Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) A Feasibility Study on the Acquisition of e-Books by Higher Education Libraries and the Role of the JISC Invitation to Tender
Summary 1. This document invites tender proposals to undertake a study to explore the feasibility of a JISC funded consortium type negotiations for e-books for use by the higher education community. Funding of up to £25,000 plus VAT is available for this study. The deadline for proposals is 1 pm on Friday 31 March 2006.
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Background and Context 4. The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/) is a joint body of the Further and Higher Education Funding Councils for the UK. It supports the higher education sector in the use of information communications technology (ICT). The JISC’s mission is to help higher education institutions realise their ambitions in exploiting opportunities of ICT by exercising vision and leadership, encouraging collaboration and cooperation, and by funding and managing UK development programmes and services of the highest quality. The JISC Collection Team’s mission is to ‘To negotiate for, and, where appropriate to license, quality assured electronic materials that will provide the JISC community with a range of resources to support education and research’. This work is informed by the JISC Collections Strategy: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/coll_strat.html. The JISC does not fund the acquisition of e-books on behalf of the library community – rather it negotiates agreements using its model licence: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Model_Lic_Ebooks_SubLic.doc The licence ensures that libraries have terms and conditions of use that mean online resources can be fully exploited in education and research and JISC negotiates discounted subscription rates for UK higher education. These are open consortia deals where individual libraries choose to opt-in. 1 The JISC Collections Team is advised by the E-Books Working Group (EBWG), chaired by Dr Hazel Woodward - University Librarian and Director of Cranfield University Press, Cranfield University. Further information can be found on the JISC website at: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/wg_ebooks_home.html.
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Consortium models adopted in other countries may not necessarily meet the need of the UK community. It should also be noted that the JISC is not looking to undertake central procurement of e-books – and any agreements with publishers would be on the basis of libraries opting in to nationally negotiated agreements.
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The EBWG has already commissioned studies in the following areas: • • • • A strategy and vision for the future for electronic textbooks in UK FE and HE: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Annex_E_E_Textbooks_Strategy _final_report.pdf An e-book mapping exercise: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=coll_ebookstudy1_emapping Promoting the uptake of e-books in FE and HE: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=coll_ebookstudy2_hefe An investigation into free e-books: http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=coll_ebookstudy4a_free
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The JISC Collections Team has successfully negotiated agreements for ereference books – and has agreements with publishers such as Oxford University Press (Oxford Reference Online and Oxford English Dictionary), Xrefer and Thomson Gale. The take-up of these offers by institutions in the UK is high. However, the JISC has struggled to find successful models for nationally negotiated agreements for e-monographs and e-text books. JISC agreements with some publishers for their collections of e-books have not been widely taken up by the higher education community. Informally, the library community has indicated that it does not want to licence e-books collections by publisher.
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Objectives of the Study 11. The study is intended to inform the JISC E-Books Working Group and the JISC Content Services committee about the feasibility of JISC adding value at a national level, by engaging in negotiations with publishers of e-books. For the purposes of this study – ‘e-books’ means e-monographs and e-text books and specifically excludes electronic reference works such as online dictionaries and encyclopaedias. The study will engage with the stakeholders, the UK higher education library community and the book publishing industry in the UK: i. • • • • • The UK HE library community Essential questions for this community include: Is there demand from library community for the JISC to be involved in negotiations at a national level for e-books? Does the library community think that the JISC can add value in this area, and if so how (e.g. preferred business models, delivery models, licensing, etc)? Does the library community want to build bespoke collections of e-books, or would it prefer a model closer to the ‘Big-Deal’ for journals. Does the library community require different levels of access or purchasing models to e-books (the whole book, chapter level) Additional questions for librarians may include: - How do you go about building collections of hard copy books? - How do you currently go about building collections of e-books? How would you like this process to develop in the future? - Do you anticipate a shift in budget from hard copy books to e-books? - How would you like e-books to be delivered to the library and its users?
