Baylor Health Sciences Library

Challenges

Rebecca’s library serves a wide range of users, including the Texas A&M College of Dentistry, the Baylor Scott & White healthcare system in North Texas, and medical students from the College of Medicine. With only a small team of library staff members, managing a vast collection to meet the needs of 13 hospitals and other partners can be a daunting task.

“We serve the College of Dentistry, Baylor Scott & White health care system, and medical students,” Rebecca explains. "That's a lot, especially with a tiny crew of eight, soon to be seven."

With growing responsibilities for budgeting and policy-making, Baylor needed a solution that offered flexibility, reduced upfront costs, and ensured that e-books were available on demand for her users. Managing traditional collection development with limited resources had not been sustainable, so Rebecca’s institution implemented a DDA program to address these challenges.

Solutions

In early 2015, Rebecca's library implemented a DDA program through GOBI Library Solutions, a model that provides instant access to a broad range of e-book titles. The program has significantly improved the efficiency and effectiveness of their e-book collection management. "GOBI's DDA service has been a game-changer for us," Rebecca said. "It has allowed us to focus on providing excellent customer service while ensuring that our collection meets the needs of our patrons." Rather than purchasing every title up front, DDA allowed her library to provide users with seamless access to e-books, with the library only paying for titles after a certain level of use or "triggering" by patrons.

"Managing the DDA program has been a seamless experience for our users," Rebecca explains. "The beauty of it is that our patrons don’t even realize that some of the titles they access haven’t been purchased yet. It’s all behind the scenes, and they get what they need without any disruptions." This flexibility gave her library the power to focus funds on the most relevant and in-demand titles without burdening her small staff with constant purchasing decisions.

Furthermore, GOBI Library Solutions' integration with the library’s existing workflows made the program manageable and efficient. As Rebecca states, "I handle our invoices, budget, and policy decisions—DDA helps reduce the workload by automating e-book purchases based on actual use."

One of the standout aspects of Rebecca’s approach has been her forward-thinking collaboration with partner libraries. Recently, Baylor Health Sciences Library combined its budget with Richard D. Haines Library in Temple, Texas. This partnership opens the door for expanding the DDA program to a broader audience. "We’ve partnered with them on several projects, and expanding the DDA to their users is the next logical step," Rebecca shares. 

Rebecca’s ability to adapt and grow the program is a testament to her strategic thinking. She continuously reviews their approval plan and tweaks it as needed. "We might tweak it a little depending on what happens with our library, but either way, we’ll make sure it serves our users effectively," she adds.

Benefits & Results

The DDA program provided significant benefits to Rebecca’s library:

• Cost Efficiency: With DDA, funds are only spent when a book is needed, allowing the library to manage its budget more effectively. This is especially important given the limited financial and personnel resources. "We’re able to control spending more tightly since we only purchase what’s truly needed," Rebecca notes.
• Expanded Access: The library could offer access to a larger collection without purchasing everything upfront, ensuring that users across multiple institutions—dentistry, medicine, and hospitals—had the resources they needed. "It’ll be interesting to see how the topics triggered change—especially since they have a Children’s Hospital, which will bring in new areas of interest." Rebecca explains.
• Seamless User Experience: For patrons, the transition to a DDA model was seamless. As Rebecca mentioned, “They don’t even know the difference. For them, it’s just access to more books.”
• Collaboration Opportunities: By combining resources with a partner library, Baylor was able to stretch its budget further and serve an even wider audience. "We’ve recently combined budgets with a partner library," says Rebecca. "We imagine expanding the DDA program to their users as well, which could lead to even more tailored content for our diverse user base."

Overall, the DDA program has allowed Rebecca and her team to maintain a high level of service across a large and diverse user base, despite having limited staff and resources. It’s an approach that has helped the library stretch its budget while still ensuring users have the access they need.

Conclusion

For libraries like Rebecca’s, managing growing e-book collections with limited resources can be challenging. However, the flexibility and cost-efficiency of a DDA program through GOBI Library Solutions have made it possible for her team to thrive. As Rebecca says, “It’s just easier—DDA saves us time, effort, and money, all while giving our users the books they need, exactly when they need them.”