More digital content through Ebrary

Ebrary, the brainchild of Christopher Warnock and Kevin Sayar, was founded in 1999 to make books available online. It is now the leading e-book provider to libraries and researchers worldwide, and in 2011 was purchased by the titan database corporation, ProQuest. As of this writing, Ebrary's website claims the service hosts 595,995 documents with 6,915 added in the past 30 days. Of those, the World Maritime University Library offers its patrons unlimited access to more than 78 thousand titles in the "Academic Complete" subscription. The cost: $6097 per year.

Of course, as with many databases sold as "academic packages" -- the maritime content can be hit or miss. But WMU students need access to more general works as well. The Ebrary subscription is well stocked with up to date works on management, statistics, economics, general science, etc. In some cases, library staff have discovered and provided Ebrary links to assigned reading materials that no longer need to be rotated on "short loan" (a tedious and expensive arrangement whereby the library purchases and houses multiple copies of textbooks -- never enough for everyone -- which are in demand for only two weeks a year). We invite the WMU faculty to peruse the offerings for more Ebrary books that could be used in their classes. After all, they have already been paid for.

The list of titles of specific interest to maritime research seems to be growing. There are books on oceanography, marine pollution, oil spills, shipping, ship recycling, piracy, maritime law and law of the sea (the works of Grotius as well as 21st Century titles). Several titles acquired by the library in print over the last few years are now available as e-books that can be accessed by all WMU patrons simultaneously, including Ports in Proximity, Flagging Standards, and Shipping Innovation There are actually more Ebrary books on the topic of "supply chain management" than the library has on shelf.

What is making Ebrary more relevant to the study of maritime affairs is the list of e-books available outside the subscription package. The 78 thousand titles in Academic Complete can now be supplemented with e-books selected individually from hundreds of thousands of other titles. Publishers getting into the e-book business are basically outsourcing the discovery interface, the customer e-licensing and the distribution concerns to a company with a well-established architecture and business model. Larger publishers already providing e-books on their web sites are finding that their library customers appreciate being able to subscribe to a single source for e-content management. Consequently, whether or not a particular title is available in the library's Academic Complete subscription, worthy publications in maritime affairs are being made available for single title purchase.

Ebrary has also extended a role to the patron in building a library's e-collection. Library staff can issue accounts to faculty, for instance, which enable them to find and recommend purchases. The librarian reviews the recommendations and either approves, rejects or defers the purchase. Approved orders are instantly available online.

And as of 25 Jan 2013, WMU library users have the opportunity to participate in Ebrary's "Patron Driven Acquisition." Under this program, library staff can set aside a budgeted amount and set up pre-approved purchase lists based on subjects, publisher, price and other criteria, but no charge is made until a patron actually commits to reading the book (perusing the table of contents and sampling a few pages does not trigger a purchase).

Meanwhile, all Ebrary books, whether from the subscription package or from individual title purchases, are discoverable and readable through the same interface. To the end user, the different methods of acquisition make no difference in the searching and reading experience.

The title list of the subscription package varies slightly from year to year, depending on Ebrary's agreements with publishers. Cancellation of the subscription, however, does not cancel access to titles the library has purchased. A low annual hosting fee is charged for access, but the titles are owned by the library in perpetuity.

Ebrary is more than a collection of e-books. It is also a scholarly resource that allows users to add  bookmarks and annotations. Words and phrases can be highlighted and automatically looked up in an online dictionary or Wikipedia. Citation data can be exported to major reference management software and services, such as EndNote and Refworks. 

For patrons who insist they can not read from a PC, Ebrary has apps for Android and Ipads. Depending on publisher's terms, up to 40 pages or one chapter from each book can be converted to PDF, downloaded and retained by the patron in perpetuity. The PDF's read well on a tablet or Kindle. Alternatively, users can download an entire publication in epub format to read on their tablet or e-reader device for up to 2 weeks. Typically, 2 users per institution can download a book for offline reading at a time. When it comes to online reading, most of WMU's titles allow unlimited simultaneous access across the organization.

Usage among WMU patrons has risen steadily for several years. According to the 2012 statistics, for slightly more than $6000, students and faculty accessed materials that would have required ten times that amount to procure in print.

Not a bad deal. Cost of access is a key consideration in building our collection. Ebrary's continued improvement of its services and extension of its title list are proving to be a key component in our stock of monographic material.

Patrons wanting to know more about Ebrary or to get hands on training are encouraged to contact the library staff.