The ABCs of ERM: Demystifying Electronic Resource Management for Public and Academic Librarians

The ever-shifting landscape of electronic resources challenges even the most tech-savvy information professionals. Now, however, you can surmount those challenges, with the solid backing offered in this practical book.

Despite their being visible, valuable, and expensive components of public and academic library collections, electronic resources remain somewhat mysterious to many librarians. How do you deal with vendors, how do you decide which e-resources to buy, how do you optimize access for remote users, and perhaps most importantly, how do you motivate your public to use them?

Created by three front-line practitioners, this guide answers all of those questions and more, offering practical advice to information professionals involved in any aspect of electronic resource management―from selecting, acquiring, and activating to managing, promoting, and deselecting. It features clear instructions along with definitions, checklists, FAQs, and sidebars comprising sensible tips and anecdotal asides for the involved librarian. Written in a lively style and brimming with helpful information, this is the guide you'll wish you had in library school, and a resource you will refer to again and again.

• Helps librarians grapple with areas with which they may not be familiar through clear, workable explanations

• Serves as an at-a-glance reference for quick answers to questions about electronic resources

• Engages readers and provides practitioners a good overview of the topic and references for further reading