Analysis and news
Exploring the evidence Rebecca Howland describes how Cambridge University Press is maximising the benefits of its evidence based acquisition (EBA) model for its customers
Under the Cambridge EBA model, institutions are given access to an extensive online collection of Cambridge and partner press eBooks before they make decisions about which titles to buy access to in perpetuity. The evidence to support decision making is supplied in the form of usage reports, indicating which titles are the most popular within the institution during the initial access period. The Cambridge EBA model allows institutions to access the full collection of ebooks or a subject specific collection – with broad lists in humanities, social sciences, science technology and medicine. The model includes monographs, coursebooks and reference materials. EBA has several advantages over other ebook collection purchasing models, not least in that it allows the institutional library, which has expertise in managing acquisition, a key role in selecting resources. EBA also opens up a wider selection of titles to the reader, and enables purchasing decisions to be matched precisely to end user preference, so it’s a great way of filling in gaps within ebook collections or building e-resources in
“Newly published titles are added to the chosen collection on a monthly basis”
certain areas. This can have the added benefit of helping to improve National Student Survey (NSS) scores, as students are able to find the books they want. Due to the fact it’s a simple and controllable model, EBA also reduces complexity in your buying process and makes an efficient use of library budgets. If agreed as part of the EBA deal, newly published titles are added to the chosen collection on a monthly basis during the access period, and ebooks from
22 Research Information June/July 2017
Cambridge partner publishers, such as Edinburgh University Press and Mathematical Association of America, are also included. All revenue in an EBA is assigned against the cost of individual ebook titles at the end of the agreement; all the collections are hosted on the Cambridge Core platform.
What is the difference between EBA and PDA? Patron driven acquisition (PDA) is seen by some as a less attractive forerunner of EBA. With PDA, the university commits an amount of funds to access a collection of content, and needs to set limits in order to control what content is accessed. It also sets limits as to what triggers perpetual access; for example, a book is purchased in perpetuity after three ‘uses’. Once the allocated PDA money runs out, their access ends – meaning that a library could get through £100,000 in a few weeks. The main advantage of EBA is that
the library maintains control over every purchase decision; even if a title is accessed 100 times, the library does not have to commit to buying it – for example if a course is about to end, or if the book is not considered to be suitable or necessary for the institution’s needs. Additionally, the EBA enables access to the full collection for the duration of the agreed initial period, which is usually 12
months. Setting up an EBA agreement is quick and all the purchasing decisions are made at the end of the agreed period. By this point, the library will have a full set of data for analysis, which helps to ensure well- informed decision making.
How it works Payment: institutions can choose a six- or 12-month access period to all Cambridge and partner press titles or selected subject collections.
A payment that takes into account the number of titles and expected usage is agreed. Payment needs to be made before access is opened up. Full access: access is opened and usage measured to help inform purchasing decisions at the end of the project. Throughout the EBA project the Cambridge administration team will communicate usage statistics and details of newly added content every month (where applicable). Decision: under the six- and 12-month
EBA project, ebook purchases are decided and made perpetual within 30 days of the end of the project. Libraries are given usage data to inform their decisions, which is then analysed, and purchase choices are made within the library. After the agreement has ended, institutions are able to make additional payments, if they wish to purchase further titles in perpetuity. They can also request to
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