The document lists challenges and opportunities related to electronic resources in academic libraries. Some of the key challenges mentioned include reduced budgets, ever-increasing journal prices, a decline in print monographs, difficulties managing collections, issues with access and security, and usability problems. Opportunities discussed focus on areas like open access initiatives, collaboration, marketing collections globally, improving discovery tools and interfaces, and developing new definitions and standards. The document provides sources for further reading on topics related to e-resources in libraries.
17. OPPORTUNITIES “ Sadly, we tend to complain more than doing. If we get a reputation for being negative, that will be detrimental. That doesn’t mean we should be Sally Sunshine, but we need to approach things with a more positive attitude to make change happen.” ~ Anna Creech http://eclecticlibrarian.net/blog/2011/02/erl-library-renewal/
20. Collection Development “ I think libraries have to change their view of the world 180 degrees. Libraries should no longer aim to be the portal to the world of information for a local audience. Libraries should try to be the portal to local information for a global audience. A university and research library should focus on making the local production of research output known to the world.” ~ Peter van Boheemen http://webquery.blogspot.com/2010/11/future-of-libraries-end-of-library-as.html
23. Collection Development “ [V]endors are our partners – we could not do what we do without the content and service products they provide, and they could not do what they do without us, either – we provide an audience, an infrastructure, and end-user education for them .” ~ Amy Fry, http://acrlog.org/2011/02/28/working-together-tips-for-vendors /
38. Usability “ If the top tools offered on the library website are user-friendly and effective rather than frustrating and time-consuming, users will have a reason to begin their search there.” ~ Stefanie E. Warlick, et al, "Finding Articles and Journals via Google Scholar, Journal Portals, and Link Resolvers: Usability Study Results" ( Reference & User Services Quarterly 50.2, 2010: 170-181)
41. Federated Search “ I believe that it’s mutually advantageous to both publishers and discovery providers to cooperate, since it both increases the effectiveness of the discovery products and improves the value of the content for Libraries as it makes that content more easily available to their users.” ~ Marshall Breeding http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2011/03/building-comprehensive-resource-discovery-platforms.html
44. “ We librarians are an intelligent and resourceful bunch. With the right set of tools, I believe we could come close to creating ‘perfect’ collections to meet the needs of our users. With the right set of tools, we can be better stewards of the financial resources provided by our institutions. It’s time to work smarter, not harder.” ~ Anna Creech, http://acrlog.org/2010/11/09/building-smart-collections-for-todays-users/