All things being equal we prefer ProQuest e-books (we get a 10% discount on these e-books). If the e-book is not available onProQuest, go with EBSCO or a DRM-free option from another vendor (if available). See below for license type preferences.
Print vs. E-books
It is fine to duplicate a print book by purchasing an e-copy
But, we strongly encourage that you not purchase a print copy if we already have e-copy.
You can ask for an exception to this policy (from Director of RTLS, the Director of CTS, or the CML), but we try not to add duplicates to our print collection due to space limitations.
Electronic is preferred over print due to space limitations. Of course, take into consideration the content and preference of users in that discipline.
Ordering Priorities/Preferences
E-books without Digital Rights Management (DRM) are always preferred over e-books with DRM
FYI: DRM is a technology that restricts/controls access to copyrighted materials. For e-books this usually involves restrictions on how much of the e-book (if any) can be downloaded, printed, or copied.
GOBI makes it pretty clear if an e-book is DRM-free:
Subject Librarians can select EBSCO and ProQuest E-books directly from GOBI
E-book Purchases from publishers (e.g. Sage, World Scientific, Oxford, Gale Virtual Reference, Cambridge, etc.) need to go through the CML
Keep in mind that many publishers (Springer, World Scientific, Oxford, Cambridge) offer yearly package deals which we can collaboratively review and make recommendations about. These will be on the NRCL or the Standing Vendor Offers list
FYI: Most publisher-hosted content is DRM free (e.g., Springer, Wiley)
E-book Access/License types
If the title is for a Course Reading, an online course (at CGU or KGI), or expected to have consistently high-use, license preferences are in this order:
1) Unlimited Access (UA), 2) Non-linear (NL), 3) 3-user, 4) 1-user
Depending on the price, unlimited is preferred
High cost of UA license
E.g. $800 for Elsevier UA license
Significant price difference between lower access models (1-user/3-user) and higher (UA/NL)
For Example: NL and UA license costs $200 more than 3-user
General collection e-books
Start with 1-user license
Licenses in ProQuest and EBSCO can be upgraded if usage exceeds availability
Upgraded licenses can be easily purchased if the price difference is relatively small. The CML gets notified when turn-aways happen and can upgrade the license)
For Example: Unlimited Access license only $50 more than 1-user.
Be sure to follow the Procedures for Ordering E-books before submitting requests
Starting in October 2013, The Claremont Colleges Library began an unmediated Demand-Driven Acquisitions (DDA) E-book program.
We currently have several DDA and Evidence-Based Acquisitions (EBA) e-book programs with the following vendors:
These DDA/EBA programs have implications for individual e-book purchasing Subject Librarians do in GOBI, as these e-book titles are not listed as being owned in GOBI. This is why it's important to check WMS first to make sure we do not already have access to a title via our DDA/EBA programs.
