Sara Gold discusses her experience with various ebook purchase and licensing models for the Wisconsin Public Library Consortium (WPLC) and the WPLC Digital Library (OverDrive).

1. Sara Gold sgold@wils.org
Community Liaison & Service
Specialist, WiLS

4. Format Titles Copies
Audiobook 14347 25836
eBook 33011 109959

6. #2 in checkouts
#11 in collection size
#2 in registered users

7. 279,619
514,645
1,190,918
2,151,575
2010 2011 2012 2013
Total circulation
243,579 278,082
366,798
540,943
2010 2011 2012 2013
Audiobook circulation
243,579
278,082
819,726
1,607,254
2010 2011 2012 2013
Ebook circulation
2,934
2,165
1,785
972
2010 2011 2012 2013
Music circulation
2,934 2,165 2,609 2,406
2010 2011 2012 2013
Video circulation

8. 34 members: 24 Adult Selectors and 10
Young Adult/Children Selectors
Each library system was asked to nominate 2
candidates
Current members serve a 2 yr appointment
with an option to renew.

10. Shared Cost Model 17 public library systems
25% of each system’s share is based on their % of
the state’s total population and the other 75% is
based on the system’s % of the total state’s
collection usage which is based on checkouts
currently.
Each system has their own funding arrangement
with their member libraries for their share of the
buying pool that is typically a combination of
system aid funding and library contributions.

11. One Vendor/One Platform
One Copy/One User
Metered Access Titles (most cost effective
plan in terms of cost per circ)
Inability to Purchase from Several Large
Publishers because We are a Consortium

12. Affordable Platform Options for Local Digital Content
Access to Simultaneous Use Plans for Classroom Text Sets
See Major Publishers Incorporate the Simultaneous Use
Model into Mid/Backlist Titles
Newspapers, Newspapers, Newspapers
Online Magazine Service with Decent Statistics
Guidelines on Weeding Collection

14. Largest trade publisher in the world
1 copy 1 user, with unlimited uses
Average price per title is $85
 Both Audio and eBooks available to consortia

15. Strong in Adult Fiction and Nonfiction as well as
YA/Children
Biographies, Women authors, Divergent Trilogy
Introduced metered title model. 26 checkouts per title and
then title must be repurchased. 1 copy per user
Average price is $18-$30 per title
 Both Audio and eBooks available to consortia

16. Classics imprint and strong front and backlist in
NF titles
Now owned by Random House but retains its own
identity.
Titles must be repurchased after 12 months. 1 copy,
1 user
Average price per title is $28
Both eBooks and Audio available to consortia

17. Business, adult fiction and nonfiction & strong
juvenile fiction collection
Backlist available for 52 checkouts or 2 years
Average price per title is $28
eBooks (backlist titles) available to individual
libraries but not consortia
Audio available to consortia

18. Home to very prolific writers James Patterson, Nicholas
Sparks, Sandra Brown, Nelson Demille and children's
books
New eBooks released simultaneously with print and 1
copy 1 user for unlimited uses.
eBook is 3x highest print price for first year and then 1.5 x
highest print price thereafter
Audio available to consortium. Only children's eBooks
available to Consortium. Individual libraries can purchase
all eBooks.

19. Strong in nonfiction and strong in Childrens & YA
Dan Brown, Janet Evanovich, Stephen King
Audio and ebooks not available to libraries widely

20. Sara Gold
sgold@wils.org
608.616.0355
www.wils.org
Twitter: wilscommunity@wils.org
http://www.wplc.info/
http://dbooks.wplc.info/