ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the ways in which librarians and the suppliers of digital content are developing systems and services to meet the expectations of the 21st-century library user. Key library activities revolved around ensuring that appropriate resources were acquired in time, on budget and that a robust collection management policy was in place to ensure that shelf-space was available for new acquisitions. The range of digital resources continues to grow, with local availability dictated by an institution's collection strategy. Libraries have found that their existing Library Management Systems (LMS) are incapable of fully supporting the procurement and exploitation of available digital content and are resorting to plugging the gaps with a combination of local solutions, bought-in third party software and subscription agents' applications. The Business Librarians Association (BLA), for example, has dealt directly with companies like Thomson Reuters, on behalf of the higher education library community, to broker favourable deals for products such as Thomson ONE Analytics.
