Electronic Resources Management: Maintenance and Enhancements
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Electronic Resources Management at Egan Library: Maintenance and Enhancements I .Steps in UAS Library E-Resource Management: Selection, Access, and Promotion Selection • Databases: The library selects new databases based on faculty suggestions and statewide cooperative opportunities. The majority of new databases added in the past ten years have been added as a result of expansions to the statewide SLED Digital Pipeline. A UAS Librarian serves on the Statewide Database Committee and participates in decisions about which databases will be added to SLED. UAS Librarians trial and review databases up for consideration. Faculty are notified about trials whenever possible and faculty input is requested and considered. UAS Library also adds new databases independently as a result of faculty requests and librarian selection. In the last year, two databases, Dieselnet and MRI+ Internet Reporter, were added after faculty recommendations. In these cases, the faculty members’ departments shared the cost of subscriptions. The library provides all the maintenance and administration for the database subscriptions. • E-Journals: The library conducts annual reviews of electronic and print periodical subscriptions. As publishers increasingly move to print plus online models, the library has been able to provide electronic access to more titles for no or little additional cost over the print. Some titles supporting distance programs are selected as online only when price savings are significant. Fifty percent of direct library subscriptions include online access. Seventy-five percent of active subscriptions are available online via subscription or as part of a database. • Monographs: The library receives the vast majority of its e-book titles via the Ebrary Academic Complete subscription. This currently provides over 40,000 titles. The library also has 160 electronic reference books available via the Oxford Reference Online subscription that is available as part of the SLED Digital Pipeline. The library also selects individual e-book titles that support UAS academic programs as part of regular collection development. When deciding to purchase a monograph as an e-book, librarians consider the number of distance students in related programs, ease of use of the electronic format, typical use patterns for the style of the material, and faculty preference. Access Whether purchased directly, as part of a package, or through consortial arrangement, UAS librarians work directly with vendors to establish access once an electronic resource has been purchased. Typically this involves: • Contacting vendors after purchase • Providing IP ranges for all three UAS campuses • Verifying URL linking to resource • Testing URL on and off-campus (Ketchikan Librarian tests in that location) • Working with vendor to activate UAS link resolver in the resource (if a bibliographic database) • Working with IT Services to add the resource to the proxy server configuration • Adding title to Journal Search (for Periodicals); • Adding title to Databases pages on the web site (for databases) • Adding to link resolver as a source and/or target as appropriate • Adding title to online catalog • Reviewing access at renewal time to assure continuity In rare cases, IP authentication is not possible due to vendor limitations. In this case, a username and password are set-up and tested, and recorded in a file kept at the reference desk. Librarians provide the information to UAS patrons as needed. Promotion and Visibility Egan library uses the following tools to announce, promote, and display electronic resources: • Egan web site database pages: All databases are listed here in both an alphabetical and a subject arrangement. • Journal Search: Egan Library’s AtoZ journal listing provides a searchable list of all electronic periodicals available, including direct subscriptions and titles available via databases. Journal Search also provides a subject browse option for e-journals. Egan Librarians have also added relevant free and open source journals to our Journal Search holdings. • Online catalog: All e-books purchased individually and in our ebrary subscription are entered into the online catalog with full MARC records. The Library is exploring the possibility of adding MARC records for the statewide Oxford Reference Online collection and the ListenAlaska audiobook collection. • Egan Library Blog: The library frequently announces noteworthy new electronic resources on library blog. The blog is open to the public via RSS subscription and is also a link from the home page. • Home page announcements: The library frequently announces new electronic resources on our home page. When possible we link to the library blog to provide more information, and to highlight the blog to patrons. • Email announcements: Librarian liaisons notify faculty members in relevant disciplines about new electronic resources that may be of interest to them. II. Improvements to Access During the past two years, Egan Library has improved access to electronic resources by: • Creating an E-book Search, an electronic resource-only search interface to the catalog • Creating the Egan Library blog to publicize electronic resources • Implementing a Link Resolver (Ebsco’s Linksource) to link to library-licensed data from more places • Registering with Google Scholar, PubMed and Scirus to make UAS an available user-specified library in these databases • Creating a Facebook presence to further broadcast library announcements of new resources. • Posting stickers and signs on and near print reference books that are also available online • Creating virtual collection links that let users browse e-resources by topic. For example E-books for Information Systems classes • Adding Library of Congress call numbers to ebrary books in the online catalog so these resources are accessible in call number browse searches .