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A Walk Through the Charge

When you serve as a CDL Resource Liaison, you are representing ALL of the University of California libraries, librarians, and end users.

As a Resource Liaison, what exactly are you expected to do? And how do you accomplish it? This document lays out each responsibility listed on the official charge, and offers guidance on how to best accomplish the various actions.

Monitor

The charge says: “Monitor assigned resource for technical and content performance, including reliability of access, updating of content, and removal and addition of features.”

Here’s what you should do:

  • Use your resource. Watch others using it. Listen to what your colleagues say about how people are using it.
  • Review materials on the Monitor your Resource page, under “about your resource” and “monitor your resource”.
  • Keep aware of UC developments with your resource via CLS and JSC minutes, and CDL planning documents.
  • Get to know your vendor representatives. Subscribe to any vendor newsletters or listservs that include the resource. Bookmark your vendor’s news pages. Participate in vendor advisory groups, if possible. Forward any relevant announcements to RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu.
  • If you are a new Resource Liaison assigned to an established resource, schedule a handoff meeting with the prior Resource Liaison, if they are available.
  • Report urgent issues with your resource to the CDL Helpline (510 987-0555)
  • Notify your vendor when you discover any access or content problems.
    • For issues requiring immediate resolution such as access problems, contact the CDL Helpline (510 987-0555).
    • For all other issues, feel free to contact the vendor directly. Explain the problem to them, with examples, and follow up until it is resolved. Every time you communicate with the vendor by email, copy RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu, so CDL is aware of what is going on. It is always a good idea to suggest the ideal outcome for resolution of a problem, to both CDL and the vendor. This helps them envision what you need.
  • Notify the UC community about removal/addition of features. For minor or specialty features, send a message to your bibliographer group listservs or publicize via other campus mechanisms such as web sites, blogs, or newsletters. For updates requiring broader distribution, contact RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu to submit a note for CDLINFO or for distribution to Users Council.
  • Provide expertise and input to CDL on broad issues and projects related to your resource. This is usually on request, although we are always open to receiving your ideas – please send your comments to RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu.
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Here’s how CDL will help you:

  • Provide you with reporting mechanisms.
    • For issues requiring immediate resolution, contact the CDL Helpline (510 987-0555).
    • For all other issues, feel free to contact the vendor directly and cc: RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu on all correspondence, or submit an incident to http://helpline.cdlib.org.
    • http://helpline.cdlib.org can also be queried to display past incidents with a vendor or resource.
  • Provide you with initial vendor contacts and background information when you take on your assignment.
  • Work with your vendor as appropriate to resolve problems reported by Resource Liaisons via RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu.
  • Provide an informational document for vendors, explaining the Resource Liaison program.

Identify Enhancements

The charge says: “Identify enhancements you and your colleagues would like the vendor to make, especially those that are consistent with our basic functional criteria (e.g., links to full-text, periodical holdings, etc.). Track and categorize features of assigned resource in response to CDL requests.”

Here’s what you should do:

  • Once you’ve been appointed as the Resource Liaison, make an initial assessment of how well the resource meets our Technical Requirements and User Interface Guidelines, and let CDL know via RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu, or, if the Annual Survey is in process, conduct your assessment and submit your feedback via the online survey. When the vendor makes changes, or when CDL asks, you should reassess.

Here’s how CDL will help you:

  • Provide you with a way to send information/updates to all CDL Staff who deal with your resource: RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu.
  • Invite Resource Liaisons to participate in vendor meetings.
  • Work with Resource Liaisons to prioritize requests for enhancements and changes before sending to vendor.
  • Work with vendor to implement enhancements, via the CDL Resource Wranglers group.
  • Provide feedback to Resource Liaisons on the status of requests for changes and enhancements.

Coordinate input

The charge says: “Coordinate input on assigned resource from your colleagues … as appropriate. Resource Liaisons assignments will be announced via CDLINFO, and complete lists are posted online.”

Here’s what you should do:

  • Once you’ve been appointed as the Resource Liaison, identify UC colleagues with whom you think it will be important to communicate. The most likely will be bibliographer groups and individuals who are stakeholders in the resource.
  • Figure out the best mechanism to communicate with these people. Are there listservs? Do you need to use your email program to create a list? Communications should occur when issues first arise, with follow up as needed.
  • When asked by CDL to get feedback from your colleagues, you can turn to this group. When you get feedback, either solicited or unsolicited, always let CDL know via RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu.

Here’s how CDL will help you:

Review Educational Material

The charge says: “Review online and vendor-provided educational material and recommend CDL educational activities for assigned resource.”

Here’s what you should do:

  • Once you’ve been appointed as the Resource Liaison, review documentation and instructional materials for your resource on the vendor’s public web site. Check the site for changes before each semester begins, and when there have been major changes to the resource. You may also want to send it to other UC colleagues.
  • Consider creating your own instructional materials. Ask your colleagues if they have created anything. Send to RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu, and CDL will post on the UC-wide Instructional Materials page.
  • Decide if training and/or educational activities need to be conducted for your resource. Recommend activities. Work with the vendor on getting the appropriate training set up.

Here’s how CDL will help you:

  • When requested by the Resource Liaison, CDL will add UC-created materials to Instructional Materials page or disseminate educational material information via CDLInfo newsletter.
  • When requested by the Resource Liaison, CDL will assist with setting up educational programs.

Communicate

The charge says: “Communicate enhancement requests and performance failure reports to vendors under the auspices of the CDL, in coordination with Resource Liaison Coordinator. Report to RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu annually and as needed on activities. Report issues that should be raised before license renewal.”

Here’s what you should do:

  • Check the license renewal dates list on the CDL web site to see if a renewal date is available for your resource. If so, mark it on your calendar three months in advance, and plan to report important issues to RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu that should be brought up before the renewal.
  • Send in formal reports on your resource as requested by CDL. The Resource Liaison Coordinator will survey the Resource Liaisons annually.
  • Meet with your vendor representatives at your campus and at conferences.
  • Communicate problems reported by campus users to vendor, copying CDL via RLREPORT-L@ucop.edu; suggest the importance level of the problem and a priority order for requested fixes/enhancements.

Here’s how CDL will help you:

  • Provide license renewal dates via the CDL web site.
  • Provide a mechanism for annual reporting.
  • Provide a list of technical requirements and talking points for communicating with your vendor.
  • Use all the information you’ve sent in your reports when negotiating contracts for this resource and for working with the vendor on technical issues.
  • Report back to Resource Liaison on status of issues discussed during renewal negotiations.

Review

The charge says: “Review use and other performance data. Identify deficiencies in vendor’s data.”

Here’s what you should do:

Here’s how CDL will help you: