Hello Core Ebooks Interest Group,
HAPPY NEW YEAR to all!
This is just to announce that the summary transcript of the recently held ALA CORE eForum on the topic of eBook acquisition in public libraries has now been posted. Here's a link to the post on CORE news: https://alacorenews.org/2023/01/04/summary-ebook-acquisition-and-licensing-issues-in-public-libraries-e-forum/
And here's a direct link to the PDF transcript: https://alacorenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/202212-Core-eBooks-e-Forum-Summary.pdf
As a reminder, this e-Forum was held on December 20-21, 2022. It was co-hosted by (yours truly) Will Stuivenga, Library Development Cooperative Projects Manager at the Washington State Library, and Lisa Sallee, Assistant Director, Ocean State Libraries (RI). I would like to thank everyone who took part in the eForum, especially my co-moderator Lisa Sallee, but also all of those who contributed from their experiences. It was a very interesting and (at least from my perspective) useful learning experience to understand how other libraries are dealing with these issues.
Here's the original description of the eForum:
Public Library eBook and eAudiobook collections are facing difficult circumstances due to the increasing use of restrictive (metered) licensing models by major publishers, including licenses that expire after a specified period (e.g., 12 or 24 months) or after a limited number of checkouts. Originally confined mostly to eBooks, publishers are increasingly applying similar restrictive licenses to audiobooks as well. The Covid pandemic and resultant lockdowns put increased pressure on digital collections, with many libraries shifting budgets from print to digital in response. Metered licenses purchased during this period are now expiring, creating a sustainability crisis for many libraries, especially those with limited budgets.
This e-Forum explored some of the ramifications of this situation, asking and discussing how libraries are coping, with the goal of sharing techniques and methods used to mitigate or manage these kinds of problems. Some of the practical questions considered included:
- What is the approximate balance between budgeting for new content for your eBook/eAudio collection vs. money used to fill holds, reduce wait times, and to replace expired licenses?
- What holds ratio does your library use for its eBook/eAudio collection and why? Have you made use of varying holds ratios for different publishers, different license models, or different price points?
- Are expired licenses routinely weeded, or allowed to remain in your eBook collection? What criteria are used for deciding when or whether to replace expired licenses?
There is some talk of holding another eForum on this or similar topics later this year, so your feedback on that idea or any of the topics raised in this eForum, is certainly welcome.
Regards,
Will
Will Stuivenga (he, him, his)
Cooperative Projects Manager, Library Development
Washington State Library | Office of the Secretary of State
6880 Capitol Blvd SE, Tumwater, WA 98501
O: 360-704-5217 | F: 360-586-7575 | E: Will.Stuivenga@sos.wa.gov
~~ Connecting Washington through the power of libraries ~~