Academic libraries have many options when it comes to adding e-books to their digital library including subscriptions, DDA/PDA, CAM, perpetual purchase and short-term loan. To make matters more challenging, some models require librarians to take into consideration how many users can access the titles since vendors offer one user, three users or unlimited user models.
According to the EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) Collection Development team, EBSCO eBooks™ subscription usage is up 26 percent as of March 2021, compared to the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. This statistic illustrates the value that subscriptions offer to library users, while giving libraries an affordable option that provides a wealth of academic content for students and faculty.
“Our team of collection development experts curate each subscription collection to ensure they include high-quality content from leading publishers and university presses. Each collection specialist maintains specific subscriptions according to areas of knowledge and expertise. Our collection experts take pride in making our subscription collections high-quality, valuable, time-saving and affordable solutions for librarians.” - Jeanette Pomeroy, EBSCO Collection Development Specialist
Our collection experts take pride in making our subscription collections high-quality, valuable, time-saving and affordable solutions for librarians.
Our collection experts take pride in making our subscription collections high-quality, valuable, time-saving and affordable solutions for librarians.
Here are some key benefits of EBSCO eBooks subscriptions:
Content – Subscriptions contain large selections of popular titles in multiple, high-interest subject areas that add a strong layer of foundational content essential to course curricula and research. In most cases, additional titles are added throughout the year at no extra cost.
Access – Subscriptions provide unlimited usage. Librarians prefer unlimited user access with their e-book purchases to reduce turnaways and provide access to all students.
Pricing – The cost of subscriptions is well below the cost of purchasing perpetual access to all the e-books available under the subscription. It’s a great way to offer a large amount of discoverable content at a low per title cost.
Are subscription collections the right acquisition model for your library? If you are looking to maximize your budget by adding large amounts of scholarly titles, with unlimited user access from leading publishers, then subscriptions are a great choice. Since not all providers use the same practices when managing subscriptions, including notifying librarians when titles are added or removed; using filler content (maps, global media, deep backlist, etc.); and including publication dates that don’t match the MARC record dates, it’s worth taking the time to select an e-book subscription vendor whose policies and practices align with the goals and needs of your library.
View our newly updated interactive e-brochure describing all EBSCO eBooks models available to libraries through EBSCO as well as industry stats, ordering options, the new EBSCO mobile app, upcoming developments, further illustrating the EBSCO commitment to e-book accessibility for all users.
