Background

For some time a number of Schools, Departments, Centres, and individual academics at QMUL have organised direct book provision arrangements for their taught students, including a combination of print/e-books and bespoke content.

In 2014 we established and implemented an agreement for direct book provision to students at QMUL between QMUL Library Services, London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC) and John Smith and Son/Kortext. Our aim is to maximise the potential benefits of direct book provision and significantly improve the student experience.

• Presenting consolidated information to publishers and aggregating services, utilising the expertise of an organisation with extensive experience in negotiating agreements, helps ensure that we obtain the most competitive prices for the books provided directly to our students.
• The agreement ensures compliance with QMUL procurement regulations.
• Providing advice on assigning the appropriate codes on the Agresso Finance System and establishing procedures to ensure any direct book provision is reflected in university league tables that signpost book and resources spend per-student.
• Helps to ensure that Library collections do not include large numbers of copies of key texts that are already provided directly to students by Schools and Academic Departments, and helps to ensure that annual library book budgets provided by Schools are spent as effectively as possible.
• Ensures that all procedures relating to direct book provision are transparent.
• Ensures that legal aspects of the provision process are fully considered and implemented.
• Reduces risk associated with failure to deliver by having proper contracts with documented back up plans if titles are unavailable
• Enables potential expansion and development of direct book provision.
• Facilitates flexible options for the delivery of the titles to students.
• Provides additional marketing and publicity opportunities