Electronic Journals: Cataloging and Management Practices in Academic Libraries

A web analytics approach for appraising electronic resources in academic libraries

“…The current methods used to manage electronic journals should improve simplicity, affordability, and interoperability with discovery tools (OpenURL, large‐scale web discovery, etc.) and integrated library systems (ILS; used to track library assets, and billing) products (West et al., ). The University of Illinois at Chicago developed an internal system, Database of Library Licensed Electronic Resources (DOLLeR), to assist in the management of electronic resources and improve efficiency, particularly with regard to licenses and subscriptions.…”

“…It is important for libraries to track data internally and to compare these data with data from publishers not only to ensure the accuracy of data that publishers provide but also because any major differences could signal a problem in a service the libraries provide (Duy & Vaughan, ). Internally tracking this information becomes an even higher priority given that the most common places for librarians to check for changes in managing electronic records are with the publisher and technical services (West et al., ). Data on cost and usage can be combined to create important KPIs for which journals are or are not providing value to the community.…”

“…What resources are unnecessary? Given the constantly changing nature of electronic journals and libraries’ attitudes toward them, as well as the inexorable advance of technology, one cannot assume that past answers apply today (West, Miller, & Wilson, ). Instead, it is important to create a set of analytic metrics with which institutions can perform their own evaluation to understand their specific community's needs (i.e., effectiveness) and also to gauge the process by which they provide these resources (i.e., efficiency).…”

The Use of Paraprofessionals in Electronic Resources Management: Results of a Survey

“…Despite official distinctions between professionals and paraprofessionals, their roles remain profoundly blurred in the 21st century technical services environment (Cox & Myers, 2010;Jones & Stivers, 2004;Leibowitz, 2002Leibowitz, , 2012Milczarski & Garofalo, 2011;Montgomery & Sparks, 2000;Obrig, Thompson, & Lingle, 2005;West, Miller, & Wilson, 2011;Zhu, 2012). A familiar instance can be found in staffing for cataloging.…”

“…The general consensus is that this work is earmarked for higher-level paraprofessionals who often assume a leadership role as a unit head. This greater reliance on serials paraprofessionals in electronic resources is echoed by West et al (2011).…”