1. Managing Electronic Resources for
Public Libraries
Presented by Michael Santangelo
For ALA Editions
Session #2: March 14, 2012

2. Session #2

3. Usage Statistics and Evaluation
 Collect data on a regular basis
 Yearly
 Monthly
 Quarterly
 Based on need
 Post data so everyone can view it
 Be aware of the usage statistics collection and
the usage statistical modules of each of your
vendors
 Annual Round Up: Success, Mediocrity, Needs
Improvement, and Cancel It.

4. Usage Statistics and Evaluation
 COUNTER and SUSHI
 Academic and research libraries’ usage statistics
standards and methods
 COUNTER: Counting Online Usage on NeTworked
Electronic Resources
 “ {COUNTER} is an international initiative serving
librarians, publishers and intermediaries by setting standards
that facilitate the recording and reporting of online usage
statistics in a consistent, credible and compatible way.” *
 Check out http://www.projectcounter.org.
 Make sure your vendor is COUNTER Compliant
 SUSHI: Standardized Usage Statistics Harvesting
Initiative
 Developed by NISO (National Information Standards
Organization)
*About COUNTER. (2012). Retrieved March COUNTER
 Works in conjunction with
11, 2012, from
 Analogy: COUNTER is the rule (what) and SUSHI is the
http://www.projectcounter.org/about

5. Usage Statistics and Evaluation
 What’s Important?
 Searches
 Sessions
 Downloads
 Article Views
 Page Views
 Remote Access and In Library Access
 Journal Usage
 Subject Usage
 Unique users
 Length of Use (Online Learning Tools)
 Turn away rate (may need more seats)

6. Usage Statistics and Evaluation
 Should be viewed in relation to the specific product or
nature of the product
 Aggregator vs. Original Contact vs. Online Learning Tool
 How unique is the tool
 Important Considerations for Success
 Cost per Search, Session, and Download (View)
 Session: important for online learning tools
 Downloads and Article Views: important for aggregators
 Mostly staff use versus public use
 Unique content versus popular content/tools
 Compare searches, session, and downloads (views):
picture of user success
 Statistics on added features: worth it or not?
 Labor! Staff time!

7. Vendor Relationships
 Professional: do not personalize
 Transparent: no secrets
 Remind sale representatives that negotiations are a matter
of public record
 Supervisors should be fully aware of all vendor contact and
discussions
 Review institutional or local/state gift policy
 Review local/state ethical guidelines for dealing with
vendors
 Institution speaks as one voice
 Sales representatives should be aware of approved
contacts: one individual or specific individuals in your
institution
 You should be aware of approved contact at the vendor’s
organization

8. Vendor Relationships
 Conscientious of vendor’s dealing with all departments
within your institution.
 Awareness of vendor’s timeline
 End of vendor’s fiscal year may mean better deals
 Or rushed negotiations
 Problems with sales representative
 Let your supervisor know of any problems
 Do request another sales representative or account
representative if inappropriate behavior or ineffective
management arises
 Put complaints, questions, and requests in writing
 Do not blame sales representative for a corporation’s
policies or recent scandals
 Make sure you understand what is being discussed at all
times
 Golden Rule: fairness and courtesy

10. Contract Negotiation Toolkit
 Statistics
 Usage statistics related to the product (Renewals)
 Up-to-date population statistics
 Including school age population numbers
 Cardholder Statistics
 By age level: adult, teenager, children, and seniors.
 Environmental scan: what other comparable
systems subscribe to a specific resource
 Facts about a resource’s holdings
 Knowledge of competitors’ products

11. Contract Negotiation Toolkit
 Be certain of the following
 Recent content changes:
 additions and deletions
 Embargo changes
 Exclusives or loss of exclusives
 Recent interface changes
 Institutional history with vendor
 Recent changes in administrative modules and statistical
collection
 Which journals are most important to you
 Examples of double charging for content
 What are your institutions priorities as concerns
electronic resources: afterschool tools, lifelong
learning, career resources

12. The Contract
 Meet with library’s counsel and procurement
officers
 Have a sense from your contract specialist what
is acceptable for terms and process for contract
approval
 Research having a boilerplate contract for all
vendors
 E-Resources manager should be able to take a
first pass over contract to investigate obvious
omissions or mistakes
 Make sure to have duplicate copies: one for your
institution's files and one for the vendor. Your
copy can be a photocopy
 Share institutional payment process with your

13. The Contract
 Important Stipulations to consider for each
contract
 Library properly named in the contract
 Vendor properly named in the contract
 Correct pricing information included
 Payment terms
 Correct subscription dates included
 Applicable jurisdiction is your state and local area
 Unlock the agreement: renewals should not be
automatic
 Library should have until expiration date to renew
 Define acceptable users: all staff, all registered
cardholders, in library walk-ins (guests), and remote
users through the library’s web site.

