The Enki Experiment: Library E-book Consortia System
Linda Crowe and Heather Teysko
Need
• great patron demand for e-books
• desire for control over e-book collections; leasing no longer considered a viable option
• integration of materials into the library’s own platform to achieve system functionality
• library staff interest in building relationships with e-book authors and publishers
Benefit
• building relationships with independent publishers and other consortia and state libraries
• gaining control of part of the e-book collections
• learning to use discovery tools to link separate library catalogs
The Califa Group has a long history of working with e-books. Since its inception we have worked with e-book providers such as NetLibrary, Ingram’s MyiLibrary, Safari, Recorded Books, and OverDrive. In fact, we worked with OverDrive from 2004-2008, and our frustrations began to simmer when our contract was not renewed in 2008 and we were left without a platform for valuable consortial e-book content. We had no other acceptable options.
In 2011, EBSCO purchased NetLibrary, and Recorded Books took over MyiLibrary’s e-audio product. Vendor activities like this made us boil with frustration. We felt that we were at the mercy of vendors, being forced to change course with little to no control over the collections into which we had poured time, energy, and money. Looking into the future and considering the rising popularity of e-books, this problem could only get worse.
There had to be a better way for our libraries to invest in e-books that would remain part of the library’s collection. The staff needed and wanted to build lasting relationships with publishers and authors, and to integrate materials into a platform at their own speed with reliable functionality. There are some libraries that can manage e-book systems themselves, but the majority of libraries in California rely on a consortium to take them to this level.
After seeing the model that Douglas County, Colorado, had built, we decided to build a Califa e-book platform. At the time we had no idea what that meant. We just knew that we wanted to be a part of developing library-based solutions. We weren’t sure what our platform would look like—whether it would be a shared collection, who would work with us, or how we would even build it. We also knew that being part of a solution meant getting to work. We immediately started to research, talk with publishers, and find technical developers.
The outpouring of support from member libraries, other organizations, publishers, and technology groups was overwhelming. Everyone wanted to help us build an e-book solution. Having a very small staff has allowed Califa to be nimble and act quickly, but not having a full-time technical team meant that we couldn’t do this project on our own. We needed a technology partner. Contra Costa County, a member library known for its technical skills and innovation, was willing to partner with us to build an e-book platform. Contra Costa contracts with the Quipu Group, a technology group of librarians based in Colorado, and from those contacts a core team was developed with the three organizations. We decided to name the project Enki, which comes from the name of a Sumerian deity of mischief, intelligence, and creativity, We think it accurately represents our project.
In the most simplistic terms, there are only a few things a library needs to build an e-book platform:
• a place to store the files
• a way to add Digital Rights Management (DRM)
• a way for users to search for books
• a way for users to check them out
Of course, it is critical that those components connect to each other. There are many steps in each of these broad categories, but these four points provide a way to break down the necessary technology.
Storing the files is simply hosting—having either a server on site or a remote cloud-based server where we could keep e-book files. We spent four months researching the best hosting options because we wanted a system that could easily scale up as this project grew. We decided on a vendor-based cloud solution from hosting.com, and we have been happy with their service.
The Digital Rights Management (DRM) is handled by the Adobe Content Server (ACS), a piece of software that is now the industry-standard for adding DRM. Most publishers are comfortable working with ACS. The cost for the ACS in 2013 was a one-time fee of $10,000 with an additional $1,500/year in maintenance. We will also pay $.08 every time someone checks out a book.
For the discovery layer, we decided to go with VuFind+, an open-access tool. VuFind+ is a version of the software that was developed by the MARMOT Library Network in Colorado, and it includes features that are designed for consortia. The discovery layer and patron authentication portions have proved to be the most difficult for us because the VuFind system was designed to work with a single integrated library system (ILS). Since we are building a shared collection, we needed to be able to authenticate our shared collection across multiple ILS systems. There was a great deal of original programming that went into creating the discovery layer, and the next phase of development will allow for libraries to purchase locally owned content in addition to participating in the shared collection.
Califa’s strength is in negotiations and purchasing, so we took on the role of negotiating with publishers. To start building publisher relationships, we attended the National BookExpo Association conference in New York, the largest publishing conference in the country. We were surprised at how many independent publishers were anxious to work with us. Many of them feel that they are sidelined by the big reseller vendors and are excited to have a way to connect with libraries directly. So far we have limited our efforts to the independent publishers, because they are the ones who were willing to take a chance and try this new model. Just as importantly, they want to work with libraries and have much the same mission, which is growing readership of their titles rather than a focusing on shareholder value. Our collection as of September 2013 has approximately 10,000 titles.
We launched in beta with Contra Costa County using CARL.X ILS in May 2013, followed by other BALIS libraries in the Bay Area that use Innovative Interfaces ILS. This beta launch will test the strength of the patron authentication system against various ILS systems. The State Library of Kansas, which joined our efforts early in the process by contributing seed money, was also authenticated on the Enki platform over the summer, and it will be followed in the fall of 2014 by libraries in the Pacific Library Partnership, a consortium of California libraries from Monterey to Marin counties.
With little marketing, some libraries are already showing more checkouts from Enki than from other vendor e-book products. When all our beta launches are complete, time will be spent testing and gathering statistics before introducing a final version to our member libraries. A complete list of participating libraries can be seen by clicking on the “choose your library” drop-down menu at www.enkilibrary.org. Although it has been a lot of hard work, with twists and turns that Califa never anticipated, the final outcome will be libraries lending consortium-owned materials on a consortium-owned platform. We believe the end product will certainly be worth the effort.