First of Its Kind: Alexander Street Press Launches Evidenced-Based Acquisition Program with University of Dundee in Scotland

From Alexander Street Press:

Beginning this month, patrons of the University of Dundee’s library will have unlimited access to Alexander Street Press’s complete suite of academic video titles—more than 23,000 titles—for one full year. At the conclusion of this period, university staff will use Alexander Street’s detailed metrics to evaluate the most-viewed titles and select those they’d like to incorporate into their permanent collection.
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This agreement, the first of its kind in the world, will pave the way for libraries worldwide to add the content into their university’s collection in a precise, cost-effective way.
“The University of Dundee has a strong desire to enhance the licensed video-based material that is available to support learning and teaching through a wide range of disciplines,” says university librarian, Richard Parsons. “This is important for meeting staff and student expectations in our new digitally based environment. The new patron-driven acquisition provided by Alexander Street Press has offered us the opportunity to ensure that our expenditure for these resources is targeted directly to support material that is being utilized to enhance learning. This represents a very cost-effective method for ensuring that the maximum resource is available from the library budget.”

Here’s a bit more about how the evidenced-based program between Alexander St. Press and U. of Dundee works.
An ASP Spokesperson Tells InfoDOCKET:

Under this model, the institution pays an agreed-upon sum at the beginning of the trial year. At the conclusion of that year, they are entitled to curate a collection with titles of their choosing adding up to this prearranged amount. The cost of materials is determined on a price-per-hour basis. The greater a library’s original commitment, the lower the price per hour of materials.

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