Caveat Emptor: it may be electronic, but dont overlook the fine print presented as part of the SLA Kentucky Chapter Program on eBooks Lexington, KY, November 2, 2012 Stephanie Nicely Aken, MSLS, AHIP Head, Electronic Resources, University of Kentucky Libraries [email protected] Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License E-Book Timeline From: R. Kaplan, Ed. Building and Managing E-Book
Collections. Chicago, Neal-Schuman, c2012, fig. 1.1. eBook Acquisition Models: Major Reference Works (MRWs) Available individually or in collections (OUP, GALE, Elsevier, SAGE, OECD, etc.) Usually a purchase or continuing resource model Purchases typically have annual platform or administrative fees that do not include updates. Updates may require additional fees. Tips: - Wait for end-of-year sales or special offers
- Check for discounts if print has been purchased previously - Ask if platform fee can be waived eBook Acquisition Models: Library Selects & Purchases Will some platforms be preferred? Collection or minimum purchases only? Site license? Single-user? Multiple users or uses? Is proprietary software required? Is it IT- and userfriendly? Is remote access possible?
Purchase only frontlist/current books? Must users create accounts/register? Are DRM limits acceptable for your institution? Are (high-quality) MARC records available? How Long is Perpetual? Where will My eBook Content Be? Typically, not defined; may or may not include post-cancellation rights Publisher may be bought or go out of business with no opportunity to download owned content
eBooks (NetLibrary; Doodys) Portico, Institutional or other repositories, or Google Acquisitions librarians machine/desk area eBook Acquisition Models: Subscription Services Viable option if archival research collection is not needed & have sustainable budget Current editions are continually replacing older ones
Multiple format resources may include ebooks, video, PPTs, and ejournals (ClinicalKey) Can be difficult to keep catalog or website current Lose entire investment upon cancellation Caution: What you see may not be what you get Be aware that publishers may upload new ebooks not included in your current purchase When purchasing frontlist or current collections,
look at actual copyright dates Check for duplication across subject collections & request discounting for duplication of titles Keep in mind that publishing rights can cease and content pulled without much notice Publishing rights can also cease before uploading; check for slippage or lack of eRights eBook Acquisition Models: Patron-driven Acquisitions (PDA)
Several studies have shown that user-selected books are used more (just-in-time purchasing) Most vendors offer multiple levels of risk or triggers for purchase Social sciences, business, and biomedical subject areas are generally selected more often Can quickly run out of money; may choose to start with only a few subject areas Must remove records from catalog once financial limit is reached eBook Acquisition Models: Other Paid Options Purchase from self-published websites
Increased risks of technical issues; possibly no support; may require additional software No license agreement to protect purchaser Pay-per-view (Elsevier, Wiley, Emerald, EBL) Library account, tokens, patron credit card Good backup when library is closed/unstaffed Difficult to budget; adds nothing to the collection eBook Acquisition Models: Open Access / Free
Google books http://freemedicalbooks.com HathiTrust http://www.hathitrust.org/ http://www.openbookpublishers.com/ (digital copies under 5) UnglueIt http://unglue.it Local digitized collections (Kentuckiana) eBook Acquisition Tips
Purchasing or leasing? Minimum? Single books or collections only? Buy through YBP, etc.? Patron-driven option? Textbooks? Annual hosting fees? Printing fees? Copyright fees? Are proprietary readers easily downloaded and IT-friendly? How will users discover the books? In a catalog? On a website? Can users can navigate the site and find a book; easily locate the contents? turn the pages? Bookmark / highlight? Use with EndNote or RefWorks? How many concurrent users? Is there a reserve / hold feature? Are eReserves or Blackboard permitted? Generous digital rights? User printing / downloading? ILL? Ariel / electronic or print? Perpetual access? Will purchased content have to be downloaded after a period of years? Will you be notified when there are changes in leased content? (updated or replaced)
Future Trends Increased direct student textbook rentals or purchases, either by semester or even by the hour or chapter eBooks will be added to publisher platforms, so that searching will include any format Frankenbooks will increase; ebooks will include audio, video, & be more interactive OUP Scholarly Books includes searchable commentary/reviews along with text eBook sites will include commentary, edits, margin notes, even textual changes Definition of book will change (Palgrave Pivot: www.palgrave.com/pivot )
Back to the Future Is print now grey literature? Ephemera? Increasing disparity between print and online (Elseviers Expert Consult Premium books; Springer MyCopy, Espresso Book Machines) Use of tokens, pay-per-view, prepaid downloads Rentals of etextbooks / chapters Will anything ever be free?
Institutional repositories have not lived up to their promise, esp. in relation to ebooks Authors/creators expect compensation / recognition Even free e-content still requires staff / processing (minimal MARC records, discovery tools, tagging, etc.) This presentation, along with the full 4-hr. MLA CE course PPT for Herding Ejournals and Ebooks can be found here: http://www.uky.edu/Libraries/mcmlaaken/ Please direct any questions or comments to: Stephanie Nicely Aken, Head, Electronic Services Unit W.T. Young Library, University of Kentucky [email protected]
