Acquiring E-books – Does (Should) Workflow Play a Role?

The methods in which e-books can be purchased vary greatly compared to print books. In the past, a print book was purchased either as an individual title (firm order) or through an approval plan. Once the books were received, there was little deviation in how the items were processed – purchase orders were created, books were processed, invoices were input and paid. However, with e-books, the work is more complex and there are a many ways to purchase e-books – firm order, Demand (or Patron) Driven Acquisiton (DDA), Evidence Based Acquisition (EBA), yearly front-file purchases, back-file purchases, or subscription to e-book packages. Each of the methods involves a workflow that goes from easy to somewhat complex. This begs the question of whether the acquisitions workflow can or should influence how e-books are purchased.