License Tracking Systems--Summary

["Moss, Lucy" <Lmoss@kentlaw.edu>]

Here is a summary of the responses to my recent question about license
tracking systems suitable for a smaller institution:

Several responders suggested using a system created with FileMaker. Here
is the description by Norm Medeiros:

"The Tri-Colleges of Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore developed a
FileMaker Pro system named ERTS (Electronic Resources Tracking System) for
the purpose of maintaining license information and other administrative
metadata. It's available for download at
<http://www.haverford.edu/library/erts/>. It's worked well for us for the
last three years. If you're comfortable with FileMaker, you should check
it out. There are instructions in the ZIP file, and the web site gives
some info about the system architecture and the elements used. Like most
open source applications, we can't offer technical support -- we're
actually in the process of migrating to a commercial ERM. 

Another user of the above system reported that an article about the
system is in in the Jan. 2003 (v.47, no.1) issue of Library Resources
and Technical Services, Managing Administrative Metadata, by Norm
Medeiros et al. This responder suggested looking at recently released
DLF specifications for electronic resource management systems as there
are a number of data points not included when ERTS was developed and
some might be relevant for us.

Someone else suggested Gold Rush, from the Colorado Alliance of Libraries,
and reported it has a license tracking system that seems easy to use. The
web address is <http://grweb.coalliance.org/>.

Other suggestions were MS Access and using an Excel spreadsheet.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my question. Meanwhile, we have
also learned that the vendor for the integrated library system our
consortium uses is introducing a product that would manage electronic
resources, including license tracking, and that might be our long term
solution.

Lucy Moss 
Reference Librarian 
Chicago-Kent Law Library 
565 W. Adams St. 
Chicago, Illinois 60661
312-906-5676