This document summarizes a presentation on the pros and cons of pay-per-view (PPV) journal access. It provides an overview of PPV, including content types, pricing models, implementation options, and challenges. Examples of PPV in academic and corporate libraries are discussed. Key takeaways are that PPV can provide greater budget flexibility and user access, but requires more management from libraries.

1. Earnestly Seeking Greater Flexibility
The Pros and Cons of
Pay-Per-View Journal Access
Marija Markovic
Acute Source, Inc.
Steve Oberg
Wheaton College (IL)
Concurrent Session
34th Annual Charleston Conference -- 6 November 2014

2. What we will cover...
● Overview of PPV
o Types of content
o Pricing models
o Implementation
options
o Challenges
o Pros and Cons
● Examples
o Academic
o Corporate
● Takeaways
o Greater flexibility
o Greater access
o A bit more for library
to manage

3. First, a little background info...
Marija…copyright law and library services
consultant with corporate library experience.
Steve...currently works at Wheaton College (IL)
as e-resources and serials librarian.

4. Types of Pay-Per-View (PPV) content
● journal articles
● ebook chapters/sections
● reference works
● streaming video
Our focus for this presentation will be on PPV
for journal articles.

5. Pricing models
● Prepaid token
bundle purchase
● Postpaid
● Institutional credit
card (on demand)
● New option: article
rentals

6. Implementation options
● Activated/open for use to all library users
● Activated/open for use to selected super
users/mediating access for the wider audience. Super
users can be internal (library staff) or external
(document delivery supplier)
● Technical aspects of implementation option (applicable
to either one)
● Dependent on library’s budget model (are individual
library users charged back for this type of service, or
does the library absorb the cost)

7. Implementation challenges
● Pricing: estimating potential usage
● Differing PPV verbiage among vendors
● Implementation
o Open-to-all: potential to deplete the bundle faster
than anticipated
o Open-to-super users: implementing steps for
mediation (an extra step, a delay for library user),
technical aspect of implementation, different
challenges for internal super users (library staff) vs.
external super users (document delivery supplier)

8. PPV Pros and cons
● Perfect solution for
shrinking budgets:
o Cost savings and fulfillment
of users’ content needs in
one when no subscription is
available
● Lower cost per article than
individual article purchases
through document delivery
suppliers/ILL or publishers’
web sites
● Even without a
subscription, user still
has easy/quick access
to content
● Often provides complete
backfile access
● Good collection
development tool, helps
analyze true usage of
content

9. PPV Pros and cons, continued...
● Requires significant ongoing oversight and negotiation
with vendors
● Library does not have ownership rights to PPV content
● May impact budget structure: Once funds for tokens are moved
to the part of the budget dedicated to external services/PPV services, it
may be difficult to get it “back” into the part of the budget dedicated to
subscriptions (if it is determined that a resource is less expensive via a
subscription than via PPV).

10. PPV Pros and cons, continued...
● Access for users may not always be as straightforward
as purchased/subscribed access
● User can’t readily determine difference between
subscribed and PPV content access depending on PPV
setup choices (this is both good and bad)
● Still somewhat limited number of vendors who support
institutional PPV
● Need to understand usage data over time to see
patterns/trends

11. Let’s look at
some examples

12. Example #1: Academic

13. Example #2: Academic

14. Example #3: Corporate
● Key piece of the journal collection development puzzle
● In the cost-per-use analysis, cost comparison of subscription
vs other options, triggered by pre-determined cost threshold
● Example: If the cost threshold is $35, options are reviewed for any journal
where cost per use is $35 and higher:
○ Cost per use of article (via subscription), $35
○ Document delivery vendor cost, $45
○ Individual article order via publisher, $40-50
○ PPV account, $15 per article (for a prepaid token bundle)
● PPV Pro: Selecting the most cost effective solution
○ A reversed example: substituting journal collection subscription with a PPV account due to
budget reduction: Journal subject collection, Publisher X, cost, $40,000, article cost per
use, $5.

15. Example #4: Corporate, continued
● Corporate library budget models:
○ Budget is allocated to other functional areas annually
○ All of the library costs are charged back to users
○ Library absorbs all the cost
○ Mixed models: combinations of the above
● Example: Budget types impact the implementation of PPV:
○ Forces a restricted PPV account (via an intermediary)
○ More complicated technical aspect of access
■ Maintenance of user data
■ User experience (forms, different platforms)
■ Troubleshooting

16. What are some takeaways?
Greater budget flexibility
Greater access for users
A bit more for library to manage

17. Questions?

18. Contact us
Marija Markovic
acutesourceinc@gmail.com
Steve Oberg
steve.oberg@wheaton.edu
Twitter: @TechSvcsLib