Gulliver and Bruce Ten Years On:
Report on the Gulliver Consortium
to Public Libraries Victoria
Network Inc. March 2010
Endorsed by the PLVN General Meeting 16th
March 2010
Contents
Forward and recommendations
………………………………..2
Background ………………………………………………………….3
Gulliver Review 2009……………………………………………….6
Electronic Resources Australia…………………………………..9
BRUCE …………………………………………………………….. 10
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Forward and Recommendations
This report was compiled by Karyn Siegmann, at the request of the PLVN Executive.
Input was also provided by Anne Holmes, Trish Smyth and the Executive Officer,
Elisabeth Jackson. It was discussed and endorsed by the Executive at its meeting
on 2 March 2010. The recommendations were developed as a result of the report
and the discussion.
A large amount of information has been gathered from PLVN members and other
sources over the last year and this has been brought together in the report. Sources
of information include:

A survey of members undertaken in March 2009 asking for their views on the
databases and how they were used in the libraries

A report by Milbur Consultants in May 2009 which analysed usage patterns
around the state

A survey of members conducted in November 2009 seeking comments about
the markets for Gulliver and Bruce and canvassing their views on possible
scenarios.

A brief survey of members in December 2009 asking what databases were
regarded as essential.
Members of the Gulliver Special Interest Group and especially the convenor, Paul
Burden have also provided information and comments at various stages of this
process.
Resolutions passed at PLVN General Meeting on 16 March 2010
1. PLVN cease to provide the Gulliver suite of databases from July 1 2010
2. PLVN members be advised of availability of selected databases through
Electronic Resources Australia (National Library)
3. PLVN to provide separate collaborative prices on behalf of Victorian public
libraries for Ancestry, Global Books in Print and Choice magazine ( either directly
or as part of Gale OneFile)
4. PLVN to investigate a procurement process for the above databases in view of
legal advice provided and either negotiate a procurement process through the
MAV or seek an alternative procurer for collaborative purchase.
5. PLVN to advise ERA of its intentions and request a quote for provision of
additional databases – Ancestry, GBIP and Choice
6. PLVN to advise the State Library of Victoria of the decision for PLVN to cease
providing database subscriptions through the Gulliver consortium.
7. The Gulliver Special Interest Group be thanked for its work and the Community
Access Subcommittee be asked to suggest public domain alternatives and ideas
for marketing of online resources.
8. That the BRUCE scheme continue unchanged where vendors are prepared to
continue to offer this service
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Background
Gulliver was established in 1998 as a consortium of Victorian public libraries to
purchase online databases collaboratively. The consortium was officially launched in
2001 and in 2002 it was given a boost in the form of a grant of $200,000 from the
State Government which subsidised subscriptions for the first year of operations
At this stage the Internet was still relatively new in public libraries and online
databases were seen as the way of the future. Julie Rae (at that time CEO of the
Central Highlands Regional Library Service) was the driving force behind the project.
Viclink ( the predecessor organisation to Public Libraries Victoria Network) agreed to
auspice the scheme and act as the point of contact for vendors and the clearing
house for funds. As Viclink had no paid staff at the time, this effectively meant that
Julie Rae and other library managers organised the consortium in a voluntary
capacity. Gulliver is the main reason for the re-constitution of Viclink and the
employment of a paid Executive Officer which occurred in 2008.
At present PLVN is acting in contravention of the Associations Incorporation Act that
prohibits trading by Incorporated Associations. If Gulliver continues in any form, new
auspicing arrangements need to be made.
In 2002 all public libraries in Victoria signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Viclink under which they agreed to purchase online subscriptions through the
consortium.
At a later stage the BRUCE (Bibliographic Resources Under a Consortium
Environment ) consortium was added. This provides a range of over 60 databases
from which libraries can choose with discounts offered according to the number of
libraries selecting each database.
Selection of the core Gulliver databases, to which all members subscribe, was
carried out by an evaluation panel in consultation with members. Core databases
are revised every three years and we are now reaching the end of the second three
year period. Workshops attended by members decide the categories to be covered
in the core and these are currently:
 A multilevel encyclopaedia (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

