The Orbis Cascade Alliance Experience
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Against the Grain Manuscript 8338 Progress and Pitfalls in Consortial eBook Acquisitions: The Orbis Cascade Alliance Experience Abigail Bibee Andrea Langhurst Eickholt Jesse Holden Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/atg Part of the Library and Information Science Commons This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Libraries must embrace We have moved from the How to Use Data and Assessment ... a world where assessment labor-intensive analog days to from page 16 and applied technologies a digital environment where will play an increasing information resources in all their print collections over time. These efforts role in shaping collection formats (print and digital) will not be fully successful without robust workflows and processes. can be provided to users at assessment efforts informing and influencing Vendors have a role to point of need, as well as made collection development decisions. play in providing tools available for computational Applications and tools to analyze and vi- and the necessary data analysis. Libraries will con- sualize data are key to successful assessments. to inform local and net- tinue to evolve in how they These tools must scale to large datasets, be worked operations. Data manage collections, working regularly refreshed with new and corrected privacy (institutional and in collaborative networks and data, have security and access controls (where personal) and algorithm in mutually beneficial arrange- necessary), employ transparent or understand- transparency are critical ments with publishers and ven- able algorithms, and be queryable to address issues that libraries need dors. Libraries must embrace evolving and novel questions. For example, at to address with the vendor a culture of assessment, locally Yale we migrated from static monthly collec- community. There must and in close partnerships, to tion fund reports to weekly refreshed reports also be an understanding guide a wide range of deci- viewable through Tableau. Subject librarians that libraries will increas- sions affecting all aspects of who manage allocated collection funds have ingly acquire and manage the collections lifecycle. The praised the more intuitive interface and up- collection materials in a ultimate goal is to maintain to-date financial data in helping them more network, say more like the way you think of and improve service for our user communities, effectively monitor their allocations and be branch library systems today. Ideally, libraries including the global scholarly community. timelier with acquisition decisions. and vendors can work together to create prod- Libraries are robust, versatile organizations, At the network level, the IPLC is exploring ucts and pricing models viable at network scale, and we will continue to be so into a future applications and tools needed for collection and available open access where possible. increasingly enabled by data and technology management and development. A working Libraries can realize workflow and economic where the services provided through library group is engaged in this research with the goal efficiencies in how information resources are collections are developed, described, managed, of developing a suite of collection lifecycle acquired, described, discovered, and preserved, analyzed, preserved, and open. tools to inform collaborative collection efforts. while also working with vendors in a healthy A hoped-for outcome would be a vendor-neu- scholarly communications marketplace where tral selection tool, coupled with robust assess- innovation continues, and the issues of data Author’s Note: I want to thank Galadriel ment data, to facilitate separate, coordinated, privacy, intellectual property, and algorithm Chilton for generously sharing the collections or joint collection building. transparency are addressed. lifecycle graphic for use in this article. — DD Progress and Pitfalls in Consortial eBook Acquisitions: The Orbis Cascade Alliance Experience by Abigail Bibee (Technical Services Librarian, University of Arizona) <[email protected]> and Andrea Langhurst Eickholt (Collection Management Librarian, Eastern Washington University) <[email protected]> and Jesse Holden (Program Manager, Shared Content & Technical Services, Orbis Cascade Alliance) <[email protected]> he Orbis Cascade Alliance (“the Alli- is comprised of around ten members from sons about implementing and simultaneously ance”) is a consortium of 38 academic Alliance institutions and the SCTS Program maintaining various eBook plans at a consortial libraries in the Pacific Northwest, com- Manager. level, which we outline below. T 1 prised of a diversity of institutions serving over Access and selection of eBooks is managed Acquisitions Models 275,000 students. In 2011, the Alliance began through the shared Alma ILS, which includes a program to develop a shared eBook collec- a consortial “network zone” (NZ), and Primo Several models of eBook acquisition are tion. Initially built around a demand-driven discovery service. Bibliographic records for available to consortia, but not all models are acquisitions (DDA) plan run through YBP and discovery are centrally loaded into the Alma suited to every situation. Examples include EBL,2 the program has evolved in recent years NZ, and therefore facilitate discovery and DDA, evidence-based acquisition (EBA), to capitalize on new opportunities and respond access for all Alliance member institutions package subscription, front and back-list pur- to challenges that have emerged in managing via Primo. For each title accessible through chases, and collection purchases. Selecting such a large program. the eBook program, a public note displays in a plan or approach to meet participant needs The $1M eBook program is centrally Primo, distinguishing between “discovery” is essential. As a result, a periodic review funded via consortial dues and is intended to (not yet purchased) and purchased titles. to ensure plans continue to meet needs over benefit all members. Like funding, manage- Managing a consortial process of selection, time is an important aspect of developing and ment of the program is centralized through acquisition, and access to a shared collection maintaining a consortial collection. the Alliance “team” structure. The Ebook requires the integration of several moving Pitfall: It can be easy to initially under- Standing Group (ESG) operates under the parts. New complications for the ESG devel- estimate how complex a seemingly simple auspices of the Shared Content & Technical oped as the eBook program expanded and plans plan may become when implemented in a Services (SCTS) Team. Drawing on varied diversified, especially in the 2017-18 year. consortial space. expertise from across the consortium, the ESG Along the way, the group learned many les- continued on page 18 Against the Grain / April 2019 <http://www.against-the-grain.com> 17 of “copies” the consortium needs to buy for Staffing Progress and Pitfalls in Consortial ... shared access). Because of the centralized management from page 17 Pitfall: Lack of clarity when commu- of the program, turnover in both central nicating expectations of value and having a consortium staff and group members created Takeaway: Carefully evaluate consortial proposed multiplier come in too high. confusing gaps in knowledge or ambiguity needs and project how a given model will Takeaway: To make the proposal process around program parameters. In the misunder- function within the consortial context. It is standings that inevitably arose, it was difficult important to be as specific and detailed as pos- as successful as possible, clearly identify and agree on the acceptable threshold for consid- to determine at some points why a given plan sible when requesting proposals from vendors was not meeting expectations. and publishers. Evaluation of potential plans eration before approaching content providers. should consider member needs and account Multipliers in the single digits seem to be the Pitfall: Assuming that institutional mem- for the capacity required for ongoing central norm. When a multiplier in the double-digits ory would provide ongoing context and fill in management. (e.g., 10x) is proposed by a content provider, any gaps. then it is difficult to seriously consider the offer. Takeaway: Document everything! While Bibliographic Records Management Number of Plans documenting the program seems obvious, Ease and effectiveness of centrally managing When managing a program on behalf of many assumptions or details may be easily bibliographic records have always been a key- several dozen institutions, it does not take more overlooked during planning and implementa- stone of the Alliance eBook program. Alma than a couple of concurrent plans to multiply tion. It is difficult to determine what may be import profiles for each plan were created to the complexities of program management the most important bit of information in the retrieve and load new records from selected considerably. Within the context of an ongoing end, so record all elements of the program and collections in OCLC WorldShare Collection eBook acquisitions program that is constantly resolve ambiguities as the program evolves. Manager. The Alliance has found this workflow adapting to changes in technology, publishing, Take nothing for granted! to increase efficiency as it automates record de- and user