Open Access Kent State (OAKS)

In January 2012, Kent State University Libraries implemented a six-month pilot project for a Demand-Driven Acquisitions (DDA) ebook purchasing model that uses a combination of the acquisition services provided by the primary book jobber (YBP) and the access services provided by a well-known ebook distributer (eBrary). Using the book jobber mediated DDA model provided the library with selected discovery records that closely matched specifications of the library's print approval plan. This report provides an assessment of the DDA acquisition model as compared to that of the print books approval model in terms of budget, costs, workflow, subjects, publishers, and publication dates. Because DDA empowers library users to choose which ebooks are purchased based on actual use, this assessment also compares ebook usage from a DDA discovery pool with print book circulation of an equivalent amount of recent print acquisitions. The results of this study will help answer some of the key questions about the DDA acquisition model: (1) How does DDA align the library's collection with current user requirements? (2) Does DDA lead to more active use of library book collection? (3) Is DDA cost effective as an acquisition model? (4) What issues are associated with DDA, and how may these issues be addressed?