I will organize the following to be added to Library news today:
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The Library is keen to increase buying e-books particularly during this time that the physical libraries are closed after the earthquake.
We are doing this in several ways by:
• Systematically working through everything in the High Demand collections (essential and recommended core texts) and ordering what we can as e-books
• Identifying other titles useful for UC learning, teaching and research that we can buy as e-books
• Looking at “packages” of e-books from different publishers e.g. SAGE, Springer, ScienceDirect and identifying candidates for possible purchase
University staff and students are continuing to recommend titles for purchase and we are working our way through these as well.
Another model for e-book selection and purchasing that we are implementing is what is known as a “patron-driven” model. This model works by the Library loading records of e-books into the Library Catalogue. Library customers can request access to these titles using the link in the catalogue record. These records will have a note “Available for purchase”. If you request access to a “patron-driven” title the Library will purchase the e-book (providing the title meets our collection development criteria for being relevant to UC learning, teaching and research and within budgetary constraints).
When you click a link to a “patron-driven” e-book you can browse the title for 5 minutes. At this point, the Library does not yet own this e-book.
After 5 minutes browsing, you will get a message advising “Your time browsing this book has elapsed”. If you would like the Library to purchase a copy of this e-book, please click “Yes (place a request)”.
In the “Request this book” screen:
– Type in your name and email address as requested
– It doesn’t matter if you pick 1 or 7 days for the Loan Period
– Leave the Barcode box blank
– In the comments field please indicate how useful this title would be for UC learning, teaching or research. If the title relates to a specific course please state the course code
You will receive a reply from a librarian advising if your request has been approved for purchase.
I’m wondering if the "Available for purchase via EBL" note in the catalogue record will make users think that they would bear the costs themselves? This is assuming they read the notes field at all, of course.
Deborah
Happy to take suggestions as to how the wording in the note can be improved. Tim