Shared e-Resources (ECC and Opt-in) - Problem Reporting Best Practices and FAQ

Owned by Kirstie Genzel
Last updated: Aug 28, 2024 by Christina Hennessey
6 min read

Created by Kirstie Genzel, Jessica Hartwigsen, and Ying Liu

 

Background

Shared e-resources are negotiated, and in some cases paid for, by the Chancellor's Office Systemwide Digital Library Content (SDLC) department. E-collection and portfolio activations for shared e-resources are maintained in the Alma Network Zone by the Chancellor's Office Electronic Resources Manager. 

  • The Electronic Core Collection (ECC) is a portfolio of core library educational e-resources acquired by Systemwide Digital Library Content (SDLC) with funds from the Office of the Chancellor on behalf of all CSU campuses. Campuses do not contribute any of their own funds to the purchase of ECC e-resources. The e-resources contained in the ECC are selected by Shared Resources & Digital Content (SRDC) committee and approved by Council of Library Directors (COLD).

  • Opt-in e-resources are also negotiated and acquired by SDLC on behalf of campuses. However, the Chancellor's Office does NOT pay for opt-ins using its own funds. Each campus chooses whether to “opt-in” to the available subscriptions and pay using their own local funding. This collaborative acquisition of library resources allows the CSU system of libraries to leverage their buying power and minimize their administrative expenses. 

More information: Collection Development and Acquisitions Overview for Shared E-Resources (ECC and Opt-in)

Problem Reporting Recommendations

The chart below outlines problem reporting guidelines for various types of ERM issues, particularly as they relate to Shared E-Resources, and are intended to help you get support and a resolution to the problem as quickly as possible!

Alma NZ issues (portfolio linking problems, portfolio coverage dates, removing/adding portfolios, parser parameters, shared group settings, other technical issues related to the NZ….).

Central Discovery Index (CDI) NZ Settings - (changing your library’s NZ CDI settings)

  • Login to Alma using your NZ Alma CDI user credentials and update your library’s CDI settings as needed.

Central Discovery Index (CDI)/Global Title Index (GTI) Metadata, Display, or Linking Issues

Vendor indexing and/or metadata issues (incorrect indexing in a vendor’s database, article missing from particular issue, article is missing pages, incorrect metadata being passed through outgoing OpenURL link…)

Technical database errors (platform outages, connection timeouts, local admin configuration settings not working, proxy issues …).

  • Report on and/or check Slack to help determine if it’s a local issue or is widespread to other campuses.

  • If it’s a local issue, open a local support case with the relevant vendor.

  • The CO team monitors Slack and will also open cases on behalf of the consortia for widespread outages, but individual campuses are welcome to open cases at any time locally as well!

Access to content is denied (your library is not being recognized as a subscribed institution – being asked to pay for content you subscribe to).

  • Report on and/or check Slack to help determine if it’s a local issue or is widespread to other campuses.

  • If it’s a local issue, open a local support case with the relevant vendor.

  • The CO team monitors Slack and will also open cases on behalf of the consortia for widespread outages, but individual campuses are welcome to open cases at any time locally as well!

Generally, these types of access issues are caused by one of two things:

  1. Titles that you do NOT have access to are mistakenly activated.

  2. Delays in renewals, payments, or issues with vendors not processing new orders correctly (less common). If this is the cause, the CO team we will help reach out to vendors on your behalf to fix the problem.

 

Other ERM related questions about shared ECC/Opt-In resources not listed above (license terms, title lists, usage stats, content details, vendor account numbers, institutional admin accounts, etc.).

Questions about subscription pricing, renewals/orders, technical problems with Consortia Manager, and other acquisitions related questions about ECC/Opt-Ins.

When in doubt, you may also email eresourceshelp@lists.calstate.edu directly and we will help you identify the best course of action and/or will help escalate your existing case!

The eresourceshelp@lists.calstate.edu email reaches 3 people at the Chancellor’s Office, all of whom have various roles in the acquisition or management of Shared E-Resources: i) Jessica Hartwigsen, the Electronic Resources Manager (SDLS), ii) Kirstie Genzel, the Systemwide Digital Library Content (SDLC) Program Manager, and iii) Christina Hennessey, Systemwide Digital Library Services (SDLS), Director, Unified Library Management System (ULMS)

Quick Help Links

FAQs

  • Q:   What makes something a Shared E-Resource (ECC or Opt-in) vs. a local e-resource?

  • A:   The main factor that determines whether something is considered a “shared e-resource” is how it’s ordered/paid for:

 

  • Q:   Are “NZ Managed E-Resources” the same as “Shared E-Resources”?

  • A:   Mostly….but with a few caveats.

    • While the NZ managed e-resource activations are generally based on order information received from SDLC (for both ECC and Opt-In “shared e-resources”), any campus can choose to be added to an existing NZ e-collection at any time, even if they purchased the resource locally! The “NZ managed e-resources” are NOT restricted to just the campuses that “opted-in” and ordered through SDLC. 

    • There are also many Open Access e-collections managed in the NZ. More information on NZ Open Access Activation Criteria

    • There’s also going to be a shared Cal Docs collection in the NZ.

 

  • Q:   What about “Chancellor’s Office Managed E-Resources?” Is that the same as “Shared E-Resources?”

  • A:   This term has been used interchangeably with “Shared E-Resources” and “NZ Managed E-Resources” over the years, but its meaning has often varied depending on who you ask. Official description of this term:

    • This is an umbrella term to describe the main activities the CO is involved in related to shared e-resources (acquisitions and NZ management).

    • It does NOT mean that all aspects of these e-resources are managed centrally by the CO, especially when it comes to troubleshooting and access.

    • While the CO team is always available to assist with a number of access issues for shared e-resources (as outlined in the chart above), campuses are still responsible for the general administration of their shared e-resources beyond the acquisition and NZ activation stages. Each campus should establish and maintain their own institutional administration accounts for their e-resource subscriptions, even for Opt-Ins and ECCs! This is the only way to manage local platform configurations (i.e. OpenURL resolver, branding/logos, discovery/search settings, IP addresses, etc.) and also allows allowing for on demand access to information about their subscriptions (i.e. complete usage stats, SUSHI info, access entitlement lists, MARC records, etc.).

Examples of scenarios described in the chart above: 

Included are scenarios and answers for various troubleshooting issues for electronic resources.