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- Ebooks and electronic journals are ordered just like their print counterparts (See acq training), but don't require any item or shelf prep work. Individual title purchases may start with patron requests or the work of selectors. New requests are tracked in the Eresources group using ERIN, a workflow managing tool. (more about erin?)
- In most cases, electronic content lives at the vendor/publisher site, and we essentially lease access to that content via licenses.
- Generally speaking we purchase Harvard-wide electronic access - authenticated use is via ip address. Off campus access goes through the proxy server, for which users must use Harvard credentials (e.g., Harvard Key). A few resources require users to create an additional user account (e.g., WSJ, Financial Times).
- There are many different models for ebook publishing: ebooks take many forms. Integrating resource, pdf or html versions of the print book, downloadable, etc...[flesh this out more]
- Once purchased and available on the publisher site, books and journals must be activated in Alma for users to be able to find them. This happens via the CZThere are multiple ways to activate resources, we would like to emphasize using the task list for this process.
- CZ records are activated in Alma, which creates an instance of the same record in our IZ. Any updates to the CZ record from Ex Libris will be reflected in our IZ records automatically.
- Records from the CZ can be enhanced with additional subject headings, etc. in the metadata editor.
- We get standardized COUNTER reports for journal and book usage via Alma's SUSHI service. These reports inform decisions about whether to keep or cancel low use journals, or buy additional content for heavily used titles.
- Troubleshooting Problems: occasionally we lose access to eresources, sometimes because the publisher detects suspicious activity from a Harvard account, but problems can occur for any number of technical reasons. Troubleshooting electronic resources is a daily activity and can involve staff from LTS and HUIT. Access problems are usually tracked using Footprints tickets.
- Journal cancellations, end of life for ebooks: When libraries cancel journal subscriptions, we often retain access to the years that our subscription was active (not always!). In these cases, we update the coverage statement in Alma to reflect our entitlements. Similarly, if we lose access to an ebook, it needs to be deactivated in Alma and the corresponding records updated. This is also ongoing work.
- Disclaimer: there are many ways to accomplish the same task in Alma. Workflows for many of these tasks are still being thought out. When in doubt about anything, ask your manager or eresources staff.
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Overview of pre-Alma workflows: Aleph, SFX, Verde, ERNIE, ERIN (screenshots) (cut this?)
- Aleph: orders and invoices, bringing in records, creating holdings
- ERNIE: create URN for resource, add URN to holdings record
- Verde: activating resources, maintaining platform and license info
- SFX: activating resources & services, updating coverage, batch changes to packages, generating reports
- ERIN: tracking requests, organizing workflow across units
Overview example: all the pieces from ordering through activation - what does the ideal scenario look like? Jamie's video is a good example of ordering & activating a single ebook. (link)
The Eresource task list - when resources are ordered but not yet activateactivated, they will appear on the Electronic Resource Activation Task List.
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