From: "Swindler, Luke" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2017 17:34:22 +0000

OUP’s Very Short Introductions series is indeed worthy, representing a
prime example of the utility and value of short-form monographs.   (In
fact, UNC Chapel Hill Libraries have all titles in OUP’s Very Short
Introductions series as print books, either as locally purchased or
acquired consortially as a matter of policy via its Triangle Research
Libraries Network program with Oxford University Press to own all
monographs from OUP and University Press Scholarship Online partner
presses).

Based on non-scientific samplings for short periods, UNC’s usage
ranges from significant to nil.  Given their overall potential utility
and low cost, UNC considers the VSI titles not only to represent a
good investment but also a comprehensive/complete acquisition
appropriate for a major research library that supports programs across
nearly the entire academic spectrum.  (UNC, of course, represents an
upper limit of appropriateness; other libraries supporting different
and/or fewer programs would not need to acquire VSI titles so
broadly—and typically could not justify subscribing to the entire
e-books database.)

Beyond cataloging each title individually—as is done for long-form
monographs—I do not see a cost-effective model for promoting these
circa 500 short-form monographs within a research library collections
universe of millions of print and e-books.  More specifically, such
promotions strike me as quaint and quixotic for other large
libraries—even in the case of institutions such as UNC that continue
to have undergraduate library branches.

In my view, vending options for the VSI series represent the major
problem:  that is, institutions must either purchase and own print or
subscribe to all the titles as leased e-books.  While recognizing the
economic publishing model would not allow OUP to offer these titles as
e-books with no DRM restrictions without jeopardizing the large number
of sales to individuals the VSI titles generate, I do think that OUP
also should offer e-book single simultaneous user purchasing options
on either its own or an aggregator platform as an additional choice.
Such an option would achieve four important goals:; 1)  satisfy those
libraries that want own these titles as e-books rather than lease
them; 2) address the fact that library subscriptions budgets typically
are much more constrained than their ability to purchase resources on
a one-time/ad hoc basis, especially if the institution cannot justify
acquiring all the titles; 3) take advantage of the inherent
acceptability of short-form monographs as e-books (which could promote
readership and use); and 4) with availability as e-books solve the
readability problem of small font size in the print versions, since
viewing these titles online would allow the text display to be
increased.

The challenge for both libraries and OUP comes down to developing an
equitable and sustainable pricing model for title-by-title e-book
vending of VSI short-form monographs.  What both OUP and library
customers want is a vending environment that maximizes options and
promotes the availability of VSI titles—and by extension other
short-form monographs—qua e-books when this format makes the most
sense while also allowing OUP the realize profit margins that allow it
continue to publish this series.  As an initial recommendation, the
price for single simultaneous user access would have to higher than
but nowhere near list for long-form scholarly monographs.

Additionally, for libraries to have more options in acquiring e-books,
librarians will need to live with the basic economic realities.  As a
rule, inexpensive e-books (when they represent titles with high-volume
print sales to individuals that publishers need to stay in business)
require simultaneous user restrictions—unless libraries are willing to
pay a significantly higher price, as is the case with e-textbooks and
course-adoption titles.  Ideally, publishers and vendors would provide
both options!

In conclusion, while we all realize that publishers and libraries need
to move in the direction of offering more e-books to readers, we also
need to experiment doing so within a matrix of bounded and calculated
risk.  Perhaps OUP could experiment with offering new VSI titles for a
year at a cost that would be both sustainable economically but also
encourage greater sales (and hence revenue) and in result in
subsequent greater e-book availability to readers of these short-form
monographs?

Luke Swindler


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Luke Swindler
Collections Management Officer
Davis Library CB #3918
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC  27514   USA
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TEL (919-962-1095)
FAX (919-962-4450)
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