A decade of EBA

Over the last 10 years the Cambridge University Press Evidence Based Acquisition (EBA) model has evolved into the simplest and most cost-effective approach to acquire ebooks in a fact-based way. The EBA model has helped take pressure off budgets, made boosting e-resources more affordable, and increased student satisfaction. The EBA model gives institutions online access to over 37,000 ebooks for 12 month or multi-year terms, offering them the opportunity to analyse ebook usage before deciding which titles to buy in perpetuity.

The Cambridge EBA was launched in 2010 when our first customer took advantage of this new way of purchasing ebooks. A decade on we now have over 240 customers across 36 countries.

Value for money

The popularity of EBA comes from the ability to offer access to virtually all ebook content on Cambridge Core for a fraction of its overall value. In the illustration below we can see that the value of the books used in one year of an EBA term far exceeded the deposit.

At the end of the EBA term institutions are able to allocate the original deposit paid to the purchase of ebooks in perpetuity, blending both ‘acquisition’ and ‘access’ strategies to deliver financial benefit. In the majority of cases the allocation of this deposit is for the most used titles.

The usage effect

As EBA has become more established a clear trend has emerged – in most cases usage of Cambridge content grows year on year the longer the EBA term is active for. The illustration below uses real usage statistics from an EBA customer in the UK.

Customer satisfaction

Cambridge University Press has one of the most flexible EBA models available, offering niche subject-specific options, collection-based options, and offers customers the opportunity to retain full control over what titles they choose to purchase at the end of the term. The EBA model was also recently extended to include Cambridge Journals Digital Archive content as an option.

Cambridge University Press prides itself on the postitive relationship it has with customers, and the EBA model has evolved to where it is today thanks to the feedback from our librarian colleagues across the world. We are committed to not only offering the most flexible EBA model available from an academic publisher, but also establishing ourselves as a valued partner in the process. Last year 96% of EBA customers rated themselves either satisfied or very satisfied with their EBA experience.

Get in touch

If you would like to find out more about EBA, email us using the details below.

Asia: asiamktg@cambridge.org

India: academicmarketingindia@cambridge.org

Americas: online@cambridge.org

Rest of World: library.sales@cambridge.org