Patron-driven Acquisition: information for the University of Saskatchewan Library

Abstract

As interest in patron-driven acquisition (PDA) grows in North America vendors who provide PDA services are developing more adaptable and sophisticated business models and workflows. Both small undergraduate institutions and large research universities are using PDA to acquire at least a portion of their librariesâ collections, and are sharing compelling data about the benefits of PDA in the academic environment. The University of Saskatchewan Library is already working with a major developer and provider of PDA services (YBP, who refers instead to DDA - demand-driven acquisition), and could take advantage of YBPâ s experience in this area to implement PDA here. In partnership with e-book vendors, YBP is able deliver integrated demand-driven services. We already use YBPâ s profiling system to generate title lists for librarian-based selection. YBP offers a similar system to generate e-book titles for patron-driven selection and provides catalogue records for those that match a libraryâ s PDA profile. While the details of every vendorâ s PDA program continue to be refined as PDA evolves, the aim of this report is to help facilitate a broad-based understanding of the fundamentals among U of S Library employees.