E-books found in OneSearch are obtained by the Libraries in several ways:

• Perpetual purchase
• Subscription collections
• "Try Before You Buy" collections

Perpetual Purchase

These e-books are owned by the Libraries in perpetuity, just like physical books. 

You can determine if an e-book is owned by looking at the note on the full OneSearch record.  "MAIN purchased title" means that the item is owned outright.
We are working to add this note to all owned titles.  If you have questions, please Ask us. 

Subscription E-book Collections

The Libraries subscribe to several subject or thematic collections of e-books.  Titles in these collections can change.  For instance, Ebsco and ProQuest both withdraw older or no-longer licensed books twice a year and add new content four times a year. 

Some subscription e-book collections include:

How do I request that a subscription e-book be purchased in perpetuity?

Not all books in subscription packages are available for outright purchase.  But please do place a request if you would like us to try. 

For titles you wish to assign in a class, please complete our course reserves form. 

For other titles, please complete our request purchase form. 

Try Before you Buy: DDA and EBA Collections

The Libraries license some e-book collections for a defined period and then purchase titles based on use.  These collections may be:

• DDA: Data Driven Acquisition model
  • books are purchased throughout the year or at the end of a review period, based on the amount of use
  • purchases are sometimes triggered by a certain number of views, downloads, or time on title
• EBA: Evidence Based Acquisition model
  • books are purchased at the end of the license period, with the Libraries choosing the titles purchased, based on use and other factors. 

You will see these EBA / DDA designations on some titles in OneSearch.  Your use of these titles helps determine our purchase decisions. 

How do I request that an EBA/DDA ebook be purchased in perpetuity?

Books in these collections are purchased based on use - but sometimes we cannot purchase all titles and the purchase may not occur until the end of the fiscal year.  Please do place a request if you would like to be certain we will continue to have access to a specific title.

• For titles you wish to assign in a class, please complete our course reserves form. 
• For other titles, please complete our request purchase form. 

In OneSearch, you will find thousands of open access books and book chapters. Look for the Open Access icon and filter to limit to open materials. These are free to all and generally allow full content download. 

See some examples of open access collections.