From: "Jim O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2018 19:27:00 -0700

Every library will have its own acquisition practices, evolved in some
isolation in response to local circumstances and opportunities.  A new
Ithaka S-R report uses the statistical possibilities of a common LSP system
to take a first look at what can be known of current book-buying by a broad
but thin sample of libraries (54 institutions of widely varying sizes and
missions).

Everything about the report is necessarily preliminary and subject to
change when the authors (Esposito and Schonfeld) go on to a larger data
set.  Do Gobi (ex-YBP) and Amazon really hold 71% of the market share?
(The top 10 vendors include ones whose shares go down to under 1% -- which
makes me ask, how big is this market?)  Are firm orders still really the
order of the day?  And is DDA intrinsically hard to track?  The questions
are interesting and important and whet the appetite for what can be learned
from a much deeper dive.  The URL (short report, read online or download
PDF):

http://www.sr.ithaka.org/publications/library-acquisition-patterns-
preliminary-findings/

Jim O'Donnell
ASU