1. Electronic Resources Management Interest Group
Saturday, June 23, 2012 - 4:00pm to 5:30pm
This session of the ERM Interest Group focuses on the role that library initiated ERMS continue to play in
the ERM marketplace. Major developments are taking place with the focus on ILS and ERM integration in
systems such as ExLibris’ ALMA, Innovative’s Sierra and the Kuali OLE project but many libraries still
choose to develop their own ERMS or turn to solutions created and offered by other libraries such as
CUFTS, CORAL, ERMes and Gold Rush. This session includes presentations from representatives of these
library initiated ERMS and will highlight the value and impact that these systems continue to have on the
ERMS marketplace both now and in the future.
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Good afternoon!
I’m delighted to be here with you all; many
thanks to Benjamin Heet and the ERM IG for the
invitation to join this panel, and the opportunity
to explore this question of…
Why library-initiated ERMS during a time of
next gen commercial ILS systems such as Alma
and Sierra?
To get started, I’ll share who I am…
While at the University of Wisconsin – La
Crosse, I co-developed ERMes with William
Doering, Metadata and Document Delivery
Librarian.
ERMes is a library-developed ERM designed for
small to medium libraries that functions in MS
Access that is used by over 60 libraries from
around the world.
Now, I am at the University of Connecticut
where I am at the beginning stages of
implementing CORAL – another library-initiated
ERM that better suites a large library such as

2. UConn’s.
So, why library-created ERMS?
1. Access to and ERMS in the first place.
2. Flexibility.
3. Integration.
Let’s start with access to an ERMS.

3. We know that libraries are spending huge
amounts of their budgets on e-content.
According to the National Center for Education
Statistics, 70% of serials expenditures in 2010
were on e-subscriptions/content.
At UConn this most recent fiscal year – FY12 –
88% of our collections budget is spent on e-
content: e-books, e-serials, e-media/streaming
video, and aggregate databases.
Here’s the NCES data again in dollars instead of
percentages.
A huge amount of money on content that no
doubt needs managing.
At UConn, it looks like there will not be a budget
increase for library collections this year. This is a
familiar story as libraries continue to struggle
just to maintain content, let alone pay for the
necessary systems to manage it.
Consider Springfield Technical Community
College…
Enrollment: 6,782
Library Staff: 14
Approx 78 Aggregate Databses
They are using ERMes to manage their e-
resources, and while ERMes is not the most
robust ERM, it is perfect for Springfield Area
Community Colleges because they are small in
collections and have a shoestring staff, but they
have MS Access.
This is a library that – unless federal and student
funding experiences a miraculous,
unprecedented shift towards education and
libraries, is always going to need access to
simple and free ERM.

4. And Springfield isn’t alone…
See how the funds expended on e-resources per
FTE drops dramatically by school size?
Now, let’s talk about flexibility and integration…
Why library initiated?
Felxibility
I would venture to say that changes in and
complexities of e-resource management are
occurring faster than other library processes
housed in an ILS.
Thus the idea of a flexible ERM isn’t a nice
option, it’s mandatory.
- Journal Packages + Reconciliations
o Annual
- Aggregate Databases
o Annual
- One Time Purchases
o One time w/ various options for
payment
- Budget changes; new tracking
methodologies
- E-Books
o Purchases, subscriptions, PDA
To date, commercial systems and large systems
simply take longer to change.

5. Whereas in a stand-alone ERM, changes can be
made quickly without jeopardizing workflow.
For example, in ERMes, a user can add or edit a
field in a few minutes and then continue on – a
change in the system is a mere pause rather
than a traffic jam.
Users need access to the e-resources, ERM
libraries need a functioning system to
manage/provide access to these e-resoruces.
We need the salt, not the most perfectly
designed salt shaker.
We need something like Lincoln Logs or Legos;
pieces that allow us to tweak our system
constantly as we go.
Integration
And to some degree libraries have this…
Because libraries are full of independent
systems right now – ILS, Illiad, etc. You could say
that libraries are full of kits to build information
access; you know like a set of Lincoln Logs or a
set of Legos.
However, if we consider library-initiated ERMS
and use a bit of imagination….
Then, along with flexibility, library-initiated
ERMS also afford some amazing possibilities for
integrating with other systems – thus gaining
functionality without losing flexibility.

6. Example: Potential for CORAL to integrate with
goKB which integrates with Kuali Ole.
Then, we get Lincoln Logs AND Legos.
With library-initiated ERMS, it’s like have
separate nimble systems with a built in adapter
kit that allows not just Lincoln Logs and Logos,
but how about Duplos and Tinker Toys too?
There are already some separate library
systems that integrate with one another – not
necessarily perfectly – but are amazing from the
user’s perspective.
For example, Open URL link resolvers and Illiad.
Each separate system is maximized for it’s
unique function but integrates with the other.
So, in the end it’s not about big box systems for
managing library resources; it’s about systems
that work well but are open, flexible, and can
interweave with other open flexible systems.
It’s about amazing potential for constructing an
impressive architecture of information
management and access, that can be
deconstructed and rebuiltquickly by libraries to
accommodate that only known constant:
change.