Collaborating in the Network Zone: Managing Consortia Ebooks

The Orbis Cascade Alliance has a robust ebook program shared by all 39 member libraries. The program began with a DDA pilot in 2011 and has since expanded to other ebook acquisition models, including evidence influenced title selection programs with Wiley and Taylor & Francis, and a new collaboration with Oxford University Press and University of California Press. The lifecycle of these ebooks are managed centrally for all Alliance libraries in the Alma Network Zone. This presentation will discuss methods the Alliance is using to acquire ebooks for the entire consortia, and the challenges of communicating with vendors and Alliance libraries. Additionally, we will discuss the technical aspects (cataloging, collections, discovery) of centrally managing the ebook program in the Network Zone, including use of OCLC Worldshare, Alma import profiles, and handling of purchases and deletes.