E-commerce from EBSCO

Vicki Nicholson, office manager, EBSCO Australia Subscription Services

• EBSCOnet
• online serials management via the web
• electronic ordering and claiming
• Interfaces with integrated library systems
• electronic claiming
• electronic invoice downloading
• Machine-readable check-in data
• libraries using EBSCO consolidation service JETS (Journal Express Transport Service)

• EBSCO Online
• free platform to access and manage electronic journals
• streamline authentication
• provide durable URLs
• statistical and management functions

• EBSCOHost
• internet platform to access aggregated full-text journal databases
• links to library's print collection
• seamless access to other electronic holdings in the library, e.g. ejournals on EBSCO Online

• Management tools & reports
• supplied in electronic format for manipulation
• invoice/order data
• access/ownership report

• EBSCO Retro
• electronic input into catalogues and OPACS
• Customer information
• http://www-au.ebsco.com/

The major role for subscription agents in the new millenium

Helping customers do more with less
Achieved by continuing and enhancing services such as:

• Consolidation
• Facilitating access to journal data in electronic formats
• Building higher-order customer service
• Enhanced budgetary and collection management information and reporting

Consolidation services

JETS - Journal Express Transport Service

• Careful analysis of the appropriate location to consolidate
• Continuing to negotiate terms with publishers and freight companies
• Enhancing access of electronic checkin data
• reports in electronic formats
• scanned checkin data

Facilitating access to electronic journal data

• Improve the reporting, alerting and accessibility of electronic journal data
• Advice on availability of electronic formats
• Advising when new content is available
• Continuing to negotiate with publishers to provide electronic services

Building higher-order customer service

• Increased training for customer service representatives
• Appointed Account Services Managers
• Increased the sales force to disseminate information
• Continued support of the profession through sponsorships and awards

Recent changes in EBSCO australia

• Reorganisation after senior retirements
• Staff to achieve the major role of subscription agents
• Active recruitment of practicing professionals in the serials area

Recent changes in our organisation - people - promotions

• Peter Smith - general manager
  25 years experience in information services sector
• Vicki Nicholson - office manager
  10 years managing special libraries
  8 years regional sales manager, James Bennett
• Carolyn Cherrett - academic/marketing manager
  special library experience, ALIA membership services manager
  Manager, Uni Co-op subscriptions division
• Tonia Hogan - electronic journals manager
  joined EBSCO as office junior
  travel including some overseas work for EBSCO

Recent changes in our organisation - people - recruitments

• Peter Mathews - sales representative
• Mercedes Bertus - sales representative
• Maree Millard - sales representative
• Alice Bradley - account services manager
  previously Supplier Relations Manager, Serials at Melbourne Uni
• Leanne Taylor-Miles - account services manager
  previously managed consolidation for Blackwells, then Swets-Blackwells
• Fiona Jacob - GST officer
  extensive special library background, interest in electronic information

Outline of changes and new services

• EBSCO Online - electronic journal service
• EBSCOHost - access to indexing, abstracting and full text journal articles
• Linking electronic resources

EBSCO's E-journals Service: EBSCO Online

• http://www-au.ebsco.com/online/
• Web-based e-journals service that provides TOCs, Abstracts, and Full Text online for thousands of e-journals at just one web site
• Status:
• Went into production January 1999
• As of July, 2000:
  • Over 2700 live customer accounts
  • 5050 e-journals offered
  • 3566 searchable and viewable directly on EBSCO Online
  • Over 800 000 full-text articles fully indexed
  • 1484 links to journal level on publisher's/aggregator's sites

What's the difference between EBSCO Online and EBSCOhost?

