Library’s Thursday Insights: E-book acquisition and various usage options
Library acquires e-books, including course books, in multiple ways and acquisition models. Some books are acquired permanently for the library's collections. However, some are later removed due to the acquisition method and the agreement terms between publishers and aggregators. Requests made by customers are taken into account, but availability and the price set their own limits also to the ways e-books can be used.
Organization licenses
Library acquires e-books with organization license. This means that the price differs from the price of e-books intended for individuals. E-books for private individuals are usually downloadable and stored on one device, while the library only acquires resources that are used online throughout the university. Most publishers offer e-books for library use through major aggregator platforms. All publishers don’t even have their own platform for making e-books available to library customers.
Acquisition channels
Foreign e-books are acquired for libraries for example from Ebsco and Proquest. However, not all e-books are available through aggregators and they are acquired also directly from publishers. Finnish e-books are often only available on the Ellibs platform. Aggregators enter with publishers into agreements that define the terms of use for e-books. Because agreements are publisher-specific, there can for example be considerable variation in the size of the parts of e-books that can be printed or downloaded. In e-books offered on publishers’ own platforms, there are usually less restrictions.
Different acquisition models
It is possible to purchase e-books for the library, for example one-by-one or in packages for permanent use or as annual subscription or individually using a so-called credit model. Credit model means that each use of the e-book is deducted from the number of credits purchased. Once the credits have been used up, more must be purchased if estimation is that there will still be use. If a particular book is known in the library to be part of course requirements, its disappearance from the reach of students can nearly always be prevented.
Concurrent use or not?
The most common feature of e-books acquired by the library is that the book can be read concurrently either by an unlimited number of readers, by three readers or by one reader. However, even the most recent option allows you to share a link to the book in the library's database, allowing one reader to start reading the book online when the previous reader has stopped. The library typically acquires e-books for one concurrent user for cost reasons. In general, the need for simultaneous use is not very great if the book is not a course book. In most cases, unlimited concurrent access to course books is obtained if it is financially feasible.
E-books guide contains information on
e-book databases
e-books for teaching
open e-books
accessibility and Celia audio books
For more information on e-books, please contact library@utu.fi.