Lessons Learned from PALCI's DDA Pilot Projects and Next Steps
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Collaborative Librarianship Volume 8 Issue 2 Article 7 2016 Towards the Collective Collection: Lessons Learned from PALCI’s DDA Pilot Projects and Next Steps Jeremy Garskof Gettysburg College, [email protected] Jill Morris PALCI, [email protected] Tracie Ballock Duquesne University, [email protected] Scott Anderson Millersville University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Garskof, Jeremy; Morris, Jill; Ballock, Tracie; and Anderson, Scott (2016) "Towards the Collective Collection: Lessons Learned from PALCI’s DDA Pilot Projects and Next Steps," Collaborative Librarianship: Vol. 8 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. Available at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/collaborativelibrarianship/vol8/iss2/7 This Peer Reviewed Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Collaborative Librarianship by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Garskof, et al.: Towards the Collective Collection Towards the Collective Collection: Lessons Learned from PALCI’s DDA Pilot Projects and Next Steps Jeremy Garskof ([email protected]) Acquisitions Librarian, Gettysburg College Jill Morris ([email protected]) Senior Program Officer, PALCI Tracie Ballock ([email protected]) Head of Collection Management, Duquesne University Scott Anderson ([email protected]) Information Systems Librarian, Millersville University Abstract The Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium, Inc. (PALCI) developed demand-driven acquisition (DDA) programs to facilitate resource sharing of e-monographs and to build collective ebook collections thereby complementing E-ZBorrow, the consortium’s print-based ILL service. Committed to perpetual ownership, PALCI’s programs deliberately eschewed aggregator models with STL (short term lease/ loan) thresholds in favor of purchasing upon the first substantial use at a negotiated multiplier. This unique approach to consortial DDA resulted in hundreds of titles triggered for purchase, many of which experienced post-purchase usage across the membership. It also resulted in irregular starts and stops and workflow frustrations illustrating challenges related to funding and communication. This article is in- tended to add an important case study to the literature on consortial DDA through a critical evaluation of PALCI’s programs with ebrary, EBSCO, and JSTOR. Perhaps more importantly, it is intended to inform consortial stakeholders about decisions to replicate (or not) PALCI’s programs in an effort to repeat suc- cesses and avoid past failures. Keywords: Demand-driven acquisition, consortial DDA, PALCI, contribution models Introduction PALCI’s DDA journey began with two opt-in pi- lot programs with ebrary and EBSCO in Febru- The Pennsylvania Academic Library Consor- ary 2014. In both, DDA discovery pools were tium, Inc. (PALCI) developed its demand-driven populated by publication and imprint year; YBP acquisition (DDA) programs to build shared col- performed light, non-subject parameter profiling lections of ebooks facilitating resource sharing of and administrative duties. Committed to perpet- e-monographs, and thereby complementing E- ual ownership, PALCI’s programs deliberately ZBorrow, the consortium’s long-running print- eschewed aggregator models with short term based interlibrary loan (ILL) service. In October loan (STL) thresholds in favor of purchasing 2012, PALCI convened a five-member Ebooks upon the first substantial use at a negotiated Task Force (EBTF) to explore the feasibility of multiplier. This unique approach to consortial developing a consortial DDA program with 69 DDA resulted in hundreds of titles triggered for member institutions, including small private lib- purchase, many of which experienced post-pur- eral arts schools, medium-size state universities, chase usage across the membership. It also re- and large research focused institutions, with FTEs ranging from 300-85,000. Collaborative Librarianship 8(2):84-98 (2016) 84 Garskof, et al.: Towards the Collective Collection sulted in irregular starts and stops and work- monographs on consortial DDA presents re- flow frustrations illustrating challenges related search obstacles to the traditional literature re- to funding and communication. The develop- view. The endeavor requires a bit more sleuth- ment of equitable and sustainable contribution ing—for example, sifting through Charleston formulas posed additional challenges, as did the Conference proceedings and mining consortia often insufficient and/or irregular usage statis- websites for meeting minutes and annual re- tics and purchase data reporting