eResource Trial

Owned by Jack Mulvaney (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Apr 12, 2022
2 min read

Description

The library trials an electronic resource from a vendor for a temporary, pre-defined period, which includes recordkeeping in FOLIO and discovery/access management outside of FOLIO. At the end of the trial the library may turn it into a subscription or may choose to not pick up the subscription.

FOLIO Apps Required:

  • Agreement, Organizations (Possible), Licenses (Possible), eHoldings, Inventory (Possible)

Related Workflows:

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Trigger

  1. The library requests a trial of a resource from a vendor.

  2. A vendor offers a trial of a resource to the library.

  3. A campus user requests access to a resource which results in a trial.

Output

  1. Record creation to track the trial in FOLIO, metadata/linking/access is made public to the patron, trial is communicated to the rest of the library/campus.

  2. When the trial is over, a decision is made about whether or not the library will begin a subscription to the resource.

Staff Involved

  • Acquisitions Staff, Licensing Staff (Possible), Cataloging/Discovery Staff, Research/Teaching Staff

     

  1. A patron makes a request for a resource which a vendor is willing to before the library starts a subscription.

  2. Coordination with the vendor takes place over email to set up proxy access, clarify access, to get URLs, etc.

  3. Trial Agreement records in FOLIO are created to track access, agreement lines, organization information, notes, etc.

  4. If the resource is using EZProxy for access, a stanza needs to be added for the resource in the config file.

  5. When Access is confirmed, add the resource to the Database A-Z with end date information and forms to collect feedback from patrons.

  6. If the resource is in the knowledgebase, activate access for the link resolver and leaves notes about the trial status

  7. Advertise the trial, either to Research & Learning staff, patrons, departments, individual faculty requestors, etc.

  8. An alert is created to warn when the trial end date is approaching.

  9. During the trial, usually no work is required beyond normal troubleshooting if an issue comes up.

  10. At the end of the trail when access runs out, the Vendor communicates to learn about the experience and ask if the library wants to make the trial permanent.

  11. Library evaluates usage, patron feedback, etc. to make a decision about whether or not to buy/subscribe to the resource.

  12. If the trial did not turn into a purchase/subscription access needs to be removed from the KB / Database A-Z and notes might be taken in those places as well to denote a failed trial.

Notes:

  • Across the consortia, this work is living in ERM rather than in Acq.

  • Different schools might have this work living more in public or technical services.

  • No records would be created in Aleph until a decision has been to subscribe. Record of the trial lived largely in emails or in CORAL.

  • Individual schools may not be recording trials in FOLIO