This project will provide basic maintenance of the existing SFX implementation. The scope is limited to maintenance of existing service, with appropriate modifications and updating. Additional minor modifications of the service can be made by the project team, if in the judgment of the project leader these fall within this scope. If requests for significant expansion or modification of the existing service come to this project team, the project leader will consult with the DLSC concerning the requests. This project will end when the anticipated "Electronic Resource Librarian" position is filled and/or when the library implements an ERM system.

The project team will address the following issues:

• Decide whether and how we should make the SFX OpenURL Generator available for staff and instructors (coordinate with Research Services committee).
• Develop means for reporting and solving SFX problems internally with the SFX project team and externally with the vendor (evaluate new CRM system).
• Compile and analyze SFX use statistics and make available to staff.
• Update and maintain Findit@VU documentation and resources on the staffweb.
• Maintain, update and make available SFX FAQ.
• Manage ongoing Marcit issues.
• Consider representation and interaction with SFX user’s community (ELUNA).
• Consider whether and how Citation Linker might be integrated with the "Search by Topic" page and/or the Heard home page (issues to be coordinated with Heard maintenance project and Research Services committee).

The Heard SFX service is used by many (perhaps the majority) library users to locate the appropriate copy of library resources. With the committee reorganization of 2005, the task force which would have made decisions regarding the daily maintenance and updating of this service has dissolved. While our management of electronic resources is being reorganized, we need a means for keeping the existing service updated and to complete modifications that were planned earlier. This project team would meet this need.

The project owner in this case is the Digital Library Steering Committee, which will coordinate with other committees as needed.

Dale Poulter will serve as project leader.

The project leader will report project activities to the DLSC on a monthly basis and will maintain a log of changes to this service for the duration of the project. The leader will also report results of evaluation/assessment measurements for this project.

The DLSC appoints Rick Stringer-Hye, Kitty Porter, and Ann Ercelawn to this project team.

The DLSC will appoint one additional project team members to assist with this project. This appointment will be used as an opportunity to provide experience to library staff who may not have worked directly with the SFX service. [Jan. 2006--Rachel Vacek appointed.]

The project leader can also call on individuals within the libraries who already have responsibility for maintaining separate aspects of this service. A list of these existing responsibilities will be assembled by the project team.

Some aspects of this project may affect the Heard web site maintenance project. These would need to be vetted not only by the DLSC, but also the Research Services committee and, occasionally, by the Strategy and Planning Council.

No additional funding needs are anticipated for this project.

This project is not itself meant to introduce new services. It is intended to raise the visibility and increase the use of the existing service, as well as deal with problems with the existing service. Therefore, the team will need to develop appropriate evaluation and assessment tools. Minimally, the usage statistics for the service should indicate increased use of this service over the duration of the project.