Virtually Yours: Models for Managing Electronic Resources and Services

Electronic resources such as CD-ROMs, online reference services, audio and video products, and others have been a boon to libraries, giving them a variety of options when it comes to providing information and entertainment to patrons. They have also been a bane to the existence of many librarians, who find that the process for selecting, processing and making these services available do not fit neatly into their traditional library operations. Yet, the process for obtaining electronic resources and making them available for use must be managed effectively to control costs and ensure access. This work describes practices and strategies for managing electronic resources from acquisitions to patron use. Key experts from both academic and public libraries in collection development and acquisitions explain what works and what doesn't and why when it comes to selecting, acquiring and circulating electronic resources and information. Plus, innovative, positive and practical management models that were put to the test in a variety of libraries are examined. Among the topics are: partnerships; legal issues; economic and financial models; and evaluation and management.