Diana Alkema Senior Account Development Specialist The latest white papers

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 2 BUT FIRST: the new SpringerLink The new SpringerLink is coming very soon! If you have any; doubts, questions, complaints or if you would like a training at your institutions contact me at or Sitki at

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 3

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 4 White papers A white paper is a report or guide to help solve a problem.

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 5 Springer would like to present two recent white papers that external companies, on our request, have investigated and written for us: Scholarly eBooks: Understanding the Return on Investment for Libraries Discoverability of scientific content (forthcoming)

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 6 Return on Investment (RoI) Return on Investment (RoI) can be defined as a performance measure used to quantify and evaluate the efficiency of an investment. For librarians and administrators working to meet competing demands with limited resources, understanding the value of eBooks will continue to be of great importance.

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 7 Return on Investment (RoI) (cont.) The Return on Investment (RoI) of scholarly eBooks in research and academic libraries can be difficult to determine, as the factors considered can vary from library to library. While it may seem simply to be a question of money in versus money out, the real difficulty of expressing the overall value of this resource for an institution comes from many contributing factors. The evidence of this study (white paper) shows that the evaluation of the Return on Investment of eBooks is both a feasible and worthwhile endeavor. However, finding the best approach is the biggest challenge.

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 8 The costs of eBooks A necessary first step when measuring RoI is calculating direct expenses to the library for eBooks, but even this step can present a challenge. It is essential not only to track the price tag of the resource, but also to consider the cost of the time needed to go from the point of purchase until a researcher can use an eBook. In other words, time spent: processing MARC records setting and maintaining discovery systems marketing the resource training users troubleshooting patrons’ questions

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 9 The value of eBooks Usage (most common and obvious method) Effect on research output and teaching Comfort for the user, 24/7 and remote access Flexibility of access / no DRM right Better capacity to search / find information (fast) No problems in peak times (like exam periods) when students require multiple copies Preservation of digital information is assured and libraries are less vulnerable toward natural disasters Simplified purchasing model (big deal approach) Reduced shelf space and administrative costs In other words: value cannot be measured by usage alone!

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 10 Where to start or go from here? Come and read the white paper. Get an understanding of the best practices for tracking Return on Investment; thankfully high quality research is being done in the area. It is important to stay current with the research coming out of the different projects in process right now, particularly the Lib-Value Project. A list of papers and references is in the white paper. Be prepared to proactively reference the literature when challenged by administrators about how much value the library collection – particularly its electronic content – brings to its faculty and students. Regular usage surveys among faculty and students over the next few years to help libraries and publishers understand usage behavior. Have confidence that studying and understanding the value of these resources is a possible and worthwhile endeavor.

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 11 How to get the white paper You can download this, and more, white papers by following this link: Click hereClick here Or leave your business card at our stand and I will send you the white paper(s) Or contact me at

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 12 Discoverability of scientific content (forthcoming) This paper will look at what libraries can do to create facilitate greater discoverability for end users and the ways Springer works to enhance discoverability using: MARC records Link Resolvers and Search Providers Search Engine Optimization SEO for library portals Usability Crowd Assisted Products The Discoverability Your Library resources for librarians Working with Authors and Societies

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 13 How to get the white paper Leave your business card at our stand and I will send you the white paper(s) in PDF when it is ready. Or contact me at Also to make an appointment for 2013 to discuss the white paper, in depth, at your university and specific to your university.

The Latest White Papers | October 2012 | 14 Thank you & Good luck! Marketing & Training: Diana Alkema: Sales & Local support Sitki Aktas: