The e-bass25 project, funded by Jisc and led by Royal Holloway, aims to provide guidance for academic libraries in collaborative e-book purchasing, specifically focusing on patron-driven acquisitions. It consists of various work packages including reports, guidelines, and models for e-book procurement, as well as strategies to align with national initiatives. The project outputs are meant to improve understanding and strategies related to e-books within library consortia.

1. M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries
(www.m25lib.ac.uk)
E-BASS25
John Tuck M25 Consortium Chair and Director of Library Services - Royal Holloway
University of London
Anna Grigson, Head of Collection Services Group, LSE Library
Jisc Library Systems Programme Workshop, July 15th
2013

2. E-BASS25
'as with e-books, nobody can be quite sure as
yet where all this is heading,' Oxford
Magazine, no 336, (2013,) page 1, ‘Brave new
worlds,’ editorial on open access
E-Books

3. E-BASS25 - Funding and
Partners
• E-BASS25: funded by Jisc as part of Digital
Infrastructure Programme, 2012/13
• Led by Royal Holloway, University of London, on
behalf of the M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries
partnering with
- Kingston University
- Science Museum (on behalf of MLAG)
- JISC Collections
- SERO Consulting
- Owen Stephens

4. E-BASS25: Aims
• Deliver a series of linked reports/guidelines as a
navigation tool for consortia seeking to embark on
collaborative purchasing of e-books with particular
reference to the patron driven acquisitions approach
(PDA)
• Wider review of the e-books landscape
• Review PDA options and other relevant models
• Identify how consortial PDA purchasing can fit with
national initiatives, e.g.model licences, purchasing
consortia agreements and services such as KB+

5. E-BASS25• E-book landscape and context review
• Business requirements and business model
specification
• Guidelines on procurement options
• Systems integration guidelines: report and
recommendations
• Dissemination: reports/communications and
strategic framework to present project
outputs to the wider community
Work Packages

6. E-BASS25For project outputs,
see: http://ebooksguidance.jiscinvolve.org
•Animation/video on PDA business models
see also : http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Co4CBa5VS_Q
* Covers Usage, Rental, Purchase and Evidence
models
What do we have? (1)

7. E-BASS25Project documents:
•The nature of library consortia
•Examining models for consortial PDA – Orbis
Cascade Alliance case study
•E-book models & consortial purchasing:
benefits and challenges.
•E-BASS25 survey: shared attitudes to e-book
acquisition
What do we have? (2)

8. E-BASS25More documents:
•Talking to publishers about consortial PDA: a
report by JSIC Collections
•Procurement guidelines
•Systems integration guidelines
•Reflections on the E-BASS project by Dominic
Tate, project manager
What do we have? (3)

9. E-BASS25• Pick up the challenge and take forward a
consortial PDA initiative
• Further discussions with Jisc Collections to
refine possibilities
• Engage with other consortia working in this
area, e.g. SHEDL (Scottish Higher Education
Digital Library)
Next Steps

10. E-BASS25For more information: see
http://ebooksguidance.jiscinvolve.org
Questions?
‘By 2020, the e-book fad has ended,’ Scenario 2:
Nostalgic, D.J.Staley, Future thinking for
academic librarians: scenarios for the future of
the book, ACRL, 2012, p. 10.
Thank You