I thick Tracy's point is that public libraries tend not to have bib records for their electronic journals in their ILSs so you have to search in the separate database to find out if they have access to a specific title rather than staying with the ILS, finding a title with an active link to that database. Which, at least in Georgia, is true.
There are a variety of reasons for that lack, principally that public libraries tend not to catalog their print magazines either. Public library catalogers often are not trained to catalog serials and, for print formats, only keep a year or so. Since electronic databases for journals and magazines often include hundreds of titles, it is rare for cataloging staff to have time to add the records and indicate holdings. While we would love to have each title in our ILSs, it just isn't always practical given the small staffs in most tech services departments. Elaine _____ J. Elaine Hardy PINES Bibliographic Projects & Metadata Manager Georgia Public Library Service 1800 Century Place, Ste 150 Atlanta, Ga. 30345-4304 404.235-7128 404.235-7201, fax [email protected] www.georgialibraries.org www.georgialibraries.org/pines From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tara Robertson Sent: Monday, October 01, 2012 10:16 AM To: Evergreen Discussion Group Subject: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] Re: Public libraries and digital content management Hi, I think you might be confusing two different things: making electronic resources findable in the catalogue and the difference between an ILS and an ERMS. You can load MARC records that represent an electronic database, an ebook title, a physical object, or whatever. Cataloguers can catalogue most things. I think there are even MARC records that represent a set of bobble head dolls. The ILS doesn't matter, you can load a MARC record for Academic Search Premier into Polaris or into Evergreen. An ILS and ERMS are different types of systems, designed to do different things. * ILS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_library_system (mostly tracks the physical collection) * ERMS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Resource_Management_System (mostly for electronic or online collections). An example of an open source ERMS is CUFTS: http://researcher.sfu.ca/cufts I've heard some folks say that the proprietary ILS market has shifted and for many vendors the ILS is mostly cheap giveway where the vendor is charging heftier fees is with the ERMS and discovery layer that might integrate really well with the ILS, ERMS are pretty common for academic libraries (who need to track where you can get the full text of an article) and seem much less common in public libraries. It might be better to reply to the list so we can build on each other's responses and so that this information is archived for the next person who has a similar question. Hope this helps, Tara On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 6:37 AM, McPeck, Tracy L. <[email protected]> wrote: Hello- I am conducting a case study between a proprietary ILS (Polaris) and an open source ILS (Evergreen) regarding electronic resource management in the public library. I'd like to know if any Evergreen public libraries use Evergreen (including add-ons) to manage database subscriptions and findability for patrons. I plan to compare the two systems and their roles in managing electronic resources. I am finding that public libraries will often make their eBooks and eAudiobooks findable in the ILS, but patrons must access the electronic databases separately to discover the library's electronic journal holdings. I am hoping to find examples of public libraries that use their ILS and associated add-ons to make electronic journals holdings searchable in the catalog. Please email me at [email protected] or [email protected] if you can help. Thanks in advance- Tracy McPeck Library Services Technician III, Youth Services Central Community Library 8601 Mathis Avenue Manassas, VA 20110 Prince William County Public Library System <http://www.pwcgov.org/government/dept/library/Pages/default.aspx>
