BOOK REVIEW / CRITIQUE DE LIVRE

**Marketing and Managing Electronic Reserves.**
Edited by Trevor A. Dawes. New York: Haworth Press, 2006. 151 pages (soft cover). ISBN-13 978-0-7890-3404-5. CDN$29.50.

*Marketing and Managing Electronic Reserves*, edited by Trevor A. Dawes, provides a chapter-by-chapter outline of how your library can begin, manage, and market an electronic reserves system (ERS). This comprehensive and technologically sound text consists of case studies that show how specific software ranging from Microsoft Access to a more streamlined version already built into an integrated library system can manage an ERS.

The audience for this text is academic librarians at institutions both large and small. Many readers will appreciate that even a small library can start an ERS, which suggests that being small does not negate the need for an ERS. Even the smallest college can become overwhelmed with course reserves. The demand is high and an organized system can only benefit the workflow.

Because the book is arranged by case studies, it is best to read each chapter as a separate entity and analyze it before moving on to the next chapter. Otherwise, the array of software choices available for use in an ERS environment can be overwhelming. I admit having read a chapter numerous times after reading about relational databases.

Each chapter provides a summary of the methods used to conduct research and the general outcome of the research. Some of the writers include predictions for the future of electronic reserves or at least ideas of what they would like to see accomplished in their own libraries. The libraries provide detailed accounts of how they implemented an ERS, taking into account cost issues and suitability of particular software.

Readers will appreciate the attention each library has paid to copyright issues. For instance, it is noted that for a library to scan and deposit copyrighted material in a database for the purpose of sharing with a large student body, the library must request reprint permission or other suitable copyright clearance. Libraries interested in ERS may want to create guidelines for using copyrighted material prior to initiating their new services. Examples of both the library and professors taking responsibility for copyrights are showcased for the benefit of the readers.

From my point of view, the chapters relating to marketing an ERS are the more interesting aspects of the text, showcasing innovative ways libraries have chosen to advertise their new software. Some ideas are obvious, such as advertising on the pages where students access their reserve documents. One library mentions that students inadvertently advertised to their professors by showing them how much more efficient it would be to keep course reserves online. Most libraries acknowledged that it is not difficult to bring students on board with this new technology.

Advertising to both the students and professors is crucial, but it is also important to advertise that course reserves are provided through the library. Familiar phrases such as “social software” and “library blogs” are scattered throughout the text, which only reiterates the need for libraries to embrace current ways of advertising. Libraries focus on using social and student course software packages as an advantage in promoting a new ERS. These modern marketing schemes are relevant when serving an undergraduate and graduate community. The users are familiar with blogs and social software and will recognize their library’s initiatives. Enabling access to course reserves is marketing in itself, but these case studies still indicate the need to “advertise” the library, even by simply incorporating the library logo on course Web pages.

The text is filled with many diagrams and figures, which are mostly screen captures of particular programs. The marketing chapters showcase samples of flyers and other promotional material libraries have used to market their reserves systems. These examples will further motivate readers in their own marketing strategies.

Whether you are searching for information on the best software to use in your institution, the cost consideration in starting an ERS, or the best way to market your new service, *Marketing and Managing Electronic Reserves* is the latest resource available for your information needs. It covers all aspects of implementation and marketing, allowing libraries to move toward a successful launch of an ERS.

Charlene M. Argáez

Previous affiliation: Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital
Health Sciences Library
170 Colborne Street West
Orillia, ON L3V 2Z3, Canada
E-mail: charlene.maki@gmail.com