Tools, Techniques, and Training: Results of an E-Resources Troubleshooting Survey

Abstract

A primary role of any e-resources librarian or staff is troubleshooting electronic resources. While much progress has been made in many areas of e-resources management to understand the ERM lifecycle and to manage workflows, troubleshooting access remains a challenge. This collaborative study is the result of the well-received 2013 survey examining workflows from libraries large and small, with e-resources staffing ranging from one person to large consortial arrangements. The authors summarize the technological tools and products, the techniques, and the training methods libraries use to manage troubleshooting for electronic resources.

Tools for troubleshooting: Which ones and what for

“…In addition to the sheer volume of possible tools, overlapping categories to which each could belong presented a further complication. Rathmel et al (2015) correctly assert, "As tools continue to evolve, it becomes more difficult to separate the category to which each tool belongs" (p. 97).…”

“…Their pricing, features, and ease of use vary. The literature suggests that many of these have made their way into library operations, including the specific tools ServiceNow (Carter & Traill, 2017), Trello, Zapier, IFTTT, Footprints (Finch, 2014), JIRA, Drupal, Basecamp (Wilson, 2011), BugZilla (Browning, 2015), LibGuides, IBM Business Process Manager (Rathmel, Mobley, Pennington, & Chandler, 2015), and Microsoft SharePoint (Ennis & Tims, 2012), as well as generic tool categories such as bug-reporting (Rupp & Mobley, 2007) and ticket-tracking tools (Borchert, 2006), virtual chat (Resnick & Clark, 2009), blogs (Pan, Bradbeer, & Jurries, 2011), shared documents (Carter & Traill, 2017), wikis, electronic resource management systems (ERMS), integrated library systems (ILS), intranets, spreadsheets, web forms, and shared email accounts (Rathmel et al, 2015). The abundance of software applications in use in libraries according to these publications confirms that libraries may benefit from sharing how they chose the tools that they use and whether they are happy with them.…”

“…At a high level, troubleshooting falls under the TERMS stage of "Ongoing Evaluation and Access" (Emery & Stone, n.d.). The older Digital Library Federation E-Resources Management report (Jewell et al, 2004) is referenced in Rathmel et al (2015) to situate troubleshooting within the general category of "resource administration and management" (p. 89), but Rathmel et al add considerable detail over the course of discussion: Tools "allow for staff and users to report problems via either a web form or by email" (p. 97); staff can then "monitor and … follow the progression of a problem report to its resolution" (p. 95), including "keeping track of problem reports, managing the flow of work and communication, and creating a knowledge base of issues previously reported and resolved" (p. 89). Powerful uses of some tools included the ability to "communicate directly with end users" (p. 100) as well as "statistics reporting and the [ability] to assign and track problem reports" (p. 95).…”

“…They also recommended " [i]ncreasing the skills and number of individuals [throughout the library] who can contribute to troubleshooting activities" (p. 6). Rathmel et al (2015) found that technical services was the most likely organizational home for troubleshooting personnel, followed by public services and library IT (p. 98). Resnick and Clark (2009), in contrast, claim, "The traditional library divisions … are no longer helpful in enabling consistent and reliable access to electronic resources."…”

Electronic Outages: What Broke, Who Broke It, and How to Track It

“…According to Rathmel et al, "Customer relations management (CRM) and ticketing systems, both underused according to the survey, are one of the ways reference desks have managed handoffs, tracked statistics on common questions and resolutions, and gathered user feedback." 4 Though typically thought of in its outwardfacing functions, CRM when harnessed internally within the library can greatly help communication between the many parties called upon over the course of outage resolution. At Oakland University, though BMC's FootPrints product was under consideration, ultimately staff went with a combination of Trello and Zapier's CRM software to improve internal communication on e-resource outages, and they saw that Trello's label system was useful in tracking trends in reported errors.…”