E-books and research technology provider ebrary, US, has announced a strategic new approach to e-book acquisition based on three steps - Transition, Diversify and Streamline. The initiative is expected to help libraries meet the research needs of their entire institutions and maximise their budgets.
Libraries that transition a greater percentage of their budgets from print to electronic, diversify acquisition models, and streamline ordering processes will see a much greater and faster return on their e-book investments.
Diversification is a key component of ebrary's approach to strategic e-book acquisition. It is not one size fits all. Similar to a stock portfolio, libraries that diversify their acquisition models can see a better return on their investment.
Corporations can significantly reduce costs associated with books that are purchased by individuals, and never shared or archived by creating a centralised digital repository. This can be accomplished by providing access to hundreds of thousands of e-books that meet the needs of multiple departments through patron driven acquisition. Titles are only purchased if they are actually used. Subscribing to growing, industry-specific subscriptions with unlimited, multi-user access, and purchasing essential titles outright can help reduce costs significantly. Individuals can also consider uploading and integrating their own research and third party resources with DASH!
All e-books acquired under any model are seamlessly integrated on the ebrary platform and are available on or offline via a dedicated mobile app for the iPad, iPhone and iPad touch. The ebrary platform also includes rich functionality for making the research process quick and efficient. Titles can be purchased directly through ebrary's ordering system, which combines administrative functionality in a single interface, or through their existing print acquisition workflow through book vendors such as YBP.
