Monday, May 22, 2006

Call for Proposals for the Handbook of Research on Library Electronic Resource Management

Call for Proposals for the Handbook of Research on Library Electronic Resource Management

Editors: Holly Yu & Scott Breivold

California State University, Los Angeles, USA


A pronounced move from print subscriptions to electronic resources in all types of libraries has fundamentally impacted the library and its users. In the past decade, the financial resources needed to provide access to electronic resources has increased drastically. Whether the electronic resource comes from a commercial publisher or a local digitization effort, the shift is rapidly changing library operational and organizational practices. Commercially available resources can be defined as virtually any electronic products or services for which libraries allocate funds. These resources include e-journals; e-books; indexes, abstracts, and/or full-text databases; encyclopedias and other reference tools; aggregator databases, etc.


Along with the increased acquisition of electronic collections, successfully providing seamless online access for users has posed complex challenges which include: changes in library workflow management; selection and acquisition procedures; copyright and license negotiation; cataloging changes and challenges; development of new public access interfaces, etc. Libraries are at the crossroads in terms of evaluating how to better manage these electronic resources. Many librarians and managers have begun to understand that issues related to electronic resource management are far-reaching and complex. The proliferation of Electronic Resource Management (ERM) solutions presents an additional challenge for libraries that must either rely on in-house expertise, or evaluate a myriad of emerging turn-key solutions.

Coverage: This handbook will feature chapters (5,000-7,500 words) authored by experts offering in-depth and comprehensive coverage of the issues, methods, theories, and challenges connected with the provision of electronic resources in libraries. It will primarily focus on management practices of the life-cycle of commercially acquired electronic resources from selection and ordering, to cataloging; web presentation; user support; usage evaluation, etc. This book is intended to provide a practical tool that emphasizes and supports strategic planning, operational guidelines and policies, and workflow management. It will also provide a compendium of terms, definitions and explanations of concepts and processes.

Recommended topics include, but are not limited to, the following:



1. Introduction

A. History of electronic resources

B. Scope of electronic resources

C. Benefit of electronic resources



2. Issues in Electronic Resources Management

A. Challenges

B. Relationships with vendors

C. Licensing

D. Copyright / Fair Use

E. Strategic planning

F. Policies

G. Procedures

H. Budget

I. Consortia Purchasing



3. Electronic Resource Management

A. History of electronic resource management

B. Emerging trends in electronic resource management

C. Life cycle of electronic resource management

Selection

Acquisition

Renewal & cancellation

D. Electronic resource management systems (ERMs)

Integrated systems

Commercial ERMs

Locally developed ERMs / tools

Open Source ERMs



4. Access to Electronic Resources

A. Standards

B. Cataloging

C. Web interface

D. Delivery options

E. Authentication

F. Remote access

G. Local access

H. Access to consortia-based / shared electronic resources

I. Linkage to open URL resolvers

J. Troubleshooting

K. Usability / accessibility

L. Archiving



5. Electronic Resource Librarians & Others involved in Electronic Resource Management

A. Education and training

B. Skills

C. Workflow



6. Customer Service

A. Technical support

B. Library instruction

C. Web Interfaces



7. Ongoing Evaluation

A. Electronic vs. print collections

B. Usage statistics

C. User survey



Invited Submissions: Individuals interested in submitting chapters (5,000-7,500 words) on the above suggested categories should submit an email listing 3-4 suggested topics from at least two of the seven major categories (no more than 4 suggested topics total). Individuals may also suggest other topics related to electronic resource management.

Suggested topics are due May 30, 2006.

You will be notified about the status of your proposed topics by June 5 2006, and you will have up to July 15 to develop your proposal. Upon acceptance of your proposal, you will have until November 30, 2006, to prepare your chapter of 5,000-7,500 words and 7-10 related terms and their appropriate definitions. Guidelines for preparing your proposal, paper and the project timeline are available at http://www.calstatela.edu/library/handbook/.



Please forward your e-mail of interest including your name, affiliation and a list of topics (3-4) on which you are interested in writing a chapter to Scott Breivold and Holly Yu, editors, at sbreivo@calstatela.edu and hyu3@calstatela.edu by May 30, 2006. This book is tentatively scheduled for publishing by Idea Group Reference (an imprint of Idea Group Inc.), http://www.idea-group.com/reference, in 2007.





Holly Yu

Library Web Administrator
University Library

California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Dr.

Los Angeles, CA 90032

Tel: (323) 343-4993

Fax: (323) 343-5600

Email: hyu3@calstatela.edu