What You Need to Know About Moving Collections and Acquisitions Into an E‐Dominant Model!

Abstract

Two different University of Maryland Libraries discuss how they have moved to an e‐dominant model, the reasons why, and the new acquisitions strategies libraries can use in crafting an e‐dominant collection. Whether your organization is a large ARL library like University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) Libraries or a nontraditional online library like the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Library, there are many strategies for taking advantage of the new acquisitions environment and rethinking how to build collections in an e‐dominant world. At UMD, adopting an e‐dominant model has been a gradual change over time, allowing the library staff to develop new ideas about collection development and experiment with new tools and techniques for acquiring and managing the libraries’ collection. As these changes have unfolded over time, staff began to develop a more comprehensive and holistic picture, becoming more aware of how their own work with e‐resources impacts our colleagues, our patrons, and the wider library community. At the UMUC Library, the electronic resources management staff developed an e‐model initiative that represents a fundamental shift for electronic resources management at UMUC. Electronic resources have become a critical, important, and fully integrated component in course development for the university and this is driving the direction of collection development for the Library. The main thrust of this shift has been the establishment of an E‐Resources Initiative to replace the use of textbooks in print with e‐resources, primarily open access, embedded within the learning management system (LMS) course modules.