ERAMS (e-resource access and management services) are a way of thinking about
library management
Library management is a sub-discipline of institutional management that focuses on specific issues faced by libraries and library management professionals. Library management encompasses normal managerial tasks, as well as intellectual freedom a ...
to help
libraries
A library is a collection of Document, materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or electronic media, digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a ...
optimize the access, usage, data, and workflows of electronic library collections in the physical and
digital library
A digital library, also called an online library, an internet library, a digital repository, or a digital collection is an online database of digital objects that can include text, still images, audio, video, digital documents, or other digital ...
.
Background
Electronic resources, particularly
electronic journal
An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and ...
s and
ebooks
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
, can be viewed as an integral part of
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
collections. Recent studies have shown that not only are libraries acquiring significant amounts of digital content, but also that this content is both replacing and eclipsing traditional media.
Scholarly communication, particularly how libraries deliver and consume information, has changed as a result of the Web. With the majority of
library catalogs and electronic collections now accessible online, either remotely or via public terminals in libraries, patron preference also tends toward electronic journal usage. The most-cited reasons for preferring electronic journals include ease of access, ease of printing, and ease of searching.
It is common for libraries to seek solutions to address new issues broached by electronic resources and electronic access to the library. These solutions are typically software (and hardware) to help librarians track and serve information digitally, thereby maintaining the library’s relevance as a research partner when competing with freely available information on the Web. E-resource access and management services (ERAMS) are one such category of solution.
Overview
E-resource access and management services (ERAMS) are a new business category of library services designed specifically to make electronic collections accessible for patrons and manageable for librarians so that libraries can realize the full use and value of their e-resource purchases.
ERAMS is designed to be used in library planning and budgeting to help libraries continue to provide electronic resources effectively to aid patron research.
Many products and services fall into the broad category of ERAMS: A-to-Z title lists,
OpenURL
An OpenURL is similar to a web address, but instead of referring to a physical website, it refers to an article, book, patent, or other resource within a website.
OpenURLs are similar to permalinks because they are permanently connected to a r ...
link resolvers,
federated search services,
MARC records services,
electronic resource management Electronic resource management (ERM) is the practices and techniques used by librarians and library staff to track the selection, acquisition, licensing, access, maintenance, usage, evaluation, retention, and de-selection of a library's electronic i ...
(ERM) applications, and more.
Key principles
The foundations of ERAMS are a clear focus on electronic resources and an accurate and comprehensive knowledge base of local library holdings. Companies that provide ERAMS often focus on web-native and
Web 2.0
Web 2.0 (also known as participative (or participatory) web and social web) refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture and interoperability (i.e., compatibility with other products, systems, and ...
technology to provide fully integrated and
interoperable
Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader def ...
products. There are four essential processes for delivering effective ERAMS:
* ''Collect'' an e-resource knowledge base
* ''Correct'' the knowledge base to maintain accuracy
* ''Connect'' people with answers using the best method
* ''Control'' budgets, collections, and workflows to optimize value
See also
*
Integrated library system
An integrated library system (ILS), also known as a library management system (LMS),
is an enterprise resource planning system for a library, used to track items owned, orders made, bills paid, and patrons who have borrowed.
An ILS usually is co ...
*
Library 2.0
*
Library collection development
Library collection development is the process of systematically building the collection of a particular library to meet the information needs of the library users (a service population) in a timely and economical manner using information resources ...
*
Online public access catalog
The online public access catalog (OPAC), now frequently synonymous with ''library catalog'', is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Online catalogs have largely replaced the analog card catalogs previously u ...
(OPAC)
References
*
* Institute for the Future, the (2002
Final Synthesis Report of the e-Journal User Study December 2002
* Waltham, M., Hey, T., and Lynch, C., (2006
How is scholarly communication changing as a result of the Web? ASLPSP 2006
* Schonfeld, Roger C., King, Donald W., Okerson, A., Fenton, Eileen G., (2004
June 2004
* {{note, ARL
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081216221106/http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/arlstat05.pdf ARL Statistics 2004-05Ed, Kyrillidou, Martha, and Young, Mark (NOTE: see especially page 10)
Library management
Library 2.0