EBSCO releases open policy for data sharing

EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) has released its new policy on metadata sharing and technology collaboration. EBSCO will make all metadata (and full text when contractually allowed) available for more than 120 full-text databases and over 500,000 e-books, as well as over 50 historical digital archives, to third party discovery services. The policy is said to outline EBSCO’s commitment to exchanging metadata and integrating technologies with partner vendors to enable an enhanced discovery experience for mutual customers.

EBSCO’s new policy is said to cover critical areas of mutual collaboration with other discovery vendors. In addition to the sharing of metadata (and full text where allowed), the policy includes EBSCO providing assistance with linking technology that has been requested by customers.

EBSCO Information Services executive vice president, Sam Brooks explained, 'We believe that by outlining our plan in an open way, we are encouraging greater partnerships and transparent goals for collaboration among ILS vendors, discovery providers and content providers. It’s been a long time coming for such an open policy, but we are excited to take this step, and we’re confident that our customers, and ultimately their end users, will benefit greatly.'

The working partnership also calls for discovery vendors who are also ILS providers to enable patron catalogue functionality within EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS). This, according to EBSCO, will ensure that the desired user experience is achieved for customers who choose EDS as their front end.