Electronic Resource Management (ERM) Assessment Working Group

Members:

• Bill Doering, UW-La Crosse
• Karen Jander, UW-Milwaukee
• Lisa Jewell, UW System
• Chris Kline, UW-Madison (Chair)
• Sharon Knight, UW-Whitewater
• Michele McKnelly, UW-River Falls

Action Item: Assess UW System needs and interests with regard to the management of their electronic resources, investigate electronic resource management (ERM) products (commercial and locally developed), and make a recommendation. The recommendation may or may not include reference to a specific ERM product.

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CHARGE:

Justification

Effective management of electronic resources (databases, ejournals, ebooks, ereference, etc.) takes on greater importance as we see more of our collections transition from print to electronic. While individual campuses within the System may have considered use of a commercial ERM or developed their own methods for managing electronic resources, UW System has not yet undertaken a System-wide analysis of the needs and interest across UW System campuses with regard to an ERM. The ERM Assessment Working Group will assess System needs and relate those needs to both commercially available and locally developed ERM solutions.

Charge

The ERM Assessment Working Group is charged with conducting a needs assessment for an electronic resource management (ERM) system and determining to what extent our needs can be met either by one of the primary vendor-based systems in the marketplace or by a less elaborate, locally developed database. The advantages and disadvantages of a System-wide vs. campus-level ERM solution should also be examined. If the committee concludes that procurement of an existing ERM system is the preferred system wide solution, they may wish, though will not be expected, to recommend a specific product.

Key Expectations

• Conduct a review of the literature with regard to ERMs and summarize the significant findings
• Assess the needs and interests of individual UW System libraries with regard to an ERM through use of an online survey tool
• Develop a protocol to evaluate commercial and locally developed ERM products
• Determine if/how UW System needs can be met by an ERM based on survey results, an examination of the literature review summary, and ERM product evaluations
• Summarize and report key findings

Timeline

Final report of findings delivered to Collections and Resource Sharing Coordinating Committee by December 1, 2008.

Membership

• Bill Doering, UW-La Crosse, Library Systems and Technology
• Karen Jander, UW-Milwaukee, Head, Serials Department
• Lisa Jewell, UW-System, Library Consultant
• Chris Kline, UW-Madison, Head, Licensed Resources Unit (Chair)
• Sharon Knight, UW-Whitewater, Serials Librarian
• Michele McKnelly, UW-River Falls, Head of Technical Services/Government Information Specialist

Role of Members

Members set the agenda, goals, and feasible action plans required to accomplish the charge of the ERM Assessment Working Group. Responsibilities include the following:

• Accept and support the ERM Assessment Working Group’s charge
• Review all relevant materials prior to meetings
• Attend meetings
• Work toward fulfilling the working group’s objectives
• Carry out individual assignments in a timely fashion

Role of Chair

The chair is responsible for the general leadership of the ERM Assessment Working Group and provides direction to members and library staff working in support of the charge. Responsibilities of the chair:

• Accept and support the ERM Assessment Working Group’s charge
• Plan meetings and agenda in collaboration with other appropriate staff
• Attend all the working group meetings and stay abreast of work between meetings
• Maintain records of the working group’s work
• Facilitate active participation and decision-making
• Assume responsibility for the completion of the charge
• Meet with the Collections and Resource Sharing Coordinating Committee on a regular basis to review interim reports and to submit a final report