2012 Articles

Assessing Ongoing Electronic Resource Purchases: Linking Tools to Synchronize Staff Workflows

Carroll, Jeffrey D.; Major, Colleen M.; O'Neal, Nada; Tofanelli, John L.

Ongoing electronic resource purchases represent a substantial proportion of collections budgets. Recognizing the necessity of systematic ongoing assessment with full selector engagement, Columbia University Libraries appointed an Electronic Resources Assessment Working Group to promote the inclusion of such resources within our current culture of assessment. This article describes the Working Group’s implementation of an electronic resource renewal reminder system in Google Calendar, a calendar already in use by selectors for daily scheduling. In discussing this particular solution, this article shows how libraries can link existing systems together to move beyond their limitations and integrate them into existing staff workflows.