A consumer-oriented health database (Gale Health and Wellness and
EBSCO Consumer Health Complete)

A “popular science” database (Gale Science Resource Centre)

A generalist journal database (Gale Onefile)

A newspaper database with Australian content (ANZ Reference Centre)
The core also includes Global Books in Print as a bibliographic tool for library staff.
Members agreed to retain their membership and subscribe to all core databases for
each three-year period. PLVN pays for the databases ($760,000 for the current
year) and recoups the money from members according to a formula. The original
formula was complex and was based on a combination of usage and population.
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This year we have commenced moving to a straight per capita allocation of
subscription costs.
Advantages
 Libraries encouraged to subscribe to new databases through lower costs and
an industry commitment to online resources. Libraries (especially smaller
country libraries) subscribed to databases they would not have had otherwise.
The actual amount of money saved is difficult to determine given the “flexible”
nature of vendors’ pricing.

Reliable, authoritative databases available from home to the Victorian public

Libraries pay one subscription to Gulliver instead of a number of overseas
transfers
Usage of Databases
It is fair to say that the usage of the databases has been disappointing. Use of the
databases doubled from 2004-5 to 2007-8 but dropped slightly in 2008-9. Figures
for the last half of 2009 are showing an increase but, to put this in perspective, there
were 244,000 database hits in 2008-9 compared with loans of over 48 million.
Public libraries are asking legitimate questions about return on investment for this
service.
Database use varies widely across the state from 1% of the population in some
public libraries to 14%. The differences are directly in proportion to the effort put into
staff training and improving the accessibility of the databases within the context of
the library user information requirements.
Various factors have contributed to low usage – some of which can be addressed
and some not. These include:
 Difficulties in accessing the databases on some library websites. Sometimes
this is due to restrictions imposed by Council IT departments

The names of the databases often don’t give an indication of what they are –
Gulliver? Onefile? Some libraries have overcome this by re-naming or
describing the databases on their websites

The lack of a federated search engine to enable searching of all databases
simultaneously. LibraryLink Victoria provides this but is clunky to use.

Staff not trained to the extent that they feel confident about directing patrons
to the databases. In addition, the number of information requests requiring
use of online resources is not large in public libraries so staff don’t get a lot of
opportunities to use their skills in this area.
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
Some libraries not taking on board that the databases are an adjunct to and
partial replacement of their printed reference collections and should be treated
the same way in terms of cataloguing and promotion.

Poor marketing. Some libraries promote the databases as a group. It would
be more effective to market particular databases to suitable groups – eg
advertise near hard copies of Choice magazine that this is available online
from home through Onefile. Patrons don’t want to know about online
databases per se – they want particular resources or information.

Google. People, including library staff, are attuned now to going here first
and usually they find the information they want. Library staff can direct users
to more authoritative sources found on Google and thereby enhance the
users’ information literacy
Discussion
Searching for information in the new age
The information world is very different to what it was ten years ago. We need to
understand how our customers search and make it as easy as possible for them.
Rather than trying to make people search for information in the way we might think
they should it’s time for library professionals to be radical and provide with what they
want and how they want to search for it. Google and Wikipedia are where they go so
let’s understand that and use it to their and our advantage
Google is the first place most for of our customers and staff go to search. Anything
else is too many steps. Our databases require at least 3 steps and then
authentication so why would you bother when Google is much easier. Wikipedia
gives our customers just about everything they need and is said to be as
authoritative as Encyclopedia Britannica.1 There are also many other free options
available to replace what we are currently paying for. Given the current state of many
library service budgets and the competing demands , library managers are
concerned to be able to demonstrate value for money to senior management or
library boards.
Gulliver Review 2009
PLVN Executive decided in 2009 to commence a review of Gulliver. The impetus for
the review came from:
 Large increases in subscriptions in 2008-9. This was due largely to the low
AUD exchange rate at the time we were paying the vendors

