ERAMS (e-resource access and management services) are a way of thinking about

library management Library management is a sub-discipline of management, institutional management that focuses on specific issues faced by libraries and library management professionals. Library management encompasses normal managerial tasks, as well as intellectu ...

to help

libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

optimize the access, usage, data, and workflows of electronic library collections in the physical and

digital library A digital library (also called an online library, an internet library, a digital repository, a library without walls, or a digital collection) is an online database of digital resources that can include text, still images, audio, video, digital ...

Background

Electronic resources, particularly

electronic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the dissemination, scr ...

s and

ebooks An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...

, can be viewed as an integral part of

library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

collections. Recent studies have shown that not only are libraries acquiring significant amounts of digital content, but also that this content is both replacing and eclipsing traditional media. Scholarly communication, particularly how libraries deliver and consume information, has changed as a result of the Web. With the majority of

library catalog A library catalog (or library catalogue in British English) is a register of all bibliography, bibliographic items found in a library or group of libraries, such as a network of libraries at several locations. A catalog for a group of libra ...

s and electronic collections now accessible online, either remotely or via public terminals in libraries, patron preference also tends toward electronic journal usage. The most-cited reasons for preferring electronic journals include ease of access, ease of printing, and ease of searching. It is common for libraries to seek solutions to address new issues broached by electronic resources and electronic access to the library. These solutions are typically software (and hardware) to help librarians track and serve information digitally, thereby maintaining the library’s relevance as a research partner when competing with freely available information on the Web. E-resource access and management services (ERAMS) are one such category of solution.

Overview

E-resource access and management services (ERAMS) are a new business category of library services designed specifically to make electronic collections accessible for patrons and manageable for librarians so that libraries can realize the full use and value of their e-resource purchases. ERAMS is designed to be used in library planning and budgeting to help libraries continue to provide electronic resources effectively to aid patron research. Many products and services fall into the broad category of ERAMS: A-to-Z title lists,

OpenURL An OpenURL is similar to a web address, but instead of referring to a physical website, it refers to an article, book, patent, or other resource within a website. OpenURLs are similar to permalinks because they are permanently connected to a r ...

link resolvers,

federated search Federated search retrieves information from a variety of sources via a search application built on top of one or more search engines. A user makes a single query request which is distributed to the search engines, databases or other query engines ...

services, MARC records services, electronic resource management (ERM) applications, and more.

Key principles

The foundations of ERAMS are a clear focus on electronic resources and an accurate and comprehensive knowledge base of local library holdings. Companies that provide ERAMS often focus on web-native and

Web 2.0 Web 2.0 (also known as participative (or participatory) web and social web) refers to websites that emphasize user-generated content, ease of use, participatory culture, and interoperability (i.e., compatibility with other products, systems, a ...

technology to provide fully integrated and

interoperable Interoperability is a characteristic of a product or system to work with other products or systems. While the term was initially defined for information technology or systems engineering services to allow for information exchange, a broader de ...

products. There are four essential processes for delivering effective ERAMS: * ''Collect'' an e-resource knowledge base * ''Correct'' the knowledge base to maintain accuracy * ''Connect'' people with answers using the best method * ''Control'' budgets, collections, and workflows to optimize value

References

* * Institute for the Future, the (2002
Final Synthesis Report of the e-Journal User Study
December 2002 * Waltham, M., Hey, T., and Lynch, C., (2006
How is scholarly communication changing as a result of the Web?
ASLPSP 2006 * Schonfeld, Roger C., King, Donald W., Okerson, A., Fenton, Eileen G., (2004

June 2004 * {{note, ARL ttps://web.archive.org/web/20081216221106/http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/arlstat05.pdf ARL Statistics 2004-05Ed, Kyrillidou, Martha, and Young, Mark (NOTE: see especially page 10) Library management Library 2.0

Background

Overview

Key principles

See also

References