Pivoting for access: How OSU Libraries is leading the next chapter of e-book strategy

Thursday, June 4, 2026

Media Contact: Nina Thornton | Multimedia Producer, OSU Libraries | 405-744-1256 | lib-pub@okstate.edu

There's a shift happening in the e-book purchasing environment with one vendor's recent announcement to eliminate perpetual e-book purchases in favor of subscription-only access.

Libraries around the world took notice.

For Gala Lackey, acquisitions coordinator at Oklahoma State University Libraries, these kinds of shifts are an opportunity.

“I’ve spent nine years building a purchasing ecosystem that gives our patrons the best access for the best price,” Lackey said.

Lackey’s willingness to engage directly with vendors led her to Oxford University Press. What began as outreach to explore dual-hosting solutions for OSU’s owned e-books evolved into a broader conversation about collaboration. Oxford invited Lackey to present at its webinar, "Pivoting E-Book Acquisitions: Librarian-Publisher Collaboration in a Disrupted Purchasing Environment," where she joined Oxford’s Head of Business Development Kathi Fountain for a candid discussion on innovation in academic e-book strategy.

“Oxford wanted to understand what libraries needed most,” Lackey said. “It turned into a dialogue about partnership, not just purchasing.”

At the heart of Lackey’s work is a philosophy of stewardship, maximizing limited budgets while stretching access. The OSU Libraries has steadily shifted focus from aggregator platforms, choosing instead to work directly with publishers who meet the Library’s preference for unlimited-user, digital rights management (DRM) access. This approach not only saves money but changes experiences for OSU students and faculty. The OSU Libraries works with a wide range of publishers that support these access models, ensuring patrons benefit from flexible, sustainable e-book options.

“Our collection development policy for e-books prefers unlimited user access, preferably DRM-free,” Lackey said. “As the book buyer, I want to be a good steward of our funds, so I look for the best prices and publisher access models that align with our collection development policy."

"DRM-free access means that when a student downloads a book, they truly have it. They can read it offline, keep it forever, and we don’t have to worry about expiring licenses.”

The OSU Library's strategy is grounded in data, not guesswork.

“We continually analyze our resources and purchasing models to ensure that they’re meeting OSU’s teaching and research needs, and Gala’s insights are indispensable to that process,” said Molly Strothmann, professor and director of collection strategies. “Following a significant upheaval in the e-book market this year, she showed tremendous initiative in turning that disruption into an opportunity to improve our e-book collection.

“Our Collection Development Committee focuses on making data-driven decisions that enable us to provide the content that our patrons need at a price that doesn’t break our budget.

“Library work is so often reactive — a patron requests content, and the Library provides it, or a patron reports a problem, and the Library fixes it. We know that sometimes patrons don’t tell us that they need something or that there is a problem that needs fixing. By paying attention to purchasing trends and usage data, we can be much more proactive and anticipate our patrons’ needs.”

That kind of foresight translates to real impact. Each year, OSU’s textbook affordability program, funded by the McKinney family, saves students an estimated $500,000. Lackey’s purchasing initiatives, coordinated with OSU-Tulsa and other Library partners, have expanded access campuswide while improving the Library’s return on investment.

“Our $13,000 annual spend on e-textbooks yields a thirty-to-one return. That’s tangible value for our students and donors,” Lackey said.

Colleagues describe Lackey as both a strategist and problem-solver. She’s noted as a professional who thinks in systems but works with deep empathy for her users. Her recent efforts to secure access for previously restricted content on multiple publishers’ platforms increased access for OSU–Stillwater but opened new collections to OSU-Tulsa’s community as well.

“I want other libraries to know the options they have,” she said. “This isn’t just about OSU. It’s about building stronger, smarter partnerships across the industry.”

In an era when access models and budgets are constantly in flux, Lackey’s work underscores what leadership looks like in practice: research-based, collaborative and patron-focused.

“Finding the best deal on an e-book is satisfying,” Lackey said with a smile. “But seeing how that decision helps a student afford their education — that’s why I do it.”

Watch Gala Lackey’s talk:  Pivoting E-Book Acquisitions: Librarian-Publisher Collaboration in a Disrupted Purchasing Environment.