14. Renewals
 Stick to your own timeline and not the vendors
 Review usage statistics prior to decision-making
 Consult advisory committee
 Speak to public service colleagues
 Match negotiation to usage
 Discuss usage openly with the vendor
 Lower pricing may better justify usage
 Address technical support history and unfulfilled
agreements
 Negotiate beyond price: additional
content, products, extend subscription period (14
months for the price of 12)

15. E-Journal Discovery Services (A to
Z)
 Pulls out links to electronic journals from aggregation
databases and organizes into one comprehensive A-to-Z
listing
 Provides MARC records for each electronic journal for your
OPAC
 Direct access to electronic journals for users
 Publication Search (Not by subject or keyword)
 Popular Products: Serials Solution’s 360 Core (MARC
Updates), Ebscohost’s A-to-Z, Journal Finder (WT Cox)
 Administrative module needs constant updating as
holdings change frequently
 Helps maintain and reflect changes in vendor coverage
 Set up and troubleshooting are time consuming
 Helps view duplication and gaps in more detail
 Requires collaboration with cataloging department as
regards MARC record uploading

23. Federated Searching
 Service that allows a search to be conducted in more than one
electronic resource at the same time
 Similar to a search engine experience
 Services have improved significantly since the first products entered the
library market
 Popular products: Serial Solution’s 360 Search, Ebscohost’s Integrated
Search (EHIS), Webfeat (Serials Solutions), Deep Web Technologies'’
Explorit
 Positives:
 Mimics Google experience for users
 Users experience full breadth of electronic resources offerings
 Negatives:
 False hits and Inflated Usage
 Overwhelms user with results
 Authentication issues
 Duplication of results
 Alternatives: Vendor specific cross searches. Examples: Gale Power
Search or Grolier Online

25. Electronic Resources Collection
Development Policy
 Presents an institutional vision of electronic
resources
 Accountability for the institutional as a whole and
not just individuals
 Sets common standards and goals for every
department and colleague as concerns electronic
resources
 Lets your patrons and local officials know your
mission and focus as concerns electronic
resources
 May be used with vendors to emphasize or de-
emphasize particular subjects, features, or

26. Electronic Resources Collection
Development Policy
 Can be a part of your overall collection
development policy or a separate document
 Many models to use and academic institutions
offer some of the best examples
 Be sure to keep it consistent with the process and
format of your other institutional policies
 This should be a collaborative effort at your
institution

28. Electronic Resources Collection
Development Policy

30. Keeping up-to-date, Keeping
active
 Electronic Resources Topics and Issues
 Library Journal’s Digital Shift
 Bookseller Briefing
 Booklist
 Blogs
 Librarian in Black (Sarah Houghton)
 Information Wants to Be Free (Meredith Farkas)
 Librarian By Day (Bobbi Newman)
 Stephen’s Lighthouse (Stephen Abrams)
 TeleRead (eBooks)
 MobyLives (Dennis Johnson of Melville House)
 Library Renewal
 Booklist’s Points of Reference

31. Keeping Up-to-Date, Keeping
Active
 Developments on specific products
 Vendor
emails, newsletters, blogs, conferences, webinars
, product user groups, advisory councils
 Library Journal
 Information Today
 Reviews of new products
 Library Journal—Cheryl LaGuardia’s blog
 Charleston Advisor
 Booklist
 Technology Updates
 CNET
 PC Mag

32. Keeping Up-to-Date and Keeping
Active
 Colleagues
 Email Discussion Lists
 ALA
 LITA Electronic Resources Management Discussion Group
 ALCTS Electronic Resources Management Interest Group
 RUSA MARS Management of Electronic Resources and
Services
 ULC’s Collection Development List
 State Listservs
 Create your own from colleagues in your local area or in
similar libraries
 Consortium discussion lists
 Wikipedia
 Helps with new terms or new terms to you
o Example Open Url, Link resolver
 PLA TechNotes

33. Keeping Up-to-date and Keeping
Active
 Conferences
 American Library Association
 RUSA and ALCTS
 PLA
 Computers in Libraries (Information Today: East
Coast)
 Internet Librarian (Information Today: West Coast)
 Digital Book World
 Digipalooza (Overdrive)
 IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum)
 Charleston Conference
 State Library Association Conferences

34. E-book Addendum
 E-Book Platforms
 Popular versus Reference
 Popular: Overdrive, 3M, Freading, Baker and Taylor
 Reference/Academic/Technical: Gale Virtual
Reference Library, E-Books on Ebscohost, eBrary,
Safari
 Too many platforms may confuse your users and
may overwhelm staff
 Each platform may require separate instructions
and staff training
 Pay attention to platform fees
 Check for local and statewide consortia
opportunities

35. E-Book Addendum
 E-Readers and Tablets
 Major players: iPad, nook, Kindle, Kobo, Sony
Reader, and various android tablets
 Mobile device compatibility
 Downloading methods: wireless, app, or side loading
 Must be compatible with major devices (Kindle
exception)
 Formats: PDF, ePUB, Kindle, Open ePUB, Open PDF
 Pricing Models: simultaneous usage, one copy/one
user, perpetual access, limited licensing, pay per
use, and ownership
 Staffing costs: content selection, troubleshooting
and being aware of latest developments are time
consuming and must be factored into decisions
regarding eBook platforms

36. Current Issues
 Exclusives and Embargoes
 Monopolies
 Privacy and Confidentiality
 Integration
 Platforms (How many is too many?)

37. Questions

38. Contact Information
Michael Santangelo
Electronic Resources Analyst
Brooklyn Public Library
m.santangelo@brooklynpubliclibrary.org