Techniques for Electronic Resource Management

Best practices for managing e-resources are critical--two decades after the advent of electronic journals and databases, librarians are still grappling with how to effectively manage these resources in conjunction with their print resources. Now e-books have become yet another stream of purchasing and management, while economic pressures mean that librarians have to justify every penny spent on collections and resource development. This issue of Library Technology Reports details a project by Jill Emery and Graham Stone, Techniques in Electronic Resource Management (TERMS). It encourages open peer commentary and crowdsourcing of areas of best practice for each of the six stages of the e-resources life cycle:

• Investigation of new content for purchase or addition
• Acquisition of new content
• Implementation
• Ongoing evaluation and access
• Annual review
• Cancellation and replacement review
• No matter their level of experience, all those involved with e-resource management will find this Report a valuable reference.