Lynda Aldana Head of Technical Services and Library IT Services UMBC Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery August 4, 2014 MLA-TSD E-Resources Boot Camp: E-book Issues and Management

Agenda After the collection management decisions have been made and the licenses have been signed: What needs to happen to manage the e-book collections? and What are some common issues in managing e-book collections?

Hmmm…. E-books ✓ Now What? Will managing your e-book collections fit into currently established workflows? Will you use an electronic resource management (ERM) system or not? How will you provide access (cataloging and discovery decisions)? What are the routine maintenance tasks? What will your data gathering tasks be? Who will be doing the work?

Finding the Right Workflow

E-book Workflow Decisions Because e-books do not have the same physical presence in libraries, you need to consider whether or not processing e-book collections will fit into currently established workflows and processes. and that the same workflow may not work for all e-book collections.

Will you use an electronic resource management (ERM) system or not? If you choose to use an ERM, everyone who will use it needs the appropriate logins and training. there should be agreement regarding the type of information that will be stored in the ERM. everyone needs to commit to keeping the information up-to-date. If you choose not to use an ERM, there needs to be a common place (i.e. shared drive or folder) where those who are expected to maintain any aspect of the e-book collection can retrieve needed information. everyone needs to agree on the type of information that will be stored. everyone needs to commit to keeping the information up-to-date.

How will users find your e-book content? There are several ways to provide access to your e- book content: access via a vendor’s website through links provided from your knowledge base (e.g. if using a link resolver or a discovery tool) using cataloging records in your ILS all of the above, or a combination of options Regardless of the access method(s) selected, keep in mind that the setup and maintenance work for each will be unique.

Cataloging & Metadata for E-books -- Considerations If using cataloging records, how will you obtain the records (e.g. single record copy cataloging or loading batch files)? Because there are several ways to get the batch files, which method will you use or how will the vendor provide the file to load? How will you be notified when a title is available and ready to add to your collection? If you have a profile, do the records match the profile? How can you tell? What is the turnaround time for the vendor (e.g., when the profile is run vs. when you are notified your records are available)? How often do vendors update your collection? Local turnaround time for processing new titles or collections? Goal vs. reality. The quality of cataloging records can vary dramatically. What are common problems and what is acceptable at your institution?

Routine Maintenance Bibliographic records may need updating or editing from time to time. Item records may need to be updated. The workflow may be different for different types of resources (DDA vs. reference resources vs. single purchases). How, who, when is the data gathering occurring? How often are statistics being collected and shared? Who will troubleshoot access issues and broken links? How will access issues be reported? Is there a current method in place that can be used (e.g., a ticketing system or shared address)? Who is monitoring the budgets? This is especially important with DDA programs.

Who is doing all of this work!?!

Staffing Considerations What level of staffing is needed to maintain your e-book collections? Will work be shared between more than one department or unit? Does the current organizational structure work? Are there opportunities to restructure or reorganize so that the workflow and the staffing levels match the work to be done? Do you need training sessions or materials? Where will shared information be stored? ERM Shared drive Wiki

Communication

Communication and Information Sharing Who is supposed to receive information about the e-book(s)? It is important to make sure each person receives the correct information. The type of information you should expect to receive and need to share includes: Timing of the batch loads When the profile runs Collection update notifications

Communication and Information Sharing (cont.) Remember to share information about the programs. Some information will be publically posted and other information might be for staff use only. Where are the important pieces of information being stored (on a wiki, a shared drive, or an ERM)? Does everyone have access to the files or locations where the information will be stored (logins to ERM or access to shared drives)?

Sharing Information About E-books

Conclusion

Lessons Learned It is important to establish good workflows and involve the right people. Revisit the workflows when possible. Are they still working? Are new resources fitting into the established workflows or do you need another process? Always communicate with those doing the work, those in other departments, and with vendors. There will be times when something does not work as it should. Be as prompt as possible if you need to ask for help from the vendor because it might take time to correct a problem. Be willing to be flexible.

Selected Resources Articles Beisler, Amalia, and Lisa Kurt. “E-Book Workflow from Inquiry to Access: Facing the Challenges to Implementing E-Book Access at the University of Nevada, Reno.” Collaborative Librarianship 4, no. 3 (July 2012): 96–116. Sapon-White, R. E. “E-Book Cataloging Workflows at Oregon State University.” LIBRARY RESOURCES AND TECHNICAL SERVICES 58, no. 2 (2014): 127–37. Vasileiou, Magdalini, Jennifer Rowley, and Richard Hartley. “The E-Book Management Framework: The Management of E-Books in Academic Libraries and Its Challenges.” Library & Information Science Research 34, no. 4 (October 2012): 282–91. doi: /j.lisr Walters, William H. “E-Books in Academic Libraries: Challenges for Acquisition and Collection Management.” Portal: Libraries and the Academy 13, no. 2 (2013): 187–211. doi: /pla

Selected Resources Continued Books Kaplan, Richard, ed. Building and Managing E-Book Collections: A How-to-Do-It Manual for Librarians. How-to-Do-It Manuals, number 184. Chicago, IL: Neal- Schuman, an imprint of the American Library Association, NISO DDA Working Group. “Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA) of Monographs: A Recommended Practice of the National Information Standards Organization: NISO RP ” National Information Standards Organization (NISO), Polanka, Sue, ed. No Shelf Required 2: Use and Management of Electronic Books. Chicago: American Library Association, Polanka, Sue, ed. No Shelf Required: E-Books in Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, Swords, David A., ed. Patron-Driven Acquisitions: History and Best Practices. Current Topics in Library and Information Practice. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Saur, 2011.

Lynda Aldana Head of Technical Services & Library IT Services Phone: Thank You