A Small Scale Multi-type Library Consortium for the Purchase of Electronic Resources

Virginia M. Tanji, Director, Annis Lee Adams, Acting Head of Public Services, Luree H. Ohigashi Oasay, Technical Services LibrarianJohn A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI

The setting is Hawaii, a small state, with several unaffiliated hospital libraries and university and community college libraries that previously had access to a wide range of electronic resources through institutional memberships at a large private medical library, which was an independent unit of a large hospital system. This library was downsized and at the same time, a brand new, state-funded academic health sciences library opened.

•The smaller hospital libraries, wanting to expand their electronic collections, needed to find an affordable way to license online resources.

•A loosely organized buying club was formed in July 2004 for purchasing online medical resource packages.

•First purchases were effective for the 2005 calendar year.

OBJECTIVE

SETTING

The Health Sciences Library serves as facilitator and negotiator for all contracts.

•All purchases may be made a la carte.

•Whenever possible vendors have been asked to invoice each library/institution directly. (Only one vendor declined, but made other accomodations.)

•No administrative fees for participating in the Consortium.

•Each participant’s purchase amount must be less than the cost to purchase a resource independently.

SELECTIONS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT CONSORTIAL RATES

BMJOther BMJ JournalsMDConsult/FirstConsultClinics via MDConsultAdditional Textbook collections via MDConsultNursingConsultOVID Books (selection of 65 books)OVID Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Total Access

Journal CollectionOVID CINAHLOVID MEDLINEOVID PsycInfoOVID PsycBooksOVID PsycArticlesScienceDirect via University of Hawaii at Manoa

Library’s contractSTAT!Ref (five concurrent users, 71 books)

PARTICIPANTS

Academic Libraries/Educational Institutions:

Health Sciences Library, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Oahu

Hawaii Pacific University Libraries, Oahu

Kapiolani Community College Library, Oahu

Kauai Community College Library, Kauai

Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, (PREL), Oahu

Sullivan Library, Chaminade University, Oahu

Hospital Libraries:

Alyce Haines Biomedical Library, Maui Memorial Medical Center, Maui

Castle Medical Center, Oahu

Hawaii Medical Library, Queen’s Medical Center, Oahu

Hawaii State Hospital Medical Library, Oahu

Hawaii Pacific Health System includes:Arnold Library, Straub Clinic & Hospital, OahuKapiolani Medical Center, OahuPali Momi Medical Center, OahuWilcox Memorial Hospital, Kauai

Hilo Medical Center Library, Island of Hawaii

Medical Library, Kuakini Health System, Oahu

Medical Library, Tripler Army Medical Center, Oahu

Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, Oahu

Spark K. Matsunaga Veteran’s Medical Center, Oahu

To develop a multi-type library consortium, the Medical Libraries Consortium of Hawaii, that functions as a “buying club” and purchases medical electronic resources at a significant discount for all participants, which include an academic health sciences library, other small university and community college libraries (totaling 6 academic libraries), and 13 hospital libraries.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

•Consortium has now successfully operated through three subscription cycles.

•Total monetary value of purchases for calendar year 2006 was approximately $295,260.

•This consortium could serve as a model for a regional, multi-type library buying club with little administrative oversight needed.

•100% of participants are satisified with consortial choices (63% of the respondents were very satisfied and 37% satisfied (16/16). Note: Only two libraries have dropped out from the initial group (one was dissolved and the other sold).

•“Very good value for the money.”

•“Excellent -- we could not provide quality patient care without the consortium.”

•Purchasing “a la carte” is important to consortial participants. Of the 16 respondents, six would not participate if they were required to purchase all selections and nine did not know.

•All 16 agreed that they had saved money by participating•“…get best value for my limited funds…wouldn’t be able to afford all the resources…otherwise.”

•“…Our users are pleased with the selection available as evidence by the growing usage of these resources.”

•Suggestions for improvement of the process•“My institution has expressed that it would like to see usage included as one of the factors in allocating costs. I have thus far been able to convince them that the current method is fair.”

•“Be sent invoices earlier…”

•“…put…information/responses online in one place…in a wiki or a blog…might be easier than an email deluge.”

•Impact on your institution/library’s standing within the organization•“Staff comment that they like when the full-text is available through the various resources that we subscribe to. One psychologist especially likes ScienceDirect, since it has a few titles (pricier ones) that we stopped our print subscriptions to.”

•“Very helpful for outreach and training of public health staff. Essential resources. VERY grateful to have this access!!”

•“Good to have the resources via the Internet at their desks and around the institution.”

•“Our students rely heavily on the eBook collections, and our faculty are pleased with the journal access.”

•Barriers to Participation•Cost/budget (10/11 respondents)•Resources available for purchase (3/11)•Comments:

•“Need general science or biological databases”•“…small budget…can only subscribe to certain databases”•“budget…zero increase in funding the last 4 years”•6/7 comments related to budget and one to choice

EVALUATION/SURVEY RESULTS

GUIDELINES FOR THE CONSORTIUM

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