Teaching Electronic Resource Management

Abstract

Electronic Resource Management (ERM) is a specialization that impacts and is impacted by the work of librarians in public services, technical services and systems. All Library and Information Science (LIS) students that wish to work in libraries should have exposure to the concepts and practices of ERM. While LIS programs often convey this knowledge in bits and pieces through existing courses, I believe it is essential to pull this knowledge together into a single course, integrating the various components and providing an overarching perspective on the ERM environment. This presentation conveyed my experience developing an ERM course for the fall semester of 2009. I discussed the combinations of theory, concepts and practice that framed the course and I shared challenges that I encountered. ERM IN PRACTICE AND LIS EDUCATION In 2003, Fisher published an article that posited “the position title of Electronic Resources Librarian has been pre-empted by the public service sector of the profession” (p. 3). It was thought by many at the time that the functions of managing electronic resources would be integrated into the work of existing personnel. As challenges providing technical access to electronic resources arose, systems personnel became involved. As electronic resources proliferated and interfaces evolved, evaluation and selection responsibilities were given to reference and collection development staff. And as licensing terms and pricing schemes became more complex, acquisitions librarians often handled vendor relations and negotiations. ERM management tools have been introduced over the past decade and overall change in the area has slowed, giving libraries to opportunity to more efficiently adapt their organizational structures and workflows to the new environment. Libraries today often have a librarian or team of librarians directly responsible for ERM. Whereas reference and instruction positions may have once included ERM responsibilities, today, ERM positions may include some reference or instruction responsibilities. These inclusions have been declining however. In her study of ERM job announcements from 2000 to 2008, Murdock (2010) noted that “some responsibilities that were considered extraneous to e-resource specific tasks, such as reference service and cataloging, did show an overall declining trend”(p.39). Regardless of the type of library or area of librarianship in which a student may eventually work, she will likely engage in some way with the provision of electronic resources. While new librarians will have the opportunity to learn the specifics of their part in the ERM workflow while on the job, understanding how the work do impacts the work of their colleagues is essential for effective ERM. All students preparing for librarianship would benefit from understanding the big picture of ERM; LIS programs should offer a course dedicated to the subject. Many LIS programs cover this information in bits and pieces through a wide variety of courses, ranging from information organization to reference sources and services. Rarely do students gain knowledge about how the integration of those bits and pieces occurs in practice. This