Work Package 6 - Systems Integration Guidelines

Abstract

This work package forms part of the E-book Acquisition as a Shared Service in M25 investigation which seeks to examine possibilities for the consortial purchasing of e-books, in particular through patron driven acquisition methods (PDA). Four potential acquisitions models have been under consideration, these are outlined in Appendix 1. This work package aims to illustrate some of the systems and procedural considerations which might arise through the implementation of such a programme of patron driven e-book acquisition, and has taken as its basis conversations with technical services librarians about current practice1 . It also relies on responses from e-book providers who engaged with JISC Collections in their work on this E-BASS 25 project2 ‘Consortium’ and ‘patron driven acquisition’, the two elements which define this project, both cause issues from a systems perspective. Efficiency in shared services is difficult to ensure, where one might have a variety of systems underpinning those services across the consortium. Where cross-consortium user activity is the determinant of purchases, it is also important to ensure parity across systems provision. For example a delay in the publication of records for candidate material at an institution could result in the users at that institution not receiving equal access to the collection and the opportunity for purchases beneficial to that user group being missed. When this is combined with relatively novel approaches which patron driven acquisition prompts, such as considering some of your e-book collection as temporary, the problem is magnified. This is not the only adjustment in thinking which one has to make, in the coming report terminology such as ‘ordering’ is used. However vital it may be to create a trail for auditing from one’s vendor to one’s financial systems terming this an ‘order’ when in many instances the acquisition of content will already have been completed, perhaps indicates how constrained one is by processes not designed for these purposes. . The piece focuses, in the main, on the issues of user discovery of content and financial management. It does not claim to completeness with elements such as virtual learning environment integration falling outside its scope. It is also worth stipulating that the library management system (LMS) market is undergoing significant change and new approaches for the management of patron driven programmes are likely to emerge.