Coutts Strikes Deal with Florida To Be Primary Academic Print and Ebook Supplier
By Josh Hadro Jul 8, 2010In what may be a harbinger of future consolidated buying deals, Florida academic libraries are embarking on a mission to build a collaboratively developed core collection of print and ebooks to serve libraries across the state. Providing the opt-in platform for the effort is Ingram Content Company book supplier Coutts, which recently nabbed the title of "Statewide Primary Academic Book Supplier" for the state of Florida.
Some 68 institutions and 829,000 students are potentially covered by the agreement, including the Florida College System, the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, and the State University of Florida system.
The deal is something of a coup for Ingram, which previous had contracts with only one university in the state, and a handful of community colleges, according to company reps (most libraries are currently supported by Blackwell/YPB).
Indeed, since the acquisition of Blackwell by YBP owner Baker & Taylor, merging two major market players, at least a few academic libraries have been eager to promote a more diverse marketplace for major contracts. Among others, Florida State University (FSU) and the University of Florida are opting to transition as part of the initial wave.
Collective buying power
The deal also consolidates buying power, on the order of $4-5 million, according to Roy Ziegler, Associate Director, Florida State University Libraries, who added that "the potential of going over $10 million is realistic."
The annual savings to FSU will be in the $50,000-75,000 range. But Ziegler noted that he considers savings calculations a distant second to the possibility of building a cohesive core collection across a broad range of institutions.
More broadly, Ziegler described the statewide contract as the culmination of a long process toward cooperative development.
Spurred by the challenges posed at the Janus Conference on Research Library Collections in 2005, and disappointed by the failure to address them on a national level, Florida's Council of State University Libraries began meeting in early 2007 to bring print and ebook collections in line with other successful statewide enterprises like those covering automation and online databases. (Ziegler details much of this Florida-specific approach in the article "Janus in the Sunshine.")
Building a statewide core collection is a key element of the plan, Ziegler said, and one that will come about only "by sharing with and trusting our fellow institutions." Following the examples set out by other large-scale purchasing arrangements, like those of OhioLINK and the Orbis Cascade Alliance in Oregon and Washington, participating Florida libraries will likewise determine which materials to buy with ready access to the purchasing profiles of peer institutions.
Ebook preference, and POD
Of course, participating libraries will also be able to tap other popular services to bolster their collections as well. According to Rich Rosy, VP and General Manager of Ingram Library Group, librarians have unsurprisingly shown the most interest in building out their collections with ebooks.
One option just taking off, Rosy told LJ, is a rule built into some libraries' profiles that triggers the automatic purchase of electronic over print if the two versions are to be released within 120 days of each other. Though ranks of e-vanguard libraries are still limited, he said, it's easy to envision broader uptake.
Similarly, the appeal of print-on-demand continues to grow, Rosy said, adding that libraries are increasingly looking for flexibility in meeting the needs of their users.
Rosy predicted that the appeal of consortial buying agreements will only increase. He pointed to the creation of large buying groups and consortia in the UK, and said that U.S. libraries almost certainly would follow suit. With budget pressures mounting and pressure from funding bodies to leverage technical efficiencies, the balance may soon tip in favor of large-scale coordinated collection development efforts.
