Academic libraries are continually looking for ways to respond to diverse research needs while stretching collection budgets. The Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) shared evidence-based acquisitions program is demonstrating how collaborative collection development can help achieve this goal.
The consortium launched its evidence-based acquisitions (EBA) offering in spring 2023, led by a working group that secured publisher proposals and brought together 19 member libraries in a coordinated approach to e-book acquisitions. After evaluating proposals, the working group selected Wiley as its first partner, providing participating libraries with one year’s access to approximately 24,000 new and backlist titles – more content than could typically be purchased by an individual school and at discounted pricing. Since then, the Wiley EBA has been renewed three times, with roughly 700 e-books selected annually for shared ownership across the participants. As the current working group chair, Janice Adlington (McMaster University), explains: “Taking this approach with e-books at a consortial level surfaces titles of broad interest across schools which the working group can then secure at a comparatively reasonable rate.”
Libraries, especially from smaller and medium-sized institutions, benefit from the EBA program’s centralized management and affordability. The working group handles many of the operational complexities, including vendor negotiations, usage and pricing spreadsheets, title selection coordination, record management, and liaising with Scholars Portal for loading content. As a result, library teams only need to select their high-priority titles while continuing to offer their campus communities access to a growing collection of e-books.
A key strength of the shared EBA model is its ability to support the wide-ranging needs of OCUL member libraries. “We want to make sure that any EBA would have something for everyone,” adds Janice. Member feedback helps identify publishers of interest and the working group prioritizes those that support research areas across the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields. More recently, as the working group explores the possibility of adding another EBA to the consortial program, all 24 OCUL member libraries were surveyed about their preferences, and six additional proposals were solicited based on survey findings.
Looking ahead, the working group is evaluating those six proposals, including – for the first time – two potential EBA arrangements with aggregators, JSTOR and Project MUSE. The group is also closely monitoring licensing considerations, including provisions related to artificial intelligence and content use. “Having been part of the working group since its inception, I’m impressed at just how smoothly the program works!” says Janice. “There is intense work from a small number of people, usually at one time of the year, but otherwise it’s ‘set and forget’.”
As the program enters its fourth year, OCUL’s shared EBA continues to demonstrate the efficiency and value of collective collecting, data-informed decision-making, and collaboration across Ontario’s academic libraries.
Thank you to the OCUL-IR EBA Working Group members, past and present, who share of their expertise and time to advance this consortial program.
2026-2027 Working Group Members:
- Janice Adlington, McMaster University (Chair)
- Dave Gall, University of Waterloo
- Iman El Gamal, University of Guelph
- Ingrid Moisil, University of Ottawa
- Paul St-Pierre, University of Guelph
- Christa Foley, OCUL (Ex Officio)
This feature was included in the August 2026 OCUL Newsletter. See the Newsletter Archive for prior issues.