Acquisition of electronic resources is an increasingly important aspect of collection management for many libraries. Keeping abreast of the rapid development in this area is a challenge for collection managers, who face issues that include ownership versus licensing, evaluation processes and policy formulation. Handbook of Electronic and Digital Acquisitions provides useful reference points whether you are evaluating databases and aggregated sources of information, investigating copyright issues, selecting a virtual reference service tool, or looking for the most efficient electronic commerce software solution for your library acquisitions service.
Editor, Thomas W. Leonhardt, has compiled a concise scholarly resource of a manageable 160 pages. The structure of the chapters makes this a handy quick reference to dip into and perhaps retrieve a required template or refer to a relevant case study. Contributors for each of the seven chapters introduce their topic, often providing a brief history before methodically working through relevant key issues.
This handbook is written by librarians for librarians. The 12 contributors share their knowledge, expertise and experience in a practical way that will help individual librarians or teams involved in a decision making process to consider all relevant options and issues. This compilation is aimed at American librarians, a point consider, particularly when reading chapters covering copyright and legal issues.
Although clearly suited to academic librarians, functionality checklists, sample forms, the outlined database evaluation program, vendor negotiation tips and suggested policy guidelines may be applied by staff working in any type of library. Library and information management students and practitioners alike will find the evaluation criteria and case studies interesting and useful. Issues relating to the selection of electronic resources include defining your library profile, budget management and suggestions for maximising usage. Virtual reference tools are increasingly offered by libraries. The demand for synchronous reference services for clients is also increasing, resulting in a greater need for librarians to review software options and determine service levels appropriate to their client community. Emerging technologies are impacting on electronic commerce opportunities, enhancing the way libraries and vendors do business. The final chapter covers the subject of electronic data interchange, and its complexities.
John Kennedy's 2006 revised edition of “Collection management: a concise introduction” also deals with evaluation of digital collections, policy formulation for digital resources, and he expands on the issues of preservation of digital materials. Kennedy's text has a broader scope in that it deals with print‐based as well as digital resources; however it gives a uniquely Australian perspective to the topic.
Handbook of Electronic and Digital Acquisitions may not have all the answers that you are looking for, but you will find practical contemporary collection development strategies for digital resources, and thought provoking discussion resulting from the contributors' first hand experience. Collection managers can benefit from the situations and questions posed which may lead to improved work practices and new approaches that assist them to effectively manage information resources in digital form.
