The role of the aggregator in promoting etextbooks

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The role of the aggregator in promoting
e-textbooks

• Scott Gibbens
• New Business Development Manager E Products
• September 2007

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Agenda

• The role of the traditional bookseller in
  promoting print books
• Why should the aggregator be interested in
  promoting eBooks?
• How do we promote eBooks to Library Staff
• How do we promote eBooks to Students

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Traditional Bookseller Role

• As a traditional book supplier to Libraries
  Coutts has in the past only had to promote its
  service to the library staff.
• The only other people who may come across Coutts
  apart from library staff are some Academic Staff
  (depending how involved they are with the
  Library)
• How do Librarians find out about which print
  books to buy?
• Reading lists
• Requests from Academic staff
• New title information from Publishers
• New title information from Bookseller
• Subject searches on databases
• High demand from print books

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Print Books the users

• Main users of the Academic Library are students
• How do they find out what books they need to
  read?
• Dominated by reading lists / tutors
  recommendations
• How do they find is these titles are available?
• Ask library staff
• Use the OPAC
• Browse the shelves
• So how does this all relate to the promotion of
  eBooks?

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eBooks

• Why does the aggregator need to promote eBooks?
• Librarians are likely to look at usage figures
  for their eBook collections.
• If the usage figures are low, it is less likely
  that eBooks will be added to the collection in
  the future
• Who is the aggregator promoting eBooks to?
• 2 main targets
• The Library staff
• The students

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Promoting eBooks to the Librarian

• Initial Selection Tools
• Initial trial access to all the books in
  MyiLibrary.
• Spreadsheets. We supply lists of the titles that
  are available broken down by subject area
• ISBN checking service. Many libraries look to
  eBooks to support their short loan collections
  and heavily used titles initially. We check their
  ISBNs against our holdings
• OASIS. OASIS allows librarians to search for
  Print and Electronic books via ISBN, Author,
  Title, Subject, Keyword etc.
• Keeping up to date with new titles
• Spreadsheets. Each month we issue a spreadsheet
  with all the new titles added, again broken down
  by subject
• New Title Plans in OASIS. Each library can select
  which subjects they want new title plans in, and
  OASIS delivers these to the librarian.
• Usage statistics
• We provide counter compliant usage statistics
  monthly
• Special Offers
• We periodically run Special Offers to alert
  library staff to new collections and titles
  available

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Promoting eBooks to Students (1)

• We see our role as helping the library to promote
  the eBooks to students as appropriate.
• All the evidence points to the integration of
  eBooks in the library catalogue to be essential.
• We provide MARC records are an integral part of
  this service
• Link to main service (search part of eBook
  provider)
• We have developed our service to provide a user
  friendly interface for those who do not come
  through the OPAC direct link
• A-Z lists of titles is still popular
• We can provide a spreadsheet provided listing
  Author, Title, URL or titles purchased for easy
  conversion to HTML

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Promoting eBooks to Students (2)

• Providing information to federated search engines
  
• MyiLibrary is developing SOAP, Open URL
  compatibility and SFX compatibility to meet these
  requirements
• Virtual Learning Environment
• We can provide URL authenticated links, directly
  to each title.
• Traditional printed and electronic information
• Standard printed material or customised
  electronic posters
• New models to get students involved in eBook
  selection
• Patron led acquisition, where the eBooks
  purchased are those that the students use.

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Marketing Materials?

• In the past we have produced MyiLibrary posters
  for libraries to put up
• Are posters looked at by students? Do students go
  to the library to see these posters?
• What else is useful?
• Printed user guides
• Printed monitor hats
• Posters
• Is it more important to get the Academic staff on
  board? Does the aggregator have a role to play
  here?
• An ebrary survey earlier this year identified
  lack of awareness as a key barrier to using
  eBooks. The question is still open how do we
  raise awareness?

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• Coutts Information Services Ltd.
• Avon House, Headlands Business Park, Ringwood,
  Hampshire, BH24 3PB
• tel [phone]
• www.couttsinfo.com