from Project MUSE:
Project MUSE's introductory pricing offer initiative for its forthcoming UPCC Book Collections has been extended until January 6, 2012. The special offer, developed with a task force of representatives from the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC), will provide more favorable pricing on the collections for all participating libraries if order commitments achieve identified targets by the deadline date. MUSE has received a great deal of interest in the introductory offer program, and is extending the deadline to allow more libraries the opportunity to participate.
Arriving January 1, 2012, the UPCC Book Collections on Project MUSE will make available over 15,000 titles from 66 respected university presses and scholarly publishers, collectively known as the University Press Content Consortium (UPCC). The incentive discounts in the introductory offer better MUSE's usual consortium discount rates for the collections, and would be available to any library making a purchase commitment as part of the special offer, whether via a consortium purchase or independently. To participate in the special introductory offer, libraries and library consortia must register their UPCC Book Collection purchase commitments with Project MUSE no later than January 6, 2012. Interested libraries and consortia should contact MUSE at mbs@press.jhu.edu for more information, pricing details, and participation instructions. Several current MUSE consortium partners are gathering commitments from their member libraries as part of the initiative; libraries may wish to contact their preferred consortium to see if it is participating in the introductory offer.
About UPCC Book Collections on Project MUSE
The UPCC Book Collections will provide libraries, researchers, and students digital access to a wealth of high quality book-length scholarship, fully integrated with MUSE's more than 500 electronic scholarly journals.
Features of the UPCC Book Collections on MUSE include:
- Unlimited simultaneous usage, printing and downloading
- DRM-free PDF format, searchable and retrievable to the chapter level
- COUNTER-compliant usage statistics
- Free MARC records
- Simultaneous publication in e and p formats for new titles
- Perpetual access rights for purchased books
Project MUSE focused on providing the library community with the widest possible array of collection purchasing options. There are 47 different collections to choose from as well as 11 specially-priced three-year current bundles. Offerings include Current Collections, comprised of books published or scheduled to publish in 2010, 2011, and 2012, available as single-year collections or with additional discounts for the purchase of multiple years. Current Complete Collections include all books available across all disciplines for the applicable calendar year, while Current Subject Collections offer books in selected disciplines by calendar year. Also available are Archival Foundation Collections, consisting of many thousands of titles published prior to 2010, allowing libraries to procure access to a critical mass of significant content at very affordable prices. MUSE is not offering single title purchasing or patron-driven access options.
Available subject collections include:
- Archeology and Anthropology
- Classical Studies (Archival Collection only)
- Film, Theater and Performing Arts
- Global Cultural Studies
- Higher Education
- History
- Language and Linguistics (Archival Collection only)
- Literature
- Philosophy and Religion
- Poetry, Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction
- Political Science and Policy Studies
- United States Regional Studies
Participating publishers chose the titles to be offered in the UPCC Book Collections, in consultation with Project MUSE's collection development librarians, with a focus on enriching the depth and breadth of content in disciplines where MUSE has long offered a rich research experience for humanities and social science scholars.
Subject collections were curated and synthesized to fit closely with MUSE's strengths in journal content, with many book publishers specifically targeted for their excellent lists in certain subjects. For example, strong lists in Asian Studies were contributed by the University of Hawaii Press and University of Washington Press, while MUSE worked with Indiana University Press and Ohio University Press to curate a rich African Studies list. Deep content in Theater and Performance Studies was brought together from the University of Michigan Press and Southern Illinois University Press, among others, while both Indiana UP and the SUNY Press were tapped for their distinguished titles in Philosophy, Religion, and Jewish Studies.
Complete title lists for collections from 2011 and earlier are available at http://muse.jhu.edu/about/order/book_title_lists.html. A preliminary, partial list of titles expected to be included in the 2012 collections is also available. Prices for the 2012 collections are based upon a guaranteed minimum number of titles to be delivered. The list of expected 2012 titles will be updated frequently as specific title information becomes available from the publishers.
Sample MUSE Books on Beta Site
Over 300 free sample books from 27 publishers are currently available for browsing and searching at http://beta.muse.jhu.edu. The beta site, a sneak preview of the enhanced MUSE platform coming January 1, 2012, utilizes a sophisticated new cross-content, faceted search functionality, and allows browsing of books and journals side-by-side. A powerful new hierarchical subject structure permits users to drill down to the most relevant content, and encourages discovery. The beta site also includes the complete content from the over 500 distinguished scholarly journals now available on the current MUSE site. Visitors to the beta site have access to the same content for which they have rights on the current site, via their institutional affiliation and associated subscriptions.
