Emeryville, CA—Innovative Interfaces, the world's leading provider of Web-powered, Java-based automated library systems, announced today Cornell University has selected Electronic Resource Management, the first product of its kind in the marketplace. Electronic Resource Management will vastly improve staff control of critical e-resources, while populating Cornell's Web OPAC with data to improve patron access to subscription products.
The Problem
Like many other libraries, Cornell's current handling of electronic resource data is, “a labor-intensive patchwork that is unsustainable and cannot fully meet the needs of our users or our staff,” says Karen Calhoun, Associate University Librarian for Technical Services at Cornell. “In the attempt to keep a grip on our burgeoning e-resource collections, our staff has created many separate, sometimes hidden, documents and applications that strand too much knowledge on the desktops of a few staff members.”
Choosing Innovative's Solution
Cornell went through a meticulous interview process of staff, identifying three key benefits of moving to Innovative's solution: a better end-user interface for e-resources that can integrate appropriate license data, a less complex and labor-intensive process for loading and transferring e-resource metadata, and a more efficient and effective staff support for e-resource selection, evaluation, tracking, administration, and troubleshooting—all resulting in improved user support.
This last point is arguably the most important benefit for Cornell, says Calhoun: “Currently the library is not making the best use of its electronic resource dollars. We are working too hard to achieve results that are not up to Cornell's standards for service.”
Why Implement Electronic Resource Management Now?
“We have an acute situation that warrants immediate action,” says Calhoun. Essentially, the information the library has about its electronic resources is “at risk,” Calhoun says, because it is isolated to a few individuals who cannot be on call all the time.
History of Staff Involvement in E-Resource Issues
Calhoun coordinated Cornell's participation in OCLC's Cooperative Online Resource Cataloging (CORC) initiative, a project that began in the late 1990s within OCLC's research arm. The Cornell CORC team identified, as part of a final 1999 report, the needs libraries have for managing electronic resources and how potential applications could fill the gap. Electronic Resource Management, “matches many of the requirements Cornell had in mind at the end of the CORC project,” says Calhoun.
A Winning Product Suite
Cornell will install Electronic Resource Management, Report Writer, Statistics, and Web OPAC modules. This package not only offers the superior features of Electronic Resource Management but will also provide Cornell with the means to deliver this information directly to their users. Using this configuration, Cornell's Web OPAC will display A-Z and Subject Browse lists generated directly from Electronic Resource Management.
“This combination of products selected by Cornell is clearly a winner and provides an opportunity for them to extend beyond their current limitations,” states Sandy Hurd, Director of Sales, Digital Solutions, at Innovative. “It's great to have the privilege of working with a group of people who consistently serve their users in an exceptional manner and are ahead of the curve in getting things done.”
About Innovative
Celebrating 25 years of partnership with the library community, Innovative Interfaces (www.iii.com) is the leader in providing Web-powered, Java-based automated library systems. Its flagship product offering, Millennium, is installed in thousands of libraries in 41 countries around the world. The company is headquartered in Emeryville, California, with offices in Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Korea, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.