The volatile exchange rate in 2009 made us realise that PLVN is exposing
itself to considerable risk in this regard
1
http://news.cnet.com/Study-Wikipedia-as-accurate-as-Britannica/2100-1038_3-5997332.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reliability_of_Wikipedia
http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2005/12/69844
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
Disquiet over the formula which resulted in higher subscriptions for libraries
which had increased usage

Low level of usage overall

The availability of free online databases replicating the expensive ones we
had – eg Google and Google scholar, Wikipedia, Leader newspapers online,
Better Health. These had not existed or had been much less reliable at the
time Gulliver was set up.

The realisation that all the databases and more are available at the State
Library of Victoria which any Victorian can join online. Are we duplicating
resources?

The advent of downloadables and other online resources which libraries may
want as well as or instead of the Gulliver core.
The Review identified the following possible outcomes and these were all assessed:

Continuing with current core with minor variations – three yearly re-evaluation
is due now

A reduced core – eg Global books in Print, Ancestry and Choice magazine
purchased directly from Choice. Other databases available on a Bruce opt in
or out basis

No core with libraries able to choose their own databases.

A “Queensland” arrangement with the State Library of Victoria whereby all
public library cards could be authenticated at the State Library and therefore
patrons could access State Library databases without the need for a separate
membership. It is unlikely that this would save any money as the vendors
have made it clear they will increase costs to the State Library in this event
and these would be passed on to public libraries.

Purchases of databases by individual libraries through ERA. ERA at present
has only a limited range of databases with only three of the current Gulliver
core represented.
Milbur Consulting Review
As part of the Gulliver Review in 2009 PLVN commissioned Milbur consulting to
conduct a review of Gulliver .
The recommendations were:
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-
Continue to assess possible savings through the use of competitive
databases, and/or access through ERA
-
Conclude that its databases provide a niche service, and concentrate on
supplying access to those databases that supply gaps in general on-line
coverage, and that are most in demand by users. Within the current budget,
this implies accessing the Ancestry data base, ANZ Reference and Onefile in
the core offerings for libraries
-
Encourage individual libraries to review separate databasessubscriptions , to
ensure user needs are being met at reasonable cost; and
-
Review the pricing structure of the core offerings for libraries to provide
greater transparency and equity
After discussion of the Milbur report and the results of the survey, it was decided
to continue with the existing databases with the addition of Ancestry as part of the
core for the 2009-10 year and to further review Gulliver in terms of usage and
value for money. The formula for allocating costs to libraries was reviewed and a
transition to per-capita funding commenced.
Ancestry had been part of the BRUCE range for some years but had not been
selected for the Core initially due to a requirement , endorsed by the original
Gulliver Consortium, that the databases had to be accessible remotely. Members
who had subscribed through BRUCE, however reported very high levels of use
and almost all respondents to the survey requested that it be added to the core.
Member Surveys – later in 2009
A survey conducted in October asked for a subjective response the following
questions:
 What/who is the market for Gulliver?
 What/who is the market for Bruce?
 Imagine it is 1 July 2010 and Gulliver is no longer, but there are a suite of
databases available through Bruce that libraries can pick and choose from,
what are the ramifications?
 Imagine it is 1 July 2010 and the core of Gulliver is things like Choice
magazine (straight from Choice),
 Imagine it is 1 July 2010 and Gulliver no longer exists, what are the
ramifications?
The findings indicate:
 Majority would be happy with a reduced core
 There is a lack of understanding about market segmentation and marketing of
databases
 There is a great variety of needs across the state
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A further survey conducted shortly afterwards asked libraries to indicate the
databases they couldn’t live without. The most popular are:





