2CUL Licensed Electronic Resources Interface Working Group
Link to project space: https://wiki.cul.columbia.edu/display/LERIWG/Projects
Charge:
Columbia and Cornell University Libraries provide access to licensed electronic resources through a various platforms offered by publishers and aggregators (such as Proquest/CSA, EBSCO, Elsevier, Gale, etc.). Millions of dollars annually are spent on these products.
The 2CUL Licensed E-Resources Interfaces Working Group (2CUL LERIWG) is charged with systematically monitoring and reporting functional issues and usability problems with licensed electronic resource platforms common to Columbia and Cornell. The purpose of this group is to fill a gap in our existing support structure workflow. At the present time we carefully review vendor products and platforms before a purchase, but after the initial purchase typically no similar comprehensive review is repeated, even though products evolve over time. The closest we get to a review -- after the product is purchased -- are the individual bugs reported by patrons and staff. 2CUL LERIWG is not responsible for reporting day to day bugs to vendors, though members of this group might be doing that in the course of their regular job responsibilities. Instead, 2CUL LERIWG may take appropriate action through the following activities:
a) carry out cognitive walk throughs[1], coordinated with licensed electronic resource vendor visits to Cornell and Columbia
b) share results of cognitive walkthroughs between Cornell and Columbia, to amplify our influence with licensed electronic resource vendors
c) make functional and usability recommendations to licensed electronic resource vendors.
Membership:
The group reports to the 2CUL Technical Services Integration Steering Committee.
The liaison to the 2CUL TSI committee will be Adam Chandler.
Appointments are for two-year terms and may be renewed.
Columbia: Sarah Witte (co-chair), Colleen Major, Susan Marcin, Robert Scott, James Coen, Susan Klimley
Cornell: Adam Chandler (co-chair); confirmed: Boaz Theodor Nadav-Manes, Maureen Morris, Dianne Dietrich, Jeremy Cusker, Jesse Koennecke, Jim Spear, Kizer S Walker,
[1] A cognitive walkthrough is a technique for uncovering problems with licensed electronic resource platforms. In this particular context, a cognitive walkthrough means bringing library staff together into a room for 1 to 1.5 hours to collectively use a given system, as if a library patron were using it. During the course of the cognitive walkthrough problems are discussed and documented. A report listing these problems is forwarded to the vendor ahead of a site visit. When the account representative visits campus the group is brought back together to repeat the walkthrough and demonstrate the problems to the account representative. Following the visit, we ask the account representative to report back to us on the status of the issues. The results of this exchange will be shared across Cornell and Columbia through 2CUL LERIWG. These reports will be archived in a central location.