Mapping the Free Ebook Supply Chain: Final Report to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Abstract

This is the final report of a project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that sought to understand how Open Access books are found, acquired, and used. The researchers applied a variety of quantitative and qualitative techniques to analyze the discovery and impact of around 120 books published by the University of Michigan Press and Open Book Publishers in open access electronic form. Highlights of the study's results include the importance of social media in OA book discovery, the low importance of the library catalog as a source of discovery, and the reach of OA books to educated lay readers outside the academy.