Elsevier Freedom Collection
Project Description
The UCF Libraries, is requesting $162,256 ($163,256 less a $1,000 cost share from UCF Libraries) for the accessing nearly 6,000 Elsevier Ebooks for 24 months; and purchasing selected highly-used titles with perpetual ownership. This collection will benefit UCF students and faculty in many programs, especially those in STEM, social sciences and interdisciplinary studies.
Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection each year allows access to the frontlist titles, which are published in the current year, and 4-year worth of backlist titles. The total purchase value for these titles is over $1.1 million. This evidence based acquisitions (EBA) model gives UCF the full access for 24 months and reports usage activities. At the end of the 24 months, UCF Libraries can select and keep the most highly used titles as part of the permanent collection without any additional maintenance fees. Each book is DRM-free, allowing unlimited simultaneous use and mobile download, and are integrated with the Elsevier journal contents seamlessly. Access would be available to all UCF students and employees, with off campus access enabled by Shibboleth authentication. All content and functionality associated with Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection will be hosted by Elsevier, so there will be no new demands on UCF staff or infrastructure.
- With this product, we get limited-time access to a few thousand eBooks, and at the end of the year we use the amount we paid in to purchase perpetual access to eBooks of our choosing. If we choose 1-year access, this will probably amount to about 300 titles.
- eBooks in Elsevier are DRM-free, which means that faculty and students can download the entire book as a zip file of PDFs quite easily. They can retain that PDF as long as they’d like – it doesn’t self-destruct. They also don’t need to download a separate “viewer” to read the eBook, it works just like a regular PDF.
- eBooks in Elsevier are perfect for use as textbooks. If they want to make a more toward textbook affordability, having access to such a wide range of Elsevier eBooks would give them a perfect opportunity to consider adopting one of their texts. Then, if they communicate that decision to us, we can retain that eBook permanently.
- When they are reading an eBook online in ScienceDirect, there are clickable links to relevant articles/contextual information for students.
- This is a wide pool of eBooks that we would be able to open up for use, all published within about the last 4 years. At the end of our access period (Either 1 or 2 years, depending on how much we decide to apply for), we choose which titles to keep perpetually. So, we are able to provide access to a wider range of subjects that we wouldn’t normally purchase. Faculty and students can feel free to download as many of the titles as they like, and it won’t cost us any more than we’ve already put in.So it would be a perfect time for them to download books on their niche topics! They will be able to keep their PDFs, so they could go into their very specific subfield and download every single eBook on their topic. This is great if they think they are likely the only person on campus who will need this material – we won’t have to purchase the book permanently, because they will already have access.
Student Access to Project Resources
As a language learning databases with self-paced lessons, Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection is different from the other Library databases which are primarily delivering research content. Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection has a true broad appeal and can benefit all UCF users who are interested in learning a foreign language or as a teacher teaching any foreign language or teaching English as a second language.
This database directly align with UCF courses in Modern Languages, in the International Affairs and Global Strategies. However, it is likely that students in all areas of study will find essential and relevant application in this database. For example, the students in the International Business program will acquire the languages to conduct business research and internship in a country of their choice without having to take formal classes. Another examples can be made by the students enrolled in the TESOL program in the College of Education,
Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection can be accessed by an unlimited number of simultaneous users, and there is no limit to number of downloads. Its content will be available to all UCF students, faculty and staff anywhere, anytime, 24/7. UCF will own the lessons and contents, and therefore meet the instructional and research needs of the UCF community well into the future. The online materials will also benefit UCF Regional Campuses, online courses, and distance education programs.
Students and faculty will be able to discover Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection by searching the UCF Libraries Catalog, QuickSearch, directly in Canvas, Library Research Guides, and internet search sites linked to our catalog such as Google. Full text of books will be accessible DRM-free through the Elsevier which integrated book, journal and other scholarly content by keyword, subject, author, or title. Chapters and full books may be downloaded to mobile devices.
Benefit to Student Learning
Ms. Julie Pomerleau, an Associate Instructor in French and Spanish, Ms. Kacie Tartt in Modern Languages and Literature, and Dr. Keith S. Folse, Professor in TESOL each wrote a letter of support, outlining the benefits of Mango to the courses they are teaching and to the students learning. The Letters are in the attachment section.
The UCF Libraries is committed to work directly with faculty and students, and through collaboration with CDL, the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning and student organizations to publicize these materials. The Libraries will offer informational materials to distribute during various events, such as the Faculty Development Conferences. In addition, librarians will instruct students about Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection during Information Literacy sessions and orientations.
Project Success Metrics and Assessment Plan
The UCF Libraries will measure the success of Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection through usage reports and satisfaction surveys. Statistical reports will track which titles are used and the number downloaded. Many of the titles may serve as textbook alternatives, which will have the potential to tremendously save students costs in textbooks and classroom readings. It is expected that students and faculty will find the database highly useful.
The UCF Libraries will provide training and outreach on these titles to both students and faculty directly and through collaborations with CDL, student organizations and teaching faculty. API and discovery services will be set and built to imbed links in Canvas for easier access. Bibliographic instruction sessions, face-to-face reference sessions, and LibGuides will all be used to promote the collection and provide needed instruction.
Project Sustainability
The requested funds will cover the entire cost to provide access to Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection for 24 months and to own the most highly used titles up to the value. The Libraries will catalog the content, maintain links, and support access. Any recurring costs for maintenance of the collection will be paid for using library funds. Content is hosted by Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection, and there is no impact on staff resources.
Technology Fee Proposal Budget Narrative
The requested $162,256 in technology fee funding combined with the $1,000 UCF Libraries cost share will cover the entire purchase of Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection. There are no additional charges. All content and functionality associated with Elsevier Ebooks on
Freedom Collection will be hosted by Elsevier Ebooks on Freedom Collection, so there will be no new demands on UCF staff or infrastructure.
The initial cost per student simultaneously served is $2 ($163,256 / 68,021 = $2). As low as it may appear, this price per student could be even lower because there is no limit to the number of times students and faculty will access the products over time and UCF will have perpetual rights to the content, and therefore making the acquisition of this database an exceptional offer.
Space Administration
No space is needed for the project.