What is the MyiLibrary patron-driven eBook plan in the sciences?

This patron-driven eBook plan is a purchasing model in which we load MyiLibrary MARC records in advance into our catalog for eBooks that we profiled (scholarly, in certain science subject areas, and in scope). Patrons would decide which titles we actually purchase by browsing them more than once. The first browse is free; a 2nd browse would generate a purchase.

What counts as a browse?

Any further browsing beyond the table of contents in the eBook (no matter for how long) counts as a browse and after two browses will initiate a purchase.

They look like regular eBooks in WCL.  How can I make sure that I identify those specific eBooks in order to avoid a mistaken purchase?

Since the whole idea is to provide seamless access to our patrons, it is not immediately apparent in the OPAC. But if you view the MARC record in Voyager, you will see an 899 field that says: MyiLibraryeappr. This 899 text indicates that we have not yet purchased the eBook (so please be careful not to browse beyond the TOC and abstract unless you really want us to buy this book). If an eBook is purchased, when we load updated records, this 899 field changes to MyiLibraryCUL. Note that the last three characters 'CUL' indicate a Cornell-owned copy.

If you are interested to see how a record of an unpurchased MyiLibrary title looks like you can search in Voyager for Bib: 6683559 or look for the title:Strained metallic surfaces by Valim Levitin and Stephan Loskutov.

When will we begin to see records for this plan?

The first batch of 127 records (for imprint year 2009) already has been loaded on Friday, August 28. We will continue adding files of new available titles on a regular basis to catch all recent imprints and update those records that reflect titles our users have purchased. This first load of records is small for our profile since any of Cornell's current holdings (whether in print or e) were excluded from the load to avoid the purchase of duplicates (even duplicate versions).  Titles for the selected publishers in the chosen subject areas were received on the print approval plan through July 2009.

How many pages can a patron print from a MyiLibrary eBook in 1 session?

Users can print 10 pages at a time, up to 3 times in 1 session. The patrons will be notified if they go beyond the 10 pages limit in the Print Multiple Pages option in the MyiLibrary platform.

Will we get print books on approval in addition to the eBook titles?

Print copies of books by the targeted publishers and call number ranges covered in this plan have ceased to arrive automatically on approval. Print titles will be purchased upon a selectors funded request.

Who will be able to read the full content of the eBooks after purchase?

The eBooks will be available electronically to all currently affiliated Cornell users both before the purchase and following the purchase.  To the user, there will be no difference in use experience.

Which publishers and call numbers are included in this plan?

The call number range include:

Q-QE

T-TS (excluding TR-Photography)

The Publishers list includes:

1) Cambridge University Press
2) Chapman/CRC
3) Elsevier/North Holland
4) John Wiley (and all imprints...Blackwell included)
5) MIT
6) Morgan Kaufmann
7) Oxford/Clarendon
8) Princeton University Press
9) Routledge
10) University of Chicago Press
11) Walter de Gruyter

What is "dual access" and who are the publishers that we are going to pursue this with?

Although we are satisfied with the MyiLibrary platform, some publishers may provide our users better terms in regard to printing and viewing rights. For the benefit of our patrons, we agreed to pay an additional fee (when one is required) to MyiLibrary in order to provide us dual access rights for these publishers: Chapman/CRC, Elsevier/North Holland, John Wiley, Morgan Kaufmann, Oxford/Clarendon and Routledge. Please note that the publisher's link will be activated only upon purchase and on a later date than the original MyiLibrary link.  

Are we still getting on approval print copies of books published by these publishers beyond the scope of the sciences call number ranges?

Yes, according to our domestic approval restrictions.

How will we evaluate the success of this purchasing model?
We will be monitoring the expenditures as a result of the plan closely as well as the use of this material. RAU (Research and Assessment Unit) will play a consulting role in developing an evaluation plan to measure the overall effect of this new model with this vendor in these subject areas.

What happens if we decide to abandon this patron-driven plan after a year?

According to our agreement, Cornell will continue to have access to the eBooks purchased even if we decide to discontinue this program with MyiLibrary.

Why have we decided to experiment with a patron-driven eBook plan to begin with and why have we chosen MyiLibrary/Coutts as a vendor? 

Please follow the link:

https://confluence.cornell.edu/display/culpublic/eBooks+Report+on+Patron-Driven+eBooks+Plan

Where do I go with questions?
Boaz Nadav-Manes, btn3@cornell.edu

Members of the Patron Driven e-book committee: Boaz Nadav-Manes, Bill Kara, Jim Spear, Leah Solla, Jill Powell, Steve Rockey, John Saylor