e-books: a snapshot from the uk dr hazel woodward university librarian, cranfield university, chair,...

E-books: a snapshot from the UK

Dr Hazel Woodward

University Librarian, Cranfield University,

Chair, JISC E-Books Working Group

Göteborg University, Sweden, 12th December 2002

• small, niche, postgraduate University

• engineering, technology, defence, biosciences, business & management

• four libraries on three campus (two over 100 kilometres apart)

• leading edge, international research

• demanding client base

Cranfield University

Provision of E-books

• began mid 2001 with NetLibrary• some 600 titles selected across a range of subject areas• concerns:

– high cost of e-book provision– no simultaneous use (the usage model is not sustainable

in the longer term)– lack of appropriate UK content– how to market such a small ‘collection’

• extending access…………..

XRefer+ use July 2002-

015

46

131

2

46

110

287

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Jul-02Aug-02Sep-02Oct-02Nov-02Dec-02Jan-03Feb-03Mar-03Apr-03

Searches

Entries viewed

Accesses to NetLibrary

18

161

89

155

34

64

122100 99

131

67

93 87 79

190

125

020406080

100120140160180200

Aug-01Sep-01Oct-01Nov-01Dec-01Jan-02Feb-02Mar-02Apr-02May-02Jun-02Jul-02Aug-02Sep-02Oct-02Nov-02

Different titles per month

14

68

57 56

26

4149

4439

53

37

5243

50

73

55

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80


Total no. of book accesses - cumulative

14

77105

129 133 145158

170 178 184 189 196 202216 221 226

0

50

100

150

200

250


What e-book content do we want

to acquire?• general reference materials

– good range available via national consortia deals• specialist reference works

– some already available via national deals– individual negotiation with publishers

• scholarly monographs– background reading materials– available from individual publishers e.g. Taylor & Francis,

Wiley, McGraw Hill, Elsevier– frequently ‘bundled’ by the publisher into subject clusters– available via aggregators e.g. NetLibrary; Books 24x7

E-book content … continued

• high demand text books, and

short loan/reserve collection materials– the most difficult area !!– very little success to date– activity at national level

How do we move forward?

well……….

in the UK a lot is happening at a national level

Supporting Further and Higher Education

Collecting Activities

•World’s largest and most diverse e-collection for education

•Collection Strategy and Content Policies

•Work with content producers

•International Work (ICOLC)

•Agenda for the year ahead including new negotiations structure


Collection Strategy • 8 collecting areas

– Books– Discovery Tools– Geospatial Resources– Images– Journals– Learning Materials– Moving Pictures and Sound – Primary Research Data


E-Books Working Group

• Mission: to provide leadership in establishing a strategy for the develop of electronic books for the benefit of the academic community– Monitor and influence e-book industry– Acquire content for HE and FE sectors– Achieve a sustainable economic model– Promote content exploitation– Understand impact on institutions, libraries and

users– Advise on content creation


JISC content acquisition programme

• Current activity http://www.jisc.ac.uk/dner/collections/licensing.html– Early English Books Online (EEBO)– Wiley reference works

– Portfolio of major general reference products


Oxford Reference Online/xreferplus


Britannica Online


Current Working Group initiatives

• extensive community consultation– e-book community established

• commissioning research into e-books

• ongoing discussions with publishers and aggregators

• joint marketing plans with publishers and suppliers for existing deals


E-book research studies

• Market mapping exercise – well underway• Promotion of ‘free’ e-books – started Dec 2002• Strategy for e-textbooks – will start Jan 2003• A vision for the development of e-textbooks - 2003• Marketing and promotion of e-books – 2003

• Research budget of over £200,000


Market mapping exercise

• Phase 1 – focus groups in key subjects and FE specific• Core questions:

– Key challenges in managing print collection?– Does going electronic provide the answer?– Where would you prioritise your ebook acquisition?– What are your preferred economic models?

• For each discipline:– Agree on most useful type of books (reference,

monograph, textbook)– Seek consensus on essential titles for electronic

collection


Market mapping: challenges with print

• access

• collection management and administration

• theft and vandalism

• space

• quality of stock

• out of print material


Market mapping: opportunities for e-books• can solve many problems but…

• increased access is critical– on campus and off– multi-user

• collection management tools essential

• marketing is crucial


Market mapping: problems of e-books

• knowing what’s available

• poor quality of what’s on offer

• effective means of evaluating resource

• some concerns about formats and IT infrastructure

• access and costs


Market mapping: acquisition priorities

• textbooks and high-demand material

• some interest in reference works

• subject areas where material dates e.g. law, computing, business & management

• rely on JISC for endorsement


Market mapping: economic models

• some uncertainty, but…

• who pays?

• concern of shifting costs to user

• differences in how budgets are allocated and spent

• many like subject bundling

• JIT option also popular in some cases


Research project: a strategy for e-textbooks

(Jan 2003-)• aim: national collections strategy for e-textbooks• market analysis

– changing academic sector– institutional strategies– institutional cost structures– motivations/behaviours of core users– appropriate pricing

• industry structure and supply chain


Research project: a vision for

e-textbooks (2003-)

• aim: longer term vision for e-textbooks

• both promise and reality

• use of textbooks in teaching and learning

• new forms of material, production and authoring


Research project: marketing of e-books

(2003-)• aim: to maximise awareness and uptake of e-

books in HE and FE• current practice to date• key problems e.g. supply chain info• roles for key stakeholders:

– publishers– booksellers and other intermediaries– librarians– academics


Thank you for your attention

Any questions?

e-books: a snapshot from the uk dr hazel woodward university librarian, cranfield university, chair,...

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