Senior Implementation Project Manager Equinox Open Library Initiative
Electronic resources are central to libraries today; however, many libraries are managing these resources with limited staff and systems. What if there was an open source electronic resource management system within reach that would centralize information, retain institutional knowledge, and streamline workflows? CORAL ERM is a community-based open source solution available to all public and academic libraries seeking centralized support for electronic resource management.
Every library uses something to manage information about the evaluation and acquisition of those resources. Spreadsheets can go a long way, but eventually they can multiply and become unmanageable. CORAL offers a flexible and adaptable alternative which allows libraries to implement just the tools they need - from resource and license management to usage statistics. Understanding the scope of what information needs to be gathered is key to figuring out how the ERMS implementation should be approached.
The poster presents best practices and lessons learned by Equinox Open Library Initiative staff during the implementation of the open source electronic resource management system CORAL.The poster describes the initial information gathering process, the challenges of implementing an open source ERMS, and summarizes the lessons learned by Equinox and library staff. The poster will include tips for libraries on planning their own ERMS implementation.