance values, autonomy of process, and timeliness. ▰ Current value: best deal at any cost, until crisis. 20
21. OUTREACH ▰ Building capacity in other departments based on our colleagues needs. ▰ Communicate updates, changes, raise understanding. 21
22. WE ARE THE LIBRARY For most users doing regular tasks, their experience and success are determined by processes managed by electronic resources and metadata services. 22
23. Systems Analysis Maintenance of Serials Solutions, awareness of all library systems and underlying data and standards. Includes troubleshooting and workflow analysis. TWO DIFFERENT SKILL SETS Relationship Management Marketing, relationship management, assessment, outreach, advocacy through stronger license agreements. 23
24. CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
25. CHALLENGES ▰ Reductionism (“It’s on or off”, “Just buy it,” etc) ▰ “You’re the New Person” = “You must work the same way as the Previous Person” ▰ Case of the Ivies ▰ Lack of collections strategy/approach to guide work 25
26. OPPORTUNITIES ▰ Shared workflows and processes ▰ Better data management between systems ▰ Values expressed in license agreements ▰ Strategic alignment of collections ▰ Alignment of systems supporting collections 26