available. ports—only to find the historical record trail off in previous academic or fiscal years without fur- In an effort to expand its collection building ef- ther comment. Moreover, much of the DDA forts and experiment with a more access-focused chatter happens on blogs, public and private approach, PALCI implemented a third all-in, email lists, or in comment sections of popular centrally funded DDA pilot with Books at websites like Babel Fish and the Scholarly Kitchen. JSTOR in February 2015. The JSTOR program Due to the topic’s elusiveness and fragmented provided PALCI members with full access to the record, a brief and selective literature review approximately 30,000 (now closer to 40,000) ti- and environmental scan seem most useful for tles included in the Books at JSTOR corpus, with the purpose of framing and distinguishing the unlimited simultaneous user access. As titles unique characteristics of the PALCI DDA ebook were triggered, PALCI purchased an unlimited program. use copy on behalf of each participating library at a significantly discounted rate, i.e., 69 unlim- Recent scholarly treatments of consortial DDA ited use copies were purchased for 69 participat- fall into two general, though not mutually exclu- ing pilot libraries. JSTOR was attractive to the sive categories; DDA as a resource sharing membership for its extremely liberal digital mechanism, and case studies; the latter being rights management (DRM), high usage thresh- more common and keenly focused on logistics olds prior to purchase, and reputation, as well as and lessons learned. Christine N. Turner pro- its resource integration among the membership. vides a broad historical perspective of coopera- The JSTOR program resulted in significantly tive collection development among large and fewer title purchases relative to other PALCI small consortia focusing primarily on e-resource DDA programs, but offered access to a much acquisitions including DDA activities. She does larger corpus of ebooks over a longer period of well to chart the evolution of consortial resource time. sharing and to highlight the causal and evolving relationship between scholarly publishing and The following article is intended to add an im- consortia cooperation.1 George Machovec aptly portant case study to the literature on consortial describes ebooks’ existential threat to traditional DDA through a critical evaluation of PALCI’s resource sharing and posits consortial DDA as programs with ebrary, EBSCO, and JSTOR. Per- one possible solution. He cogently articulates haps more importantly, it is intended to inform and critically evaluates consortia ebook licens- consortium stakeholders about decisions to rep- ing options and DDA and evidence-based acqui- licate (or not) PALCI’s programs in an effort to sition (EBA) models.2 The National Information repeat successes and avoid past failures. Standards Organization’s (NISO) “Demand Driven Acquisition of Monographs” includes a Consortial DDA Landscape useful section on consortial DDA models and in- Though a fair amount has been written on lo- tegration with local plans and collection devel- cal/individual DDA programs, the limited opment activities, as well as emphasizing the scope of published articles, book chapters, and Collaborative Librarianship 8(2):84-98 (2016) 85 Garskof, et al.: Towards the Collective Collection importance of establishing goals to help inform ebooks. The authors lament mid-pilot STL in- assessment and to facilitate communication.3 creases and front-list embargoes, as well as con- tent exclusion measured by publisher output.8 Broadly speaking, published case studies outline programmatic planning and objectives, imple- The literature illustrates the inchoate state of mentation processes and challenges, and assess- consortial DDA, which explains broad experi- ment/measures of success. Speaking on behalf mentation and a large number of pilots, as well of the Orbis Cascade Alliance (Orbis), Greg as the formative development of best practices. Doyle addressed the political and practical as- It further reveals largely uniform experiences. pects of central funding, vendor selection, local Generally speaking, there is stark parity among integration, and profiling-parameter details.4 Jill recent past and current consortial DDA pro- Emery’s interview with the Orbis implementa- grams including aggregators, publishers (or lack tion team provides valuable insights and per- thereof), YBP licensing and models, and STLs to spectives from the membership, as well as com- name a few. For example, Orbis, The Virtual Li- mercial partners, EBL and YBP.5 Michael Levine- brary of Virginia (VIVA), NY3Rs, USMAI, and Clark et al. thoroughly document the history