Frequently asked questions

 What is JISC eCollections?

JISC eCollections is a new service that consolidates and hosts the more than £15m worth of journals, books and multimedia archives that JISC and JISC Collections have licensed on behalf of members.

 What does the service comprise?

The JISC eCollections service comprises three separate platforms: JISC Journal Archives, JISC Historic Books, and JISC MediaHub. Each platform then contains a number of resources, such as Early English Books Online, ITN News sources, or an individual publisher's journal archive.

 Why was this service developed?

The service has been developed to maximise usage of this content, by increasing its visibility to users and simplifying the user journey. The vision is to support further and higher education by:

• ensuring widest access to a world-class collection of essential resources
• protecting the investment in these resources
• working in partnership with the community to improve and develop the services around evolving student and researcher needs.

 Why was it necessary to build the JISC eCollections platforms?

JISC Collections has invested significantly in content on behalf of the UK education community. Currently, member institutions access this content on a range of different platforms, many of which are managed by commercial providers. Accessing these archives on multiple platforms can be confusing for users, and presents additional administrative effort for librarians. Some of the archive owners charge annual access fees, over which JISC Collections has limited control, and future delivery depends on the ongoing sustainability of a number of different publishers and platform providers. By consolidating and hosting this content in a single service, JISC eCollections increases its visibility and simplifies the user experience, thereby maximising usage and value for member institutions.

 Why were three platforms developed rather than one?

The resources in each platform are very different and are likely to be used in different ways. Separate platforms have been created to give the best user experience for each type of resource.

 How do I join the JISC eCollections Service?

You need to place an order for the service via your institutional account on the JISC Collections website. If you need any assistance with this please contact the JISC Collections Helpdesk: help@jisc-collections.ac.uk

 How do I request a trial?

Go to the JISC Collections website and sign in, then click on 'Catalogue', find 'JISC eCollections' in the list of resources and select it. Click on the green button that says 'Apply for a free trial'.

 Why are institutions being charged a service fee to access the content?

The service fee supports the cost of hosting all the collections, and enables us to provide continuity and development in the evolving academic content environment. In this way, the service fee protects the considerable investment that has already been made in purchasing or licensing the content on behalf of educational institutions. As a non-profit, community-led organisation, we are keeping service fees as low as possible. Fees are transparent - they are not subject to commercial inflation, and profits are ring-fenced for reinvestment in the long-term maintenance and development of the service.

 What are the Service Fees?

Higher Education institutions pay a single service fee for all three platforms which is heavily discounted. The service fees are available on the JISC Collections website.

JISC MediaHub is free to all FE Colleges. This is a result of demand from the FE community who are high users of multimedia content. There is a discounted rate for FE colleges that wish to continue their subscription to JISC Historic Books and JISC Journal Archives. Please see the JISC Collections catalogue pages for FE for further details on free access to JISC MediaHub and discounted access to JISC Historic Books and  JISC Journals Archives.

 Can institutions join a single platform or collection separately?

This is under consideration in response to demand from HE and FE.

 My institution currently subscribes to one of the collections separately. How does JISC eCollections affect me?

• Current subscribers to EEBO (via ProQuest) or ECCO (via Cengage) are eligible for a discounted service fee for JISC eCollections in its first year.
• Current subscribers to the Education Image Gallery and Film & Sound Online can no longer access these services via EDINA, and need to join JISC eCollections to maintain access.
• Current and new subscribers to NewsFilm Online will continue to have access via www.nfo.ac.uk for a transitional period, and will also be able to access the NewsFilm Online collections via JISC MediaHub until the end of July 2012 (but will not be able to access other resources within that platform, or other JISC eCollections platforms, without joining the full service). From August 2012, NewsFilm Online subscribers will need to join the full JISC eCollections service to maintain access.

 Can my institution continue to access the journal archives on the publishers' platforms?

Yes, for the duration of your existing agreement with each publisher.

 Will the publishers start charging / increase their access fees to access the content on their platforms?

We have no control over - or advanced knowledge of - publishers' pricing plans. This is one of the reasons that we have developed JISC eCollections.

 Who manages the service?

The service is managed by JISC Collections, a not-for-profit membership organisation that supports the provision of digital materials for education and research in the UK. It procures collections of e-resources for academic libraries, and its vision is to provide perpetual access for the best possible price. The individual platforms have been developed in partnership with The British Library and the UK national academic data centres, EDINA and Mimas.

 What are the advisory boards?

The advisory boards will manage the three platforms. There is one advisory board per platform. Members of the advisory board are representatives of users in UK academia. They comprise lecturers, information specialists, media advisors (for JISC MediaHub), and technical experts, across HE and FE, and across a wide range of subject disciplines. The advisory boards will ensure that the service and each platform is managed by the community, for the good of the community. Each board will have some 15-20 members.

 Can I join an advisory board?

Yes, we welcome new members when there is space - please contact our Helpdesk (help@jisc-collections.ac.uk) for more information, and to register your interest.

For FAQ specific to each platform, please see:

• http://www.jiscmediahub.ac.uk/faq
• ecollections.mimas.ac.uk/books/faq.html
• ecollections.mimas.ac.uk/journals/faq.html

 How do I stay up to date with developments to JISC eCollections?

We have developed this website where news and updates on each of the platforms will be posted. In addition, the website will provide access to materials which can be downloaded and customised to promote the service to users.