University Library Advisory Council (ULAC)

Shared eBook Deals

UNC campuses are collaborating to provide system-wide access to 70,000 high quality e-books from major academic publishers. By aggregating UNC library expenditures through this ULAC deal, our collective students, faculty, and community members have access to many more titles at a much lower price point than if each institution acted on its own.

• Creates a level playing field. All participating UNC System schools, regardless of size, can access over 70,000 online ebooks.
• Reduces the cost of college attendance. ULAC has chosen to work with the three publishers whose books most often appear on assigned reading lists. Because our libraries are making these texts freely available to our campuses, students no longer have to purchase them. Our analysis of the assigned reading lists suggests that student savings may approach $5 million, which is much more than we actually pay for these large ebook deals.
• Improves classroom learning outcomes. In classes that require textbook purchases, many students do not have the materials during the first days of class and many never purchase them at all. Providing required readings to all students from the very first day of class will provide a more timely, equitable, and effective learning experience.
• Demonstrates ULAC commitment to cooperative collecting by providing permanent system-wide ownership of the most in-demand and heavily used titles.
• Emphasizes ULAC ongoing interest in significant system-wide cost savings. Aggregate annual cost avoidance for this cooperative effort is likely to reach $6,000,000 for the title purchases, and even more for the leased access.
• Represents a system-wide investment in the evidence-based acquisitions model. Research has consistently shown that evidence-based is a more cost-effective model than traditional just in case book purchasing.

• Governance - Under the guidance of ULAC, the Efficiencies Working Group negotiates terms, selects titles, and handles operational, communication, and implementation details.
• Title purchase - All titles purchased with the pooled money are shared throughout the entire group.
• Participation - Any UNC campus is eligible to join any of these shared ebook deals, and can leave a deal if it is not providing strong usage at a reasonable cost. In order to increase our spending pool and support higher education throughout North Carolina, ULAC may invite NCICU schools and NC community colleges to participate in one or more shared ebook deals.
  Details specific to particular deals:
  Oxford University Press - Taylor and Francis - UNC Press - Wiley

  Which Institutions are in Which Deals

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  Efficiencies Working Group Members:

  Tim Bucknall, UNCG, chair

  Lisa Barricella, ECU

  Jeanne Cross, UNCW

  Sarah Falls, UNC School of the Arts

  Silvia Sheffield, NCSU

  Barb Svenson, UNCA