We commit to publishing and purchasing decisions that affirm the reading choices of all individuals and support choice in the academic marketplace through the use of standards and best practices for academic publishing, library infrastructure and library lending.
Open, interoperable standards enable libraries to provide the kind of aggregation and ownership rights that have historically been integral to print library collections.
We want to significantly increase the reach, readership, and impact of ebooks. Currently, a fragmented ebook publishing and aggregation landscape that relies on multiple vendors with different standards limits the ability of libraries to provide a consistent reading experience for students and faculty. Proprietary technologies (including proprietary readers, platforms, and DRM solutions) create a needlessly complicated series of systems for students and faculty to learn and use. A lack of standardized metadata formats, protocols, and API create excess complexity, error and costs for libraries, publishers, and readers, hindering the discovery and use of ebooks. Addressing this situation will increase the overall size of the ebook market and will separate the reading experience for users from acquisitions, licensing, and hosting channels, significantly increasing the reach, readership, and impact of ebooks.
What we want:
- Ease of Discovery - consistent open metadata using open, universal standards such as OPDS to facilitate discovery, access and use. OPDS allows publishers to syndicate (update regularly) information about available titles in a way that current metadata protocols handle only with difficulty.
- Ease of Use - innovation in developing and employing DRM systems, such as Readium LCP, that use open standards to facilitate interoperable, systematic integration and delivery when access control is necessary
- Easier to Buy - growth of the overall library marketplace and increased author impact by simplifying the acquisition and use of ebooks
- Accessible for Every Reader - options for ebook accessibility through interoperability with accessible readers and accessibility tools
We seek an academic ebook market that provides a consistent, non-fragmented user experience, and we request vendor development that utilizes open standards in order to allow for innovation in the marketplace. Content should be platform independent – we want to grow the marketplace and increase usage by encouraging the highest level of interoperability, integration, and aggregation of digital content for all our users. As seen before, when the marketplace comes together to adhere to standards, such as web standards: providing a consistent, interoperable user experience increases overall use and adoption, greatly expanding the reach and impact of content.
Signed:
Ann Thornton, Vice Provost and University Librarian, Columbia University Libraries
H. Austin Booth, Dean of Libraries, New York University Libraries
Kristina L. Rose, Interim Dean of the Division of Libraries and Associate Dean for Collections and Content Strategy, New York University Libraries
Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries, University at Buffalo (SUNY)
Barbara Rockenbach, Stephen F. Gates ’68 University Librarian, Yale University Libraries
Jill Morris, PALCI Executive Director and Chief PALCI Strategist and Innovation Officer
Alicia Salaz, Vice Provost and University Librarian, University of Oregon Libraries
Keith Webster, Dean of Libraries; Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean's Chair; and Director of Emerging & Integrative Media Initiatives, Carnegie Mellon University
Kornelia Tancheva, Ph.D., Hillman University Librarian and Director, ULS, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Clem Guthro, MA, MLS, EdD, University Librarian and Interim Director and Publisher, University of Hawai'i Press, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa
Mary Ann Jones, Associate Professor and Chair of Collection Development and Management, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University
Joe Lucia, Dean of Libraries, Temple University
Suzanne L. Wones, University Librarian, University of California, Berkeley
Dan Cohen, Vice Provost for Information Collaboration; Dean, University Library, and Professor of History, Northeastern University
Clair Stewart, Juanita J. and Robert E. Simpson Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Neil Romanosky, Dean of Libraries, Michigan State University Libraries
Sarah Shreeves, Alice Sheets Marriott Dean of Libraries, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah
Maurice York, Director of Library Initiatives, Big Ten Academic Alliance
Daniel C. Mack, University of Maryland
Galadriel Chilton, Director of Collections Initiatives, Ivy Plus Libraries Confederation
Elijah Scott, Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC)
Lisa R. Carter, Dean of Libraries, University Librarian, University of Michigan Library
Mark Newton, University Librarian, Boston University
Arthur J. Boston, Associate Professor and Scholarly Communication Librarian, Murray State University
Dr. Annie Downey, University Librarian and Director of Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound
