Managing Digital Resources in Libraries

Citation

Mugridge, R.L. (2006), "Managing Digital Resources in Libraries", Collection Building, Vol. 25 No. 2, pp. 67-67. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950610658900

Although the word “digital” in the title might imply a broader range of resources, this collection of 13 chapters, edited by Audrey Fenner, primarily addresses the management of text‐based, published, electronic resources in libraries. The first two chapters focus on the licensing of electronic journals and the challenges presented to libraries as they attempt to reach agreements with vendors on licensing issues. Min Chou and Oliver Zhou discuss the current licensing environment, the impact of licensing agreements on library collections, and strategies for negotiating licenses. In a fictional case study, Timothy Shipe describes the process of acquiring a database and negotiating a license.

The next few chapters, in a section titled Opinions, Research, and Analysis, address a mixed bag of topics related to electronic resources. Eugenio Pelizzari provides an introduction to the open access movement and the development of the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting. Emerita Cuesta reviews job advertisements that use the term “electronic” in the job title and analyzes how job responsibilities are changing with the new formats of library materials. Donna Skekel describes the many challenges presented to libraries attempting to provide access to the many electronic resources to which they subscribe, and encourages libraries to explore the use of technology to resolve some of those challenges.

The next section, titled Systems and Software, consists of five chapters, four of which present case studies of how electronic resources are made accessible, and one chapter by Cecilia Leathem that discusses the various options for cataloging electronic journals, focusing on the decision to use a single or multiple record for different formats. Anna Alwerud and Lotte Jorgensen describe Lund University Libraries' creation of an administrative tool and user interface that provides access to all of the University Library's e‐content. Randle Gedeon and George Boston discuss the implementation of TDNet at Western Michigan University; Clark Nall and Janice Steed Lewis describe the creation of a database‐driven web site for subject guides at East Carolina University; and Sue Anderson discusses the development of a ColdFusion database to provide access to aggregated collections of electronic journals at Eastern Washington University.

The final three articles are also case studies that address various aspects of electronic resource management. Denise Koufogiannakis, Pam Ryan and Susan Dahl describe an initiative at the University of Alberta to provide electronic resources to users of personal digital assistants, Harvey Brenneise discusses the development of an all‐electronic library of health information; and Judith Hiott and Carla Beasley address collection management for electronic resources, including selection, evaluation and weeding.

Although the book is skewed heavily towards academic library case studies and authors, the research and issues discussed can be applied in any library setting. What is apparent from the selections presented here is the changing environment, particularly in the area of licensing, and the many options being explored for providing access to electronic resources. This is an interesting and engaging work, and would be a useful addition to academic or large public libraries that do not already subscribe to The Acquisitions Librarian.

Rebecca L. Mugridge

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA