Library Standards and E-Resource Management

Pesch, Oliver (2008). Library standards and E-resource management: A survey of current initiatives and standards efforts. The Serials Librarian, Volume 55, Issue 3, 481 - 48.

The main thing I really liked about this article were the abundance of graphical images. The first image is especially compelling, and I believe it should be used on the first day of this course to show the absolute complexity of this field. The image shows a hexagon with 6 areas of working with E-Resources. Those sections are entitled Acquire, Provide Access, Administer, Support, Evaluate, and Renew. Each of these sections could be considered a job sector at a large university like UW. Perhaps one person's job would bleed in to the next piece of the puzzle, or someone may take care of two portions of the puzzle, but with so many databases and E-resources to administer, there are likely many people handling these different tasks in our large-scale libraries.

Pesch makes the comment that administering E-resources can be far more difficult than managing their print counterparts. This point also cannot be driven home enough in this course. Although the job of managing paper serials has many facets, E-resources are made more complex by the introduction of technology. Thus, pieces of the hexagon such as "Support" are introduced. This support takes a greater deal of technological know-how than the upkeep of paper journals.

Another slick thing about this article is how Pesch breaks down each section of the hexagon in to a more detailed section below, replete with information such as standards that affect that area of the field. This is a great reference for anyone who is a graphical learner. Another important part of the breakdown is the naming of the parties involved with each section. Along with the short, accurate, and succinct description of some of the biggest standards, I feel this section is incredibly informative. Even after being in the course for a while, I now understand the relationships in ERM more.

A quick aside about this class: while at the Wisconsin Library Association Conference this last week, I took part in a speed networking session. While there, I met a student from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's SOIS program. We began to swap stories about classes we are currently taking. I told her about this course, my interest in the subject matter, and my feeling that it will be applicable to jobs on the market when I graduate. She expressed disappointment that there were not more courses like Electronic Resources Management at SOIS. I feel really glad that I took this course when it was offered now, and positive about the experience overall. SLIS and SOIS, take note!