We’ve put together the following FAQs based on feedback from the increasing number of institutions taking an EBA from Cambridge. We hope you find them useful.

Why is EBA the best way to acquire ebooks?

If your budget is being stretched beyond its breaking point when trying to meet your institution’s demand for ebooks, EBA is a way to take the pressure off. For the duration of the EBA you can have access to all Cambridge’s titles, but the final cost never exceeds the initial deposit unless you want it to. Customers also often find additional benefits during their EBA, such as the ability to quickly boost e-resources, preparing for new courses, or improvements to student satisfaction (e.g. National Student Survey score).

I’m based in the UK and want to purchase a Cambridge EBA via JISC, can I?

Yes, you can. Our full EBA and Cambridge Histories EBA are both available for UK-based customers to purchase via JISC collections. Subject specific or other customised EBAs can be purchased directly with Cambridge.

Is the start date of the EBA fixed?

No. You decide when the EBA starts.

How much work do I have to do to set up an EBA?

To start the process all you need to give us is your preferred start date, your IP address/range, your email and contact details for invoicing, and payment of your deposit. We’ll then supply you with our cataloguer-enhanced MARC records and title lists to populate your systems.

How do I make the most of my EBA?

The main things you can do to help make the most of your EBA are: using our cataloguer-enhanced MARC records to boost discoverability and using the EBA communication resources to make academics and students aware of what they have access to. Some customers also find that running an EBA for multiple years is the best way to maximise the value of their EBA.

Why would I need access to all your ebooks?

Most of our customers find it’s the best way to maximise the value of their EBA and ensure their researchers are choosing from the largest number of titles available. Many of our customers are surprised by the level and breadth of usage of the Cambridge books in the EBA. Because of the cross-disciplinary nature of some of our publishing, it also opens up ebooks that may not be available in subject specific EBAs. We do offer other options like STM or HSS only collections as well as bespoke collections tailored to your needs.

How will I know what titles are being used?

Tailor made usage reports are available on request so you can monitor which titles are being used.

How do I make sure my spend doesn’t get out of control?

You will only ever spend the deposit you put down at the start of the EBA, giving you full control over how much of your budget is committed with no surprises to worry about.

What if I don’t want to just buy the most used titles?

Cambridge operates a customer-led process for deciding on what books are purchased at the end of the EBA. Some customers prefer just to purchase the most used titles up to the value of their deposit, but others like to share the spend between different faculties or allocate their deposit before purchasing additional highly used titles. Some customers also make use of EBA data to cross reference usage against the titles on their reading lists to make their purchasing decisions.

I already use a different purchasing model (e.g. PDA), why would I want an EBA from Cambridge?

The main advantage offered by an EBA from Cambridge is control over your spend. You gain access for a full 12 month period. There is no automated purchase by download mechanism which can put unexpected pressure on your budget. You choose which titles you keep, based on whatever criteria you prefer – usage, subject, knowledge of courses, requests by faculty, etc.

What additional support does Cambridge offer?

In addition to optional quarterly usage reports to help guide you through the process, Cambridge also offers materials designed to help you communicate access to Cambridge titles to your academics and researchers.

At the end of your EBA’s term we will work with you to discuss usage trends and highlight important facts and figures to help you make your purchasing decisions.

If you have any access issues our dedicated technical team is on hand to resolve them.

Where can I find out more?

Visit the EBA information pages on Cambridge Core, contact your Cambridge University Press sales representative, or email us using the applicable address below.

Americas: online@cambridge.org

Asia: asiamktg@cambridge.org

India: academicmarketingindia@cambridge.org

Rest of World: library.marketing@cambridge.org