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ii. Book Publishers and aggregators of e-books Essential questions for this community include: • Would publishers and aggregators of e-books engage with the JISC on its terms?2 • Do publishers and aggregators think that the JISC can add value in this area, and if so how (e.g. preferred business models, delivery models, licensing, etc)? • Additional questions for publishers and aggregators may include: - What are your preferred routes to market for e-books? - How do you see the market vis-à-vis the higher education library purchase of e-text books, the student purchase of e-text books and the micro-purchase of e-text books such as at the chapter level? Note: To be viable, business models, delivery models and licensing must work for both publishers and libraries – but it should be noted that the JISC is funded to serve the interest of the library community. 13. If the report concludes that the JISC can add value for its community, this assertion should be supported with recommendations for feasible business models, modes of delivery and licensing.
Timescales 14. This Invitation to Tender (ITT) is issued on 24 February 2006. The deadline for submission of full proposals is 1 pm on Friday 31 March 2006. The study should begin by 5 May 2006. A progress report will be submitted to JISC by 30 June 2006, with the final report to be submitted by 30 August 2006. The results of the study will need to be presented to a meeting of the JISC’s EBooks Working Group on 12 September 2006.
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Deliverables 16. The deliverables associated with this study include: • • • Progress report 30 June 2006 Final report 30 August 2006 Attendance and presentation of results at a meeting of the E-Books Working Group 12 September 2006 in Cranfield.
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Any information gathered during the course of this study and not already in the public domain is deemed to be the property of the JISC. The information provided in the final report and the rights to all other output shall become the JISC’s property (through HEFCE).
Management of the Study 18. The study will be overseen by Lorraine Estelle, JISC Collections Team Manager (Email: l.estelle@jisc.ac.uk) and members of the E-Books Working Group.
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That is to say engage in JISC’s opt-in model, using the JISC Model Licence for e-books.
Funding available 19. A total of £25,000 plus VAT is available for this study, which includes travel and subsistence costs. A suitable schedule of payment of the fee will be agreed following the award of contract.
Submission of proposals 20. Proposals should be a maximum of 8 A4 pages plus appendices, and no less than 10pt font. Proposals should include: • • • • • • scheduled work plan showing key dates and deliverables; summary of relevant experience to undertake this project; CVs of key personnel proposed for this project (maximum of 2 pages per staff member; an assessment of risks associated with successful completion of the study and mitigating actions; a breakdown of costs, including a statement on VAT costs; contact details of other clients who may be approached for reference purposes.
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Proposals should clearly demonstrate: • • • • • • A detailed programme of the work to be undertaken, including a work plan with milestones and deliverables; Methodologies to be adopted; An outline of the areas to be covered in the final report; Details of key personnel who will work on this project, including relevant experience and qualifications; The estimated number of days to be contributed to the project by each person and the cost per person; The total cost, together with a breakdown of costs (staffing costs, travel & subsistence etc).
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Proposals should be sent by email to Avalon McAllister (a.mcallister@jisc.ac.uk) for receipt by 1 pm on Friday 31 March 2006. It is the responsibility of the bidder to ensure that the email has arrived by the deadline outlined above. A copy of the proposal should also be posted for receipt by the same deadline to: Avalon McAllister JISC Executive Northavon House Coldharbour Lane Bristol BS16 1QD Faxed or late copies will not be accepted. Please do not rely on first class post for next day delivery.
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Evaluation Process and Criteria 25. An evaluation panel will be established with representation from the E-Books Working Group and the JISC Executive. The criteria used to decide will include assessments of (in no particular order): • • • • • • Feasibility of the study within the given timescale Robustness of the methodology Analysis of risks to the completion of the study Relevant experience and expertise of staffing resources Costs Value for money
Further Information 26. Queries regarding the tender process should be addressed to Avalon McAllister (Email: a.mcallister@jisc.ac.uk) in the first instance.
The JISC reserves the right not to select any proposal to undertake this study. JISC Executive Bristol