What is Occam’s Reader?
1. Occam’s Reader is a technology that allows libraries to loan eBooks to one another. The eBooks are made available as temporary and time‐limited loans that are made accessible via the Occam’s Reader server, hosted at Texas Tech University. Libraries use the OCLC network and the ILLiad request management software in conjunction with Occam’s Reader. The library patron views the eBook using a web viewer that can be accessed using any device with internet capabilities. The viewer provides access to a simplified image of the eBook content.
2. There are three main components to Occam’s Reader:
· Discovery Tool for Borrowing Library’s Interlibrary Borrowing Staff ILLiad add‐on to identify and request a specific eBook title from the holding libraries
· Processing Tool for Lending Library ILLiad add‐on and Occam’s Reader proprietary software to transmit and convert the eBook content to the Occam’s Reader server plus integrated email availability and authentication notification to borrower
· Web Viewer for Library Patron Viewer to read the loaned eBook via a link to a secure server which requires authentication using a temporary URL and password
3. The end result is one specific book title being loaned to one specific patron for a time limited loan period via a secure system where access is granted for the specified item.
After the loan period is finished, the file is automatically deleted from the secure server. This follows the model of interlibrary lending, where the book is “returned” (no longer available to the borrower) at the end of the loan transaction.
Many of the Springer eBook URLs are downloadable as full eBook PDFs already (thanks to Springer), which saves the trouble of binding the chapter PDFs together in many cases.
The total number of eBook items in the dataset is 964,655. This total is live-counted on the discovery tool in case we ever add or subtract from the dataset at a later date. The 964,655 eBook items represent 113,854 distinct eBook titles, meaning that many titles are available at multiple institutions. Springer’s eBooks may be found here.
http://www.springer.com/shop. There is an advanced search option which you can use to limit to format, content, etc. We do not guarantee that all are available through Occam’s Reader, but many will be.
To put it in more exciting terms:
Occam’s Reader allows the discovery and lending of nearly 1,000,000 eBooks, representing over 100,000 distinct eBook titles shared between 33 GWLA member institutions.
As a member of the Greater Western Library Alliance, MU’s Ellis Library’s Interlibrary Borrowing Unit is happy to offer this service to our patrons for a one year trial period beginning April 2, 2014. We will check for electronic access first when a request is placed so that service will be faster because of no shipping time and no cost involved for the borrowing library. For additional information: http://www.gwla.org/Home/Announcements/OccamsReader.