Buying by the bucketful: a comparative study of e-book acquisition strategies

Bucknell, Terry (2012) Buying by the bucketful: a comparative study of e-book acquisition strategies Serials The Journal for the Serials Community, 25 (1). pp. 51-60. ISSN 0953-0460, 2048-7754

Text 5853.pdf - Published version Download (3MB)

Abstract

The University of Liverpool (UoL) has been subscribing to and purchasing e-book packages since 2006. This article describes UoL's experiences of evaluating the use and value of such packages, and considers whether alternative purchasing strategies – single-title selection (also known as ‘firm orders’), patron- driven acquisition (PDA) or evidence-based selection (EBS) – might offer a more cost-effective way to meet users' needs. The discussion is informed by evidence from the University of Liverpool COUNTER usage statistics and includes modelling of the costs that might result from observed usage patterns if a PDA purchasing model were applied. Criteria for evaluating the success of e-book packages are discussed, including a consideration of how value for money can be calculated for different e-book purchasing models. An outline is provided of the implications for managing acquisitions budgets when e-book collections form part of the acquisitions strategy.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Available online Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Cite as: Bucknell, T, Buying by the bucketful: a comparative study of e-book acquisition strategies, Insights, 2012, 25(1), 51–60, doi: 10.1629/2048-7754.25.1.51
Uncontrolled Keywords:	46 Information and Computing Sciences, 4610 Library and Information Studies, 35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services
Subjects:	?? Z665 ??
Divisions:	Faculty of Health & Life Sciences > Education Directorate
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	20 Apr 2012 14:28
Last Modified:	22 May 2026 23:30
DOI:	10.1629/2048-7754.25.1.51
Publisher's Statement :	This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Copyright is retained by the author(s).
Related Websites:	Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/5853
Disclaimer:	The University of Liverpool is not responsible for content contained on other websites from links within repository metadata. Please contact us if you notice anything that appears incorrect or inappropriate.