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As academic libraries have increasingly shifted to purchasing ebooks that are licensed rather than owned, and are more expensive than print books, challenges to the acquisition and budgeting of textbooks for course reserves have increased. These challenges associated with online textbooks impact how libraries approach initiatives to enhance student affordability. This three-year study analyzes the usage data of high-cost (i.e., those costing more than $500) ebooks purchased as course texts by the library. The analysis demonstrated that the number of titles and the overall cost were relatively low. In contrast, the use of these ebooks was high (exceeding 200 uses per month), especially compared with other ebooks the library had acquired to support curricular and research needs. This data enabled the library to revise the acquisition process, removing the cost-based approval step, which improved the acquisitions workflow and students’ access to titles.