EBSCO Online:

• E-journals (Full text focus)
• Content provided in original digital format
• All content provided by original publishers
• Content purchased journal by journal (like paper)
• User has access to full text only for subscribed journals
• Full Text available for every article in every journal
• Latest up-to-date content available for all journals

EBSCOhost:

• Databases (A&I focus)
• Much content digitized or re-keyed from paper sources
• Some content created by EP, e.g. abstracts
• Content purchased as pre-defined collections (databases)
• User has access to everything in database
• Only TOCs/Abstracts for some articles
• Some content may be "embargoed"

EBSCO Online's Key Features (evaluation criteria for e-journal services)

• Access & search consolidation:
• All e-journals available from one web site (only one URL to link to)
• One web site = "single sign-on" model
• One web site = one user interface to learn
• One web site = one search engine to learn
• Scalable user interface:
• Accessibility for novices, power for experts
• Personalization
• Comprehensive user access/subscription management
• Flexible, manageable user authentication
• Metadata/content format flexibility (enhanced journal coverage)
• Global Access via Digital Island
• Integration with existing systems (linking):
• OPACs
• Database services

Integrating Electronic Resources (Linking)

• Fact: More information is delivered electronically than ever before
• Plethora of Web-based resources available to the end user in the digital library:
• Internal information resources web site
• Internal OPAC
• Institutional web gateways (e.g. Cal State's PHAROS)
• Periodical full-text databases (e.g. EBSCOhost)
• Secondary publishers (e.g. SilverLinker, CSA)
• Electronic journals:
• Publisher web sites
• Gateway services (e.g. EBSCO Online)

Problems With Non-integrated Systems

• Users are overwhelmed by sheer number of resources available
• Experienced users may be reluctant to learn new tools
• These users want to leverage existing knowledge of familiar tools, such as A&I databases
• Many users want a single entry point to all electronic information, often the OPAC
• The same information can exist in many different locations and forms:
• Partial records (citations only, abstracts only, etc.)
• Full text formats (ASCII, PDF, HTML, etc.)
• Authentication/navigation headaches

The Solution: "Linking"

• Ultimate Goal: Link to full text whenever possible
• Shouldn't matter where user found citation or journal title
• Linking allows users to continue to use familiar tools and take advantage of all information resources at their disposal
• Users are more likely to find the information they need when there are fewer "walls" between resources
• Users work in a more streamlined, information-rich environment

Linking in Action

• Target: An e-journal service (EBSCO Online)
• Sources:
• Customer web page
• Customer OPAC
• Periodical database (EBSCOhost)
• 3rd-party database on EBSCOhost
• Customer web gateway
• 3rd-party database service (SilverLinker)
• 3rd-party database service (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts)
• 3rd-party database service (Chemical Abstracts Service)

Linking to EBSCO Online: Status

• Durable (persistent) URLs for all journals, TOCs, articles
• Available now:
• from customer OPACs and web sites
• from EBSCOhost (proprietary + 3rd-party databases)
• SilverLinker
• Cambridge Scientific Abstracts
• Chemical Abstracts Service
• Linking from other A&I services coming soon:
• ISI Web of Science
• Current work: Linking from EBSCO Online to other services (initially EBSCOhost)

EBSCO Online: Future Directions

• Features currently in development:
• Subject classifications (LC)
• Alerting:
• TOCs via e-mail
• New Issue alerting
• Search Results alerting
• Enhanced usage reporting
• Pay-per-view (single article sales) with CyberCash credit-card/procurement-card transactions
• E-journal licensing information
• More personalization features:
• User interface offered in multiple languages
• Personal Filing Cabinet
• Customizable Exit URL
• Publisher Authentication Helper

EBSCO's response to recent mergers

• Increased interest in EBSCO
• assessing change as change will be imposed
• Desire to retain market status
• refocus on customer service
• recruitment of customer service and sales staff
• training
• sponsorships
• Business as usual

Our view on the impact of recent market changes on choice and selection for library supply

• Refocusing of Competition
• looking at what suppliers are good at
• Reduction in competition
• less choice
• price increases?

Our view on the role of the subscription agent

• Demise, what demise?
• Dealing with publishers more problematic than ever
• new forms of communication both help and hinder
• ditto for distribution
• Replace library staff with agent services
• consolidation
• content housing/archiving
• licence negotiation
• New roles in the new millennium, but...