Electronic Journal Management Systems

Book excerpt: Discover how to manage your library’s electronic journals—with tips from those who’ve already met the challenge! The explosive growth of electronic journals presents unique challenges for libraries. Electronic Journal Management Systems: Experiences from the Field comprehensively examines these complex topics, including explanations of the automated systems libraries have developed or adopted, licensing issues, and the provision of access to electronic journals. Respected library professionals discuss their own experiences in the implementation and use of electronic journal management systems, helping readers to easily apply effective strategies in their own library. Electronic Journal Management Systems: Experiences from the Field reveals the available technologies, difficulties encountered, and successes of different librarians who met the challenge to implement management systems, giving readers an inside glimpse of what they themselves may encounter when planning their own system. The growth of electronic journals in libraries is addressed, along with helpful descriptions of management systems and link resolvers, including systems like SFX, Serial Solutions, TDNet, and EBSCO LinkSource. The book includes screen shots, tables, and diagrams to clearly illustrate concepts and information. Electronic Journal Management Systems: Experiences from the Field discusses a wide range of implementation and use issues, including: using Microsoft Excel to manage serial subscriptions better integration of management of electronic resources through library vendors one-stop serials management and access the selection process of a journal management system the preparation for implementation and subsequent transition process the Web site as a listing and finding tool the benefits of switching to an SFX environment creating a customized database for multiple systems the Innovative Interfaces, Inc. partnership with libraries to develop a module to manage electronic resources based on the work of the Digital Library Federation’s Electronic Resources Management Initiative the evaluation and implementation process of a beta test library with an integrated library system vendor to develop a management system developing a universal management scheme for electronic resources Electronic Journal Management Systems: Experiences from the Field brings the latest strategies, technologies, and cutting-edge ideas to every library professional grappling with ways to manage the flow of electronic journals in a library.