In collaboration with libraries and publishers around the world, ProQuest will pilot a new ebook acquisition model called “Access-to-Own,” the latest in a series of flexible access models offered by the industry-leading information solutions provider. Access-to-Own facilitates title ownership by applying budget dollars spent on rentals to perpetual purchases. The model, which utilizes Demand-Driven Acquisition (DDA), addresses short-term loan (STL) pricing concerns and provides access to more front list content than may be available with short-term loans, and results in more content ownership.
“ProQuest developed DDA to enable librarians to expand access to a large selection of ebooks while only paying for those that are used,” said Kevin Sayar, Senior Vice President and General Manager, ProQuest Books. “This complementary new model addresses concerns around STL pricing – both for libraries and publishers – by exchanging a higher price point for rentals in return for expenditure toward ownership of books.”
A recent ProQuest-sponsored survey of more than 460 librarians illustrates the need for DDA’s just-in-case approach to building a comprehensive collection for users. A majority of librarians surveyed use this evidence-based form of acquisition — with 48 percent using purchase and 21 percent using STL. More than 40 percent of these librarians state their primary reason for choosing DDA is to ensure that their limited budgets better align with patron needs.
The pilot for Access-to-Own will launch in mid-2016, with 14 publishers already signed on and many more expected to participate: Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, SAGE, Taylor & Francis Group (which includes Routledge, CRC Press, and Ashgate), Wiley, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, De Gruyter, Guilford Press, John Benjamins, World Bank Publications, University of Pennsylvania Press, Indiana University Press, University of North Carolina Press, University Press of Colorado, and Fordham University Press.
Access-to-Own is one of many flexible models available on ProQuest’s new Ebook Central platform, which offers a modern, user-centered design for researchers; DRM-free chapter download; and full title download. The new platform pairs a user-focused interface with ProQuest LibCentral, an administrative portal that supports discovery, selection, and acquisition of ebooks through a streamlined process. LibCentral offers customizable administrative tools, support for all access models, and real-time usage and expenditure analytics, as well as built-in interoperability with key vendors.