Acquiring E-book Content: An Academic Perspective

1. Acquiring E-book Content: An Academic Perspective Jill Taylor-Roe, Newcastle University Library Jill.Taylor-Roe@ncl.ac.uk 9th November, 2005

2. A modern Grail Quest: Acquiring the desired e-book content…

3. What are the drivers for an academic library? • Student Numbers • Course Structure • CPD Courses • Distance Learning • International Students • Pressure on Physical Resources • Failure of physical resources to meet all core demands

4. Student Numbers • Historical Studies, English Lit – between 150-350 students per module • Medicine – 945 students on clinical placements • Business Studies – between 300-350 students per module

5. Course Structure • Seminars – high demand – short timescale • Clinical Placements – working in hospitals on shifts • PGCE – working in schools • Multidisciplinary Courses – same resources needed by students on different programmes • Key texts – used by UGs and taught PGs

6. Growth of CPD • MEd – research degree for practicing teachers • Courses for Clinicians and Health workers • MBAs/ Diplomas in Management • MA Creative Writing • MA Local History

7. Distance Learning • MScBiodiversity and Ecotourism – joint programme with Thai University • PhD Educational Psychology – students based in South Yorks and Scotland • MSc Oncology and Palliative Care – clinicians based in hospitals around the Northern Region • MSc Pipeline Structure – students based on oil rigs in the North Sea

8. International Students • High Fees • Increased Expectations • Educational and Cultural Differences

9. Pressure on physical resources • Heavy Use by 300 plus • Students takes its toll !

10. Print Alone is not the answer • Multiple Copy provision – 1:15, 1:10 • Different Loan Periods – hours, days, weeks, • Reference Only • Not what users want!

11. Are E-books the answer to our prayers?

12. The Start of the Quest :Initial Experience • Not much available! • Reference Books • Encyclopedias

13. Early Adventures… • ORO • Wiley Encyclopedias • Encyclopedia of Life Sciences • Rudinet

14. More recent acquisitions… • T&F Ebooks • Books@ Ovid • Kumar & Clark – Clinical Medicine • European Retail Handbook • KNOVEL • EEBO • ECCO

15. What we really, really want… • More textbooks! • Current wishlist runs to several hundred • More interactive books – with data, images MCQs, questionnaires etc • Multi User licences • Reliable usage data!

16. What exactly are we measuring? • Sessions • Page views • Hits • Prints • Downloads • Title Visits • Secure Chapters viewed

17. As yet there are no clear KPI’s for e-books. Costs per printed page might be one. The ratio of Print Quota (maybe 5% of total book) to pages printed is one indicator of popularity. What does it tell us? E-Book usage 2005; top 20 by printed pages Total downloads may include; Copy (& Paste?), Save to Disk, as well as Printed Pages – depends on the licence.

18. Importance of COUNTER! • There is as yet no generally agreed standard for e-book usage reports. • Consequently each publisher has a different format: • Impossible therefore to draw any meaningful benchmarking comparisons.

19. Where next? • More work with publishers • Experiment with pricing models • Importance of JISC E-Books Group • Agree COUNTER code for stats reports • Compare usage of print and e versions • User studies – what do they prefer and how are they using the books?

20. Will we get there? …Yes – provided that… Publishers are willing to experiment with content and pricing models Efforts are made to standardise usage data We listen to our customers – who are ultimately the people who will determine whether ebooks are a long term success.

21. “So aftir the quest of the sankgreall was fulfilled… was there grete joy in the courte” (Malory: Morte d’Arthur)