Collaborative Electronic Resource Management (review)

Although electronic resources (e-resources) have been around for quite a while in the library world, it is only relatively recently that they have started to take up such a large portion of library budgets. When the number of e-resources was relatively small, it was easier to evaluate them on a case-by-case basis. As their portion of the budget has grown, so has the attention paid to making sure that libraries select and manage the right resources for their communities.

This book is a valuable contribution to the understanding of this process. It has a wealth of ideas and information that would help any organization manage their stable of e-resources. While its comprehensive coverage of the various issues has much to offer to more experienced hands, it would be particularly helpful to anyone thrust into the role of managing e-resources without much experience because it treats e-resource management in the context of the library as a whole. Just looking at the chapter titles gives an idea of the context within which e-resource management is placed: "Management," "Assessment," "Budgeting and Planning," "Collection Development and Acquisitions," "Licensing," "Cataloging and Access," "Technology Infrastructure," and "Customer Services." There is not much that happens in a modern library that is not encompassed by one of those titles, leading one to believe that e-resources are central to satisfying patrons in the modern library.

The true core of this book is in the second and last chapters in which Conger presents her overall theory of e-resource management. In chapter 2, Conger focuses on effective decision-making in a rapidly changing environment in which e-resources are becoming increasingly important and taking a larger portion of library budgets. She advocates using highly collaborative, cross-functional teams as the best way to both gather the information to make decisions and to make the best decisions based on that information. The final chapter on customer service brings into focus the reason for having e-resources (or any resources, for that matter)—to meet the information needs of our customers through a well-defined array of resources and services. Conger emphasizes that collection development decisions should be customer-centered. The best way to make truly customer-centered decisions is collaboratively, involving all the different players whose contributions will enhance service to the customer. One aspect of e-resource management that Conger singles out for special mention is marketing; a key mission of a library must be to promote its resources and services to its community of actual and potential customers.

The intervening chapters are also quite important since they provide the overall context for e-resources in the information center. In chapter 3 on "Assessment," Conger makes the case that the decision-making process for e-resources should be based on real data and customer experience rather than merely using professional judgment and assumptions. Assessment should be part of a cycle of improvement and further assessment. In chapter 4 on "Budgeting and Planning," Conger focuses on the competing demands a wide variety of different e-resources place on a library budget. In an environment in which choices have to be made, the institution must try to provide the highest value in relation to the investment from its funding agency— this being the link between assessment and budgeting and planning.

Chapters 5 through 8 on "Collection Development and Acquisitions," "Licensing," "Cataloging and Access," and "Technology Infrastructure" are all interesting and admirably comprehensive recaps of the role of those functions in e-resource management, specifically, and overall library management, generally. They could each serve as good introductory chapters in any library management course. For example, the "Cataloging and Access" chapter covers very well the basics of topics such as cataloging rules, databases, metadata, XML, MARC, standards, and cooperative cataloging.

The references and additional reading for each chapter provide a wealth of further exploration. There are a few small complaints, however. Small typographical errors and the occasional convoluted turn of phrase stick out. More...