Build a Collection with Guaranteed Usage
EBSCO’s Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) program is a great collection development and acquisition model that helps libraries to preserve their budget while maintaining control over the collection development process.
Create PDA title lists for your library using specific criteria, and then expose the bibliographic records to end users without purchasing the titles. A title on the PDA list is triggered for purchase when a patron directly accesses the title, guaranteeing that only those titles with usage are purchased.
(Note: Similar to the PDA program, GOBI customers can include EBSCO eBooks as part of their Demand-Driven Acquisitions [DDA] program.)
Three easy steps to set up Patron Driven Acquisition lists for EBSCO eBooks:
- Build a collection — Select titles appropriate for the interests of your patron base—whether you’re looking for content from a specific publisher or frontlist titles in a particular subject area.
- Expose the titles to your patrons — Load the bibliographic records to your catalog. This allows users to discover titles by browsing or searching the library collection.
- Buy only what gets used — A purchase is triggered when a patron:
- Downloads an eBook or audiobook title
- Views an eBook for more than ten minutes
- Views more than ten pages of an eBook
- Prints, emails, or copies & pastes a portion of an eBook page
What Happens when I Have More Requests than Licenses for a Title?
EBSCO’s Smart PDA option (coming soon) is a cost-effective way to offer multi-user access through user-triggered license upgrades, which eliminates the frustration experienced by users who are confronted with hold queues.
With Smart PDA, libraries choose how and when to apply upgrade options (by title)—such as upgraded access to the three user or unlimited user purchase model—providing the librarian(s) with full control over costs and book availability. Users are never met with the need to “wait” for a title, and libraries never pay for more access than is needed.