What Cost and Usage Data Reveals About E-Book Acquisitions

Carrico, S. B., Cataldo, T. T., Botero, C., & Shelton, T. (2015). What Cost and Usage Data Reveals About E-Book Acquisitions. Library Resources & Technical Services, 59(3), 102-111.

Summary:

In this article, the University of Florida’s Smathers libraries conducted a project to assess the cost of EBooks in order to determine what the most effect form of acquisitions would be in regards to EBooks.  This project weighed the cost of EBooks and the usage of EBooks.  The goal of this project was to augment the number of EBooks while working within their budgetary constraints.  The project in the article evaluated three varying methods of EBook acquisition EBooks purchased through Publisher packages, EBooks purchased through firms, and EBooks acquired through patron driven acquisition (PDA). The library tracked EBook usage through EBooks owned by Smathers libraries. The cost of the EBooks were calculated by the average price of the EBook purchase divided by the usage for each title, available through reports, or download through publishers. This study found that Firm order EBooks are not cost effective, but are accessed often. That PDA and package purchases are most effective in specific subject areas such as the STEM and MED fields.  This lead to the libraries redirecting funds from firm orders to PDA or package purchases.

Analysis:

The high cost versus usage rate of EBooks is a continuous issue in libraries today.  The need to balance the budget while meeting the demands of students is a struggle for academic libraries. This current issue has lead libraries to question how they should acquire books and how to alter acquisition processes to overcome these challenges. This article shows the effectiveness of patron driven acquisition in fast-paced subjects and that cost effective options may not elicit as much usage as firm purchases.  Meeting students’ needs in a digital age requires a process of reevaluating and reexamining the acquisition process frequently to maintain budget efficiency and a high volume of usage.