Digital Curation: Managing eCollections in your school library Christie Thomas Colleen Herman

1. Digital Curation: Managing eCollections in your school library Christie Thomas Colleen Herman July 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

2. What is digital curation? In our context, it is the collecting and organizing of electronic resources including: • eBooks • eAudiobooks • electronic databases (Gale, Newsbank, etc.) * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

3. What is digital curation? Important to know: In the new Framework for Teacher-Librarians, digital curation is synonymous with collection development. * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

4. Why does digital curation matter? • eResources are a critical part of the library landscape with the increase in availability and access of mobile technology • Access to library resources from home (or 24/7 anywhere with internet access) is a game-changer in education • The eCollection needs to be maintained and developed the same as the print collection • Supports need to be in place for navigating access to the eCollection because resource “needs” are often driven by what students and teachers know is available and electronic materials are “hidden” and need to be discovered in a way that print materials on physical shelves in the library do not. * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

5. Who is responsible for digital curation? At the district level: Librarians in the Department of Literacy - Libraries group curate and purchase electronic resources, often working in collaboration with other CPS departments such as: • Department of Literacy - Social Science • Office of Professional Learning • Office of Language and Cultural Education • Office of Math and Science *We also consider requests from students and teachers. *We order additional copies of books that arein high demand. * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

6. Who is responsible for digital curation? At the school level: You! Maintain the eCollection as you would a print collection. When making decisions about starting or adding to your digital collection, consider the following: • Budget: How much money is available for electronic resources? • Current materials: What resources do students and teachers not have access to in the print collection or through district-level eCollections? • Audience: Who has special needs that can be best addressed through eCollections? • Curriculum: What is being taught that needs supporting resources and how is it being taught? • Technology: What technology will the students and teachers use to access the eCollections? * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

7. How do I access eCollections? Centrally purchased collections can be accessed in two ways: Through the CPS Virtual Libraries available from the SOAR home page. * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

8. How do I access eCollections? OR through integrated searching in the local school catalog Local purchases can be added to the school catalog easily with vendor-provided MARC records. * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

9. How do I access eCollections? Passwords for centrally purchased eCollections are available at the top of the virtual library home page. You will need to set up a password for your local eCollections. In order to create seamless use of district and local eCollections, consider using the same password. * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

10. Where do I acquire eCollections? Many print book vendors sell eBooks and eAudiobooks as well. When selecting a vendor or vendors, consider the following: • Access • Hosting fees • Platform • Functionality • Price * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

11. Where do I acquire eCollections? Access • Simultaneous Use - anyone can read it at anytime; you have unlimited copies of book • Single Use - one copy of the digital material that only one user can access at a time • Metered - a title can be checked out a certain number of times or will only remain in your collection for a certain length of time Hosting fees • Fees associated with housing your eBooks Platform • App • Website • eReader Functionality • Highlighting • Dictionary • Read text aloud (different speeds) * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

12. Where do I acquire eCollections? Find a list of strategic source vendors from the Department of Literacy - Libraries wiki: http://cpslibraries.wikispaces.com/ * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries

13. Final Thoughts • Always have an order ready to go! • Use SOAR collection analysis reports for eCollections just as you would for print collections. (The collection / holdings code for eBooks, etc. is EBK.) • Use SOAR tools such as RSS feeds, saved searches, and shared lists to advertise eCollections with staff and students. • Upcoming SOAR PD • SOAR New User Training - August 7 and 19 (8:30 - 3:00) • SOAR Advanced Topics: Inventory and Reports - August 12 (9:00 - 12:00) • Tech Lib Series #4: SOAR Beyond the Search - August 26 (9:00 - 12:00) • Questions? * June 16, 2014 CPS Department of Literacy - Libraries