Introduction to the Workshop and Discussion
Slides from the Workshop
List of Workshop Attendees
1. The Role of the Librarian in the New Electronic Age Summary
2. Archiving: Who should do it and how? Summary
3. Electronic Information: Issues for Library Acquisition and Usage Summary
4. Consortia Challenges for the Asia Pacific Customer Summary
Responding to the discussion
The Library Link Workshop Series
Future MCB University Press & Library Link Workshops

Following on from the success of previous workshops at IFLA 98 and ALA Midwinter 99 another Library Link/MCB workshop was held on Monday 23rd August as part of the IFLA 99 Conference in Bangkok. The discussion forum allowed for online discussion before and after the workshop itself. Please note that although the workshop is focused towards the Asia-Pacific region the topics are relevant world-wide and contributions are welcome from across the globe.

'Partnerships in the Electronic Age: The Asia-Pacific Experience' provided a forum for the exchange of ideas and information. The format of the workshop was a light lunch followed by a brief presentation. There followed a discussion about the challenges facing librarians, publishers and vendors � how can they work together to provide solutions and opportunities in the electronic age?

Librarians, library governors, LIS academics and others interested in the resources and initiatives of MCB University Press were invited to attend. As envisaged it was a lively and interesting two hours, building on emergent issues from the MCB and Library Link workshop at ALA '99 and IFLA '98. Key themes included:

• 1. The Role of the Librarian in the New Electronic Age
• 2. Archiving: Who should do it and how?
• 3. Electronic Information: Issues for Library Acquisition and Usage
• 4. Consortia Challenges for the Asia Pacific Customer

The group agreed that the role of the librarian is changing quite radically and is becoming that of facilitator/teacher. New skills are required to teach library users how to search for the "best" information and how to evaluate what they find.

The group posed the question of who is responsible for training the trainer. Suggestions were proposed of partnering with publishers who are able to provide details on the information available and how to retrieve it. Some suggestions put forward by group members were for publishers to include tutorials on web sites, hold end-user workshops, and to provide posters for the library with step-by-step instructions.

Training played a major part in the discussions, along with seeking new skills in information technology. Several librarians felt they required skills in marketing, as the onus of raising awareness of new library resources is on them. In addition, and more frequently, negotiating plays an important role when purchasing library resources. It was noted that these skills do not form part of the curriculum at library school.

The group agreed that the online forum Library Link was an excellent way to share information with other librarians worldwide, and that they would share details of the forum with other colleagues.

The group acknowledged that it has been variously suggested that libraries, publishers, and neutral bodies within the community should be responsible; and that each has it advantages and disadvantages. Also that there are differing opinions on how digital materials should be preserved.

The group agreed that any suggestions for a possible solution would have to take into consideration that there are solutions being sought to this question for all types of information resource � not just electronic serials.

Although libraries have traditionally undertaken the role, discussion centred on the challenges of hardware and software migration, and indeed data standards and migration in the electronic environment. It was felt that these challenges were beyond the scope of libraries, and therefore that a consortium of publishers should take responsibility for the permanent archive of electronic information resources. It was felt that there should be mirror archives around the globe to minimise the risk of loss.

The key to this solution will be trust between publishers and their customers. Also that the right digital archive be created � there needs to be agreement on a standard between publishers.

It was agreed from the outset that electronic information had a wide and significant impact on the library acquisition process, information management and the way that users choose to access the content. Electronic content does not necessarily make journal acquisition any cheaper and inherent costs involved in library infrastructure and training adds significantly to the budget requirements.

However, it was recognised that the trend towards databases has helped to provide access to considerably more content and increased library usage - providing the funding is available to assist the transition. It was noted that in developing countries, the desired level of funding for acquisition and infrastructure is often not available.

The group identified three key areas for discussion:

1. Consortia
The principal role for consortia is to get the best possible deal for participating members. The factors to negotiate include price (more for less), the licensing and access arrangements, preservation issues (access vs. ownership), and the ability to monitor usage and the length of contract with the publisher. An issue was also raised concerning the declining level of autonomy enjoyed by the librarian, when substantial library holdings are tied up in consortia contracts.

2. Usage
Usage is a key factor with electronic products. Often, there is considerable expenditure on electronic acquisition and infrastructure. It is therefore essential to measure the usage in order to determine the real 'value' of the product. A key part of the librarian's role is, increasingly, to enable and encourage usage of electronic products. To this end, awareness and user training are paramount. The librarian must also ensure appropriate and responsible usage, within the confines of the license agreement.

3. Publishers
Various approaches have been taken by publishers in their transition towards electronics (electronic journals, bundled print and electronics, separate databases, electronic content for consortia deals etc). It is the publisher's responsibility to maintain quality, provide usage statistics, and to tailor to specific situations (e.g. to support the requirements of developing countries).

The group agreed that there is no 'one size fits all' for electronic publishing. No common pattern, common approach or 'standard' access. Ongoing and open dialogue between publishers and libraries is essential to tackle the issues head on.

This group was split into representatives from developing and developed countries, and it was agreed that although there was a significant difference between the two regarding consortia purchasing in respect of improvement of standards, infrastructure and cost of connectivity/networking, some of the more general issues surrounding consortia were very similar.

Both felt that staff training was sometimes uneven and inadequate and were looking for help from the suppliers of electronic information regarding this issue. One suggestion was that suppliers could provide marketing material to help the users understand the products more easily and agreed that training sessions from providers would be welcomed.

Some of the group were interested in multi-year subscriptions, whilst others highlighted the problems multi-year subscriptions brought regarding budget planning. However, all felt that knowing what would be charged year on year in advance would be helpful, which is possible via multi-year subscriptions.

Archiving was discussed in detail. All felt that an archive should be made available from the supplier for the material subscribed to electronically in some format. One of the points raised was that with paper subscriptions, once it was purchased, even though subscriptions may be cancelled, the paper issues would still be available to the users in an archive. It was felt that this was one reason why some libraries are not so keen to subscribe to electronic only databases/journals. Libraries want assurance from the supplier that material purchased will be there to keep in an archive.

Usage statistics were also a focal point of this discussion. All felt that this information was of great significance as an indication of journal usage. As long as librarians are aware that a journal is not being used, they can try to identify if the journal is no longer required, or if the users simply do not know that it is available to use. If it is the latter, some marketing needs to take place to ensure the users become aware of what is available.

Like the other groups, this group also felt that the role of the librarian has changed significantly to a more teacher/facilitator role due to the electronic age and new skills have had to be acquired to suit the needs of the users.

If you wish to comment on any of the matters raised in the IFLA 99 workshop please visit the Library Link IFLA Discussion Area where you can discuss the issues with other like-minded individuals. If you are wishing to discuss one of the four main points outlined above then please click on the relevant point, entitled:

• 1. The Role of the Librarian in the New Electronic Age
• 2. Archiving: Who should do it and how?
• 3. Electronic Information: Issues for Library Acquisition and Usage
• 4. Consortia Challenges for the Asia Pacific Customer

Details of previous Library Link workshops and discussions can be found be clicking the following links:

The Library Link Workshop Series
IFLA 98 Workshop Summary
IFLA 98 Online Discussion Archive
ALA 99 Workshop Summary
ALA 99 Online Discussion Archive

Details of further Library Link workshops will Library Link site nearer to the event. Anyone interested in attending should contact Eileen Breen at [email protected].