Electronic resource management: practical perspectives in a new technical services model

More than a decade ago, Weeks (2001) wrote in The Washington Post, “In the nonstop tsunami of global information, librarians provide us with floaties and teach us how to swim”. This metaphor is still valid; however many librarians now feel that they, themselves, need guidance on matters related to electronic resources, ranging from purchasing and cataloguing to offering them to the library users. Anne C. Elguindi and Kari Schmidt's book Electronic Resources Management: Practical Perspectives in a New Technical Services Model can be seen as providing much needed support for librarians who want to cope in the sea of electronic resources. Their book presents, in a nutshell, the range of issues concerning the handling of electronic resources in libraries. It is enriched by a series of case studies which illustrate how particular institutions made decisions related to electronic resources.