Ancestry (nominated by all except 3 of the respondents)
Global Books in Print
Britannica
Gale onefile
ANZ Reference centre
One library service signalled its intention of leaving the Gulliver consortium
altogether.
ERA
Electronic Resources Australia (ERA) is a direct result of the work done by a group
of Australian library sectoral representatives who have been striving for national
licensing since 2003.
This work has been done in response to recommendation 9 of the Senate’s October
2003 report on Libraries in the Online Environment, and aims to provide Australians
with easy access to a variety of trusted subscription information online sources via
their library.
In March 2009 the ERA product panel was expanded from nine to 25 products in the
areas of 'Australian News & Business, 'General Reference', 'Health Information',
'Humanities & Social Sciences', and 'Science & Technology'. These products are
available to Australian libraries from 1 July 2009 on an opt-in / opt-out basis.2
ERA product categories:
 Australian News & Business Information
 General Reference
 Health Information
 Humanities & Social Sciences
 Science & Technology
(See attachment 4 for further information)
Following attendance at the ERA forum on Friday 12 February it became clear that
Victorian public libraries should be considering purchasing more databases through
ERA. A number of public library staff were present and some interesting papers were
presented as well as presentations from vendors.
ERA taking over the function of PLVN in regard to database purchasing is a natural,
and not unexpected, transition from a statewide project to a national one. ERA
negotiates the best price with vendors, ERA then invoice each library. They do
2
http://era.nla.gov.au/about/index.html
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everything that PLVN does, has the authority and resources to conduct a competitive
process and authority to undertake the related financial processes. ERA also
provides an annual forum that the vendors attend and present at.
At present ERA offers only three of the Gulliver core databases - Britannica online,
Health and Wellness Resource Centre and Science Resource Centre. It does,
however, offer alternatives such as Newsstand which fulfils most of the functions of
ANZ Reference Centre, as well as many additional databases. Through ERA
Victorian libraries would have the capacity to choose their own databases and, as it
is a national consortium, prices should be comparable to Gulliver.
There is also the possibility of PLVN approaching the National Library to expand
ERA’s range to include the databases of particular interest to Victorian Libraries.
Role of the Gulliver Special Interest Group
As a special interest group of the Community Access Subcommittee, the Gulliver
group has had an important capacity building component and networking function.
There will continue to be the need for interested library staff to consider future trends
and new forms of information, providing advice on the provision of electronic
databases. A Special interest Group, operating within the subcommittee structure
should continue.
The terms of reference of this group should be reviewed and should include
Investigating and recommending free online resources (eg. Google Scholar), liaising
with vendors to investigate niche products and participating in an annual vendor
forum, whether attending the annual forum run by ERA or producing their own.
This group should also develop a toolkit for marketing of online resources and liaise
with the vendors to make use of the resources they are offering.
BRUCE
PLVN could continue to act as a clearing house for BRUCE – collecting quotes from
vendors and forwarding these to members who then make their own arrangements.
Some Bruce databases are also available through ERA. One vendor (Proquest) has
flagged that they will not be providing Bruce discounts in 2010-11 as the small
number of subscriptions mean it is not worth their while.
Purchase of core databases through a Bruce arrangement would result in much
higher costs for most libraries.
Recommendations
1. PLVN cease to provide the Gulliver suite of databases from July 1 2010
2. PLVN members be advised of availability of selected databases through
Electronic Resources Australia (National Library)
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3. PLVN to provide collaborative prices for Ancestry, Global Books in Print
and Choice magazine (remote access)
4. PLVN to investigate procurement process for the above databases in
view of legal advice provided and either negotiate a procurement
process through the MAV or seek an alternative procurer for
collaborative purchase.
5. PLVN to advise ERA of its intentions and request a quote for provision
of additional databases – Ancestry, GBIP and Choice
6. PLVN to advise the State Library of Victoria of the decision for PLVN to
cease providing database subscriptions through the Gulliver
consortium.
7. The Gulliver Special Interest Group be thanked for its work and the
Community Access Subcommittee be asked to suggest public domain
alternatives and ideas for marketing of online resources
These recommendations were passed with small amendments at the General
Meeting held on 16 March 2010. The resolutions of the meeting are included in the
Forward to this report.
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