The Electronic Resources Unit

The Electronic Resources unit is part of the Collections Management Division. The unit is responsible for a variety of duties related to the management and maintenance of electronic subscriptions and purchased resources. These duties include:

  • Obtaining and verifying all necessary information for acquisition of new electronic resources selected by subject librarians, including format and platform, cost, funding and approval, access restrictions, authentication, and licensing requirements.

  • Managing the ordering process for new electronic subscriptions and purchases, including order entry in Sierra, placing orders with vendors, alerting Cataloging of newly acquired resources, tracking journals in Serials Solutions, adding entries to the Database List, and notifying selectors and other library staff as appropriate when access is acquired.

  • Coordinating licensing review processes and maintaining license agreements and related files; conducting negotiations with vendors on licensing and pricing issues; providing technical expertise to staff regarding licensing conditions and restrictions.

  • Assisting with implementation of new software and systems related to the management and presentation of electronic resources.

  • Communicating with electronic resource vendors and coordinating presentation, training, and demonstration sessions attended by library staff.

  • Communicating with consortia (Big Ten Academic Alliance, MCLS) on matters related to the acquisition and licensing of electronic resources.

  • Coordinating trials of new electronic resources for library staff and end-users.

  • Managing a variety of technical processes related to access of electronic resources, including but not limited to verifying Web links provided by publishers, trouble-shooting access problems, monitoring changes in aggregator content, updating Serials Solutions as resources are acquired or canceled, and organizing and distributing statistical data.

  • Overseeing local processes for remotely hosted electronic resource platforms, including maintenance of administrator passwords, adjustment of interface settings in consultation with public services staff, and management of proprietary linking utilities.

  • Providing financial, statistical, and other reports on electronic resources from the online catalog and other local data systems, for use by Collections Management and other library personnel.

    The Electronic Resources unit is staffed by Diane Warner, who is the Electronic Resources Coordinator, and Anne Swan.

    Diane Warner
    Updated April 6, 2018