This issue of the ERA eNewsletter is largely dedicated to reporting on the ERA Members Forum and the outcomes that will set the direction for ERA into the future. 

We will also introduce you to the new ERA Blog.

NLA hosts the inaugural ERA Members Forum

The National Library of Australia hosted the inaugural ERA Members Forum on 12 May.  54 delegates participated in the forum, including representatives from all library sectors, speakers from EPIC and CEIRC, vendor companies, and the ERA Executive Committee.

Forum sets direction for ERA - Message from Chair

I am delighted to be able to report that we had a very successful inaugural ERA members Forum. 

ERA is an important strategy to enable Australians to have online access to quality information.

The Forum represents a milestone in which to reflect on the achievements of ERA including:

• 485 libraries and consortia from all sectors subscribing to products through ERA; and

• access for approximately 6,750,000 Australians through libraries that subscribe to resources through ERA.

The 2008 forum was a great opportunity to set the direction to plan for the next 12 months so that ERA best meet the needs of Australians and their libraries.

Special thanks to the National Library for supporting ERA through the Executive Officer, Nikki Darby and her colleague, Virginia James, supporting the Governing Group’s meetings and the Members Forum, particularly sponsoring the attendance of Heather Jenks, the Chairperson of the New Zealand EPIC Governance Group.

Roxanne Missingham

A copy of the paper that Roxanne presented at the forum is now available.

What were the key outcomes of the forum?

Minutes of the forum are now available.

Key outcomes of the forum included agreement that:

• maintaining a focus on Australian content was critical;

• the existing subject categories should be expanded to include the areas of legal, general science and technology, and humanities;

• ERA should accomodate both financial and calendar subscription cycles;

• the process for selecting new products would be a mixed model incorporating elements of models 2 & 4 from the discussion paper;

• libraries want the option of subscribing to packages, as well as single products, through ERA;

• marketing of ERA products was a high priority; and

• the importance of access to quality library services and quality information has never been more important.

Guest speakers included EPIC, CEIRC and vendors

We were very fortunate to have Heather Jenks - Electronic Purchasing In Collaboration (EPIC) and Diane Costello - CAUL's Electronic Information Resources Comiittee (CEIRC) present at our forum.  They provided valuable insight into, not only how their consortia operate, but the challenges and issues that they face as well.

It was also very benefical to have respresentatives from the existing vendor companies to join us for the afternoon session.  In their presentations, vendors were asked to provide feedback on their promotional strategies and any suggested improvements based on their experience since ERA commenced.

We thank all of them for their participation. 

Copies of the presentations are now available.

Welcome to the new ERA Blog

Take a look at our new ERA Blog that we hope will enhance discussion on issues relating to ERA and electronic resources more generally.  

Given the importance of marketing and promotion, and the informative presentations in this area at the forum, we have made this our first topic of discussion.

As always we welcome your feedback and let us know of any topic you think would be of interest.

You can access the blog here.

Results of the product poll and pricing available

The product poll concluded on 29 April 2008.

Results of the poll are available, as well as pricing information for the 2008-2009 subscription cycle.  These can be accessed via the product page, simply click on the product of interest.

6 month vacancy on ERA Executive Committee

A six month vacancy exists for the TAFE representative position on the ERA Executive Committee and we are now seeking nominations to fill this position during this time.

Nominations should be emailed to era@nla.gov.au by 6 June.

Key Dates

• 6 June - Closing Date for Nominations for the 6 month TAFE vacancy on the ERA Executive Committee
• 1 July - New Subscription Cycle Commences

More key dates coming as we finalise our process for selecting new products.  Libraries will be notified accordingly.