The Implementation and Application of CORAL: an open source ERM system

Jia MiYongming Wang

VALE 2012 Annual Users’ ConferenceJanuary 5, 2012

What is ERM System

About CORAL - Centralized Online Resources Acquisitions and Licensing

Implementation

Application

CORAL: Open Source ERM System

What is ERM System

“Tools for managing the license agreements, related administrative information, and internal processes associated with collections of licensed electronic resources.”

Ellen Duranceau, June 2005 issue of Against the Grain

What to look for in an ERM system

TCNJ Library• FTE: 6424 (mostly undergraduate)

• Library e-Collection:- e-books (7,062)- e-journals (63,361 unique)- databases (93)

• Library System: Voyager

EmailWeb Alerts Form/EmailBinders/Paper foldersEmailNo evaluationFolders/Voyager/PeopleSoftEmail/EBSCONET/None

Rolodex/EmailEBSCONET/EmailRolodex/FileNot linkedSerials SolutionsSerials Solutions/EBSCO EJSExcel files

Excel/Catalogue/Not recordedLocal file/IntranetExcel NoneContribute/ExcelExcelNoneEBSCONET/Email

Email/Not recordedNot recorded/Local FileEmail/Local FileExcel/Rolodex/EmailLocal file

Email/In personExcelNoneEmail

Why TCNJ Needs ERM System

CURRENT PRACTICE

CURRENT PRACTICE

CURRENT PRACTICECURRENT

PRACTICE

CURRENT PRACTICE

CORALCentralized Online Resources Acquisitions and Licensing

Why we choose CORAL- Web-based applications and functions- Open source, free- Technology: (Apache)/PHP/MySQL, - Truly Modular: all five modules are both independent

and interoperable. - Customization: implementation and application- Support: - Online documentation: User’s/Technical/Installation Guide - Listserv communication (about 160 members) - Online Live Demo - Continuous development and bugs fixing

Implementation

1. Platform: Windows or Unix/Linux?2. Technical Skills Required3. Downloading the CORAL package4. Installation5. Customization

Platform

• (Apache)/PHP/MySQL• Unix/Linux is preferable • TCNJ implementation: Ubuntu Linux Server version 10.4

on Dell PowerEdge 2900 Server. (note: remember to include GUI part when installing Ubuntu)• Advantages of Ubuntu:• Open source, free• Easy to install and maintain • And the best is: Apache/PHP/MySQL ready to use

Technical Skills Required

• Basic Unix/Linux commands (e.g. ls, cd, rm, mkdir, cp, chmod); vi skill is a plus but not necessary

• Basic web application/Internet infrastructure (e.g. Understand the Document Root)

• Minimum PHP/MySQL knowledge• If you really hate command line, Ubuntu has

everything GUI

Downloading the CORAL Packages

• It’s called “Checkout,” by using SVN• SVN stands for Subversion: it’s a repository system with

software versioning and revision control• Use a SVN client. We use TortoiseSVN• After installing TortoiseSVN, on Windows Explorer, right

click and choose SVN check out, then copy over the svn url from CORAL website.

• Check out each module (called package, e.g. resources package) separately.

• After checking out the CORAL package, copy the whole package to your server under the document root• Examples: On Ubuntu, copy coral “resources” package to

/var/www/coral/resources/; copy coral “licensing” package to /var/www/coral/licensing/

Installation

• Two ways to install• Web install: recommended. Run each module installation

from ../coral/module-name/install/index.php• Manual install: when web install fails

• Under the hood: run the sql script to create and populate the database tables

Customization

• Create Users• Due to lack of authentication module at this

moment, we need to hard-code the Login ID in user.php

• CORAL starting page (optional), called “main” package

• Application customization: later Jia’s part

CORAL Applications

Resources Module

Resources Module: Product Details, Local Notes, Alerts and Feedback

CORAL: Resources Module

Resources

Acquisition

Products

Contacts

Attachmen

t

Account

Work Flow

Access

Resources Module: customization fields for local use

Licensing Module

Licensing Module: documenting terms

Licensing: Documenting Details

License: Customization for local use

CORAL: Organizations (Publishers, Providers, Vendors, Aggregators, Consortium, etc. )

CORAL: Usage Report (JR1)

CORAL Applications: customization• Locally edit/change/add variable fields values• Flexible: add free text for special situations

E-Resource Data Before the ERM After the ERM

Vendor Contacts E-mail Folders/Intranet/ ERM

Vendor Correspondence

Paper Files/ E-mail Folders ERM/E-mail Folders

Subscription Source Intranet Page ERM

User Limits Intranet Page ERM

Alternate Access Info Intranet Page ERM

Admin & Stats Access Info

TCNJ Personal Drive ERM

Usage Reports Excel ERM (JR1)/Excel

Invoices Paper Files ERM/Binders

License Agreements Paper Files Paper Files, Key Components in ERM (e.g. ILL rights)

Budget / Expense Tracking

Excel ERM/Excel

Authentication Method With Subscription Info (not organized)

ERM

Dynamic Reports Not Available ERM

Problem Logs E-mail Folders, Word Docs ERM

Subscription Wish List Not Recorded ERMBenefits of Using CORAL

Jia MiElectronic Resources/Serials LibrarianTCNJ Libraryjmi@tcnj.edu

Thank You !

Questions ?

Yongming WangSystems LibrarianTCNJ Librarywangyo@tcnj.edu