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Managing Digital Resources in Libraries

Posted on: Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 03:02 CST

By Matthews, Michael E

Managing Digital Resources in Libraries. Ed. by Audrey Fenner. Acquisitions Librarian, nos. 33-34, 2005. New York: Haworth, 2005. 186p. $39.95 hard (0-79802402-0); $19.95 soft (0-7980-2403-9). www. haworthpressinc.com

This book is copublished in two issues of Acquisitions Librarian and offers brief overviews of major trends and technical innovations. The scope of this work is admirable; in four sections contributors report on various issues of interest to electronic resources librarians. These sections include, "Licensing,""Opinions, Research, and Analysis,""Systems and Software," and "Special Projects and Histories." Most of the articles are informative and wellresearched. In this review, I will emphasize those articles most likely to pique the interest of the professional reader.

In the "Licensing" section, Min Chou and Oliver Zhou have written a balanced and highly useful work, "The Impact of Licenses on Library Collections". In sixteen pages, the authors explain the legal vicissitudes behind site licenses, including the effects of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. They examine the effects of licensing trends on collections, and how subscription service companies have restricted access while driving prices through the roof. Readers will enjoy Chou and Zhou's legal analysis, as well as their empowering conclusion about combating inequitable licensing agreements.

The second section, "Opinions, Research, and Analysis" has an insightful article on the evolution of electronic services librarian positions. Emerita Cuesta's "The Electronic Librarian: Inching Towards the Revolution" reports on the fundamental changes experienced by information organizations to create a new type of worker who can navigate the immense difficulties of site licenses, copyright law, cataloging, and digital resources management. Librarians who serve as the official or ad hoc contact for electronic services should staple this article to their job descriptions.

"Systems and Software," the third and strongest section of the book in terms of research and writing, features several noteworthy articles. Librarians who are interested in developing accessible online full-text collections should read Sue Anderson's "Electronic Journals in Aggregated Collections." The amount of time and professional expertise required to create homegrown search resolver software is truly astonishing, and not for the fainthearted. Those who are looking for a convincing assessment of TDNet's serials management software couldn't do better than Gedeon and Boston's "Western Michigan University Libraries 'Electronic Journal Finder.'" Lastly, Nail and Lewis's "Integrating Print and Electronic Resources" details the success story of "Pirate Source," a subject- guide database of impressive utility. Pirate Source amalgamates sources under manageable topic lists that can be further delineated by genre and format. It is Web-based and does not require user authentication.

The fourth section "Special Projects and Histories" contains the thoughtprovoking article, "Just Another Format: Integrating Resources for Users of Personal Digital Assistants." Librarians who serve in large or well-funded institutions may be ready to apply the authors' findings, while the less financially ambitious will marvel at this recent innovative practice.

As any savvy library user knows, the power of interlibrary loan makes the purchase of this book optional. Would-be purchasers should first consult the table of contents for issues of Acquisitions Librarian on the Haworth Web site (www.haworthpressinc.com/ journals), read the appropriate abstract, and request a photocopy through their library's friendly ILL department. -Michael E. Matthews, Information Literacy and Learning Services Librarian, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Natchitoches

-Michael E. Matthews, Information Literacy and Learning Services Librarian, Northwestern State University of Louisiana, Natchitoches

Copyright American Library Association Fall 2005

Source: RQ: Reference Quarterly

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