ERM Building Blocks and Systems: Introduction to the

Current Landscape

Steve Toub, Web Design ManagerCalifornia Digital Library

March 11, 2004

Goals for the next 90 minutes 

• Provide framework for understanding the ERM product category

• Provide a snapshot of current maturity and future vendor plans within the ERM product category

• Provide more in-depth information for some ERM tools

My current understanding is informed by… 

• Three years of ERM-related operational activities at the CDL

• Dec 2003/Jan 2004 phone interviews with customers of existing ERM products

• Jan 2004 discussions with vendors at ALA and chitchat with DLF ERMI team

• Feb 2004 meeting with Ex Libris to discuss their ERM product plans

• Mar 2004 follow-ups with product managers at ERM vendors

Some parts of ERM data model

• Resources– Bibliographic: identifier, title, subjects, etc.– Holdings: print and electronic coverage– Access and Administrative Information: proxy config

info, URL of stats page, UI customizability options, etc.– Other: impact factors, usage statistics, UC staff on

editorial boards, etc.• Licensing and Acquisitions: terms and conditions,

location of redacted license, fiscal info, etc.• Vendors: metadata about publishers, interfaces, tool and

service providers• Contacts: metadata about people—staff contacts at

vendors, and within UC

Assumptions regarding an “ERM system” 

• An ERM system is composed of separate systems.• We must define and create the systems through our

negotiation, agreement on procedures, etc.• Products are simply tools. We join tools with people,

policy, etc. to create a system.• Tools with integrated workflow support are barely on the

horizon.• There will ERM tool on the market in the short-term that

supports consortial needs (shared + local; proven to be stand-alone)

• Nothing that UC implements will work "out of the box"; co-development or custom development will be required.

Typology of ERM building blocks

• Data providers• Data management tools• Access services• Reporting and analysis tools• Glue: techie stuff that makes things

connect, such as metadata content standards, crosswalks, data format standards, communications protocols, etc.

• Expertise: policies, procedures, and skills to assemble the tools to create a system

Landscape of data providers

• Relatively mature for full MARC records: CONSER, our own Shared Cataloging Program (SCP), and now Serials Solutions Full MARC Records and SFX MARCit!

• Relatively mature for brief e-resource records: Serials Solutions, SFX, TDNet

• Relatively immature for other types of ERM info: licensing and acquisitions information, IP address tables, usage statistics, etc.

• Some data providers may be proprietary or not available as a standalone data feed: ISI JCR for impact factors?

Landscape of data management tools

• ILS systems are relatively mature but not currently designed for ERM

• ERM data management tools are relatively immature

• III ERM module is the first true ERM data management tool; hopes to graduate from beta status soon.

Landscape of access services

• Access services often combined with data management tools (e.g,. the OPAC)

• III ERM module, UCLA's ERDb, Gold Rush, etc. provide both data management and access services

• It is possible to dump data from one tool to the access system of another, decoupling data management from access services

• Software that powers e-resource directories is beginning to mature: UCR's iVia software that powers Infomine, Scout Portal Toolkit, Nand (U.Chicago) etc.

• Digital library content management systems are immature. UCR's homegrown software? DSpace?

Landscape of reporting and analysis tools

• Some ERM related data management tools have reporting and analysis built in

• General purpose reporting and analysis tools are mature: Crystal Reports, etc.

• Web site log analysis tools are mature: WebTrends, Analog, Sawmill, etc

• Standalone reporting and analysis tools specific to ERM management are just now getting on the map; Bowker claims that Ulrich's Serials Analysis System has no competitors.

Landscape of glue

• XML over HTTP is mature. XML-based web services (SOAP, etc.) are maturing.

• There are many types of identifiers and descriptive standards for bibliographic information, but none implemented at UC consistently

• There is no existing identifier scheme for interface platforms, interface providers, etc.

• Agreements on data exchange of IP addresses, acquisitions information, and many other aspects of ERM are undefined.

• DLF ERMI, NISO/EDItEUR JWP, and ISTC efforts will help force the issue as will the rollout of vendor ERM tools

Traditional library vendors are hopping on ERM

bandwagon • Dynix

o "We are now in the midst of working through the ERM requirements to discover how much of the product we can do in what time-frame."

o Said the right things about following DLF work and compliance with standards.

