2015 Charleston Library Conference

QUT (Queensland University of Technology) is a leading university based in the city of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and is a selectively research intensive university with 2,500 higher degree research students and an overall student population of 45,000 students.

The transition from print to online resources is largely completed and the library now provides access to 450,000 print books, 1,000 print journals, 600,000 ebooks, 120,000 ejournals and 100,000 online videos. The ebook collection is now used three times as much as the print book collection.

This paper focuses on QUT Library’s ebook strategy and the challenges of building and managing a rapidly growing collection of ebooks using a range of publishers, platforms, and business and financial models. The paper provides an account of QUT Library’s experiences in using library book agent services in the provision of e-preferred approval plans for automated selection and shelf-ready services; the use of Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) using eBook Library (EBL); the strategic procurement of publisher and subject collections by lease and outright purchase models, and the more recent transition to Evidence Based Selection (EBS) options provided by some publishers. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of each of these business models at QUT, focusing on collection development, usage, cost per use, and value for money. The adoption of open access business models including Knowledge Unlatched is also explored.
Reference is also made to the adoption of commercial courseware provided by some traditionally book publishers, and how the Library can support the adoption of these services.