• EBSCOo Looking to expand their existing A-Z product to

"facilitate the loading of print and electronic subscription data as well as package analysis."

– Not planning on entering the market for full resource management or license management.

Traditional library vendors are hopping on ERM

bandwagon • Endeavor

o Initial focus (release in "early 2005") will be on license management, but will roll in features in future releases.

o Standalone: "Since there are few standards in this area, integration depends on the openness of the local ILS system. The ERM product will have APIs to that allow interaction with other systems."

Traditional library vendors are hopping on ERM

bandwagon • Ex Libris

o Plan to release a beta product by end of the calendar year

o Finishing up their data model and specs but have not started coding

o Aligned with SFX rather than ALEPH; will support shared vs. local KB

o Web services model as glue with non-Ex Libris tools; will integrate with Ex Libris products but API will be published to support non-Ex Libris tools

Traditional library vendors are hopping on ERM

bandwagon • Innovative (III)

o III ERM module will be first out of the gate. Tony…

• OCLCo Deliberating, but asked to reconnect in a few weeks.

• SIRSIo Pursuing (not currently able provide further details).

• VTLSo Claimed at ALA they announce their ERM product

"Verify" on Feb. 1?!?!?o No response to recent request for more information.

Traditional library vendors are hopping on ERM

bandwagon • Swets

o HQ in Europe is planning an A-Z product by end of year and a separate product for managing licenses.

o The North American product manager is pushing for a more integrated solution.

• Ulrich’so Serials Assessment System (USAS) has been on

the market for a yearo Provides lightweight data management and

reporting and analysiso http://www.ulrichsweb.com/ulrichsweb/analysis/

Screenshots! Other speakers!

• III ERM. Tony Harvell• Ex Libris SFX. Margery Tibbetts• UCLA ERDb. Anita Colby• And time permitting…

– Colorado Alliance Gold Rush– Ulrich’s Serials Assessment System

Colorado Alliance Gold Rush (1)

• Vendor overlap analysis for titles (for 2 DB providers; working on being able to do this functionality for > 2 providers at once)

• As of early January, no Gold Rush customer was really using the "Subscriptions Management System". Most are using just the A-Z lists and the link resolver.

• Hosted on their site; concerns about scalability and level of support (not really a "commercial vendor")

• Consortial model? Buy 10 of 'em!

Colorado Alliance Gold Rush (2)

• Public interface demo– http://demo.goldrush.coalliance.org/

• Staff interface demo– http://demo.grstaff.coalliance.org/– Username: cdldemo– Password: cdlpassword– Username/password valid until April

30, 2004

Ulrich’s Serials Assessment System (USAS) (1)

• Ulrich’s Serials Assessment System (USAS)– http://www.ulrichsweb.com/ulrichsweb/analysis/

• We give Ulrich’s ISSNs of item-level bib records (and three fields we define; ~240char limit) and Ulrich’s gives us:– Title– Publisher– Subject: there are 900 categories in Ulrich’s subject tree– Four yes/no fields: Refereed? Electronic? ISI Impact

Factor? Katz’s Magazines for Libraries?– Notes on match status (duplicate of ISSN nnnn-nnnn, no

ISSN match, etc.)

Ulrich’s Serials Assessment System (USAS) (2)

• Key fields in USAS that are not included in SFX Knowledge Baseo Ulrich’s subject headingso Refereed? Yes/noo List price

• Not much flexibility: three custom fields (~240char)

• Provides a head start pre-built reports; more sophisticated reports would need to be done in another reporting and analysis environment

Recap: Hopes and dreams for the previous 90 minutes

• Provide framework for understanding the ERM product category

• Provide a snapshot of current maturity and future vendor plans within the ERM product category

• Provide more in-depth information for some ERM tools

Recap: Hopes and dreams for the previous 90 minutes

• Provide framework for understanding the ERM product category

• Provide a snapshot of current maturity and future vendor plans within the ERM product category

• Provide more in-depth information for some ERM tools

Hopes and dreams for the next day and a half

•  Hope to avoid hearing vague languageo “We need a ‘ERM system’”

• Dream of hearing richer, more precise vocabularyo “We need better glue to connect acquisitions

information in separate silos”o “I’d like to see an integrated tool that provides

item-level data management and real-time reports for staff as well as patron access services”

o “Would iVia be a good platform for shared infrastructure for item-level access services?