10 Years of the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire eBook Consortium
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire eBook Consortium, Steve Glover and Dan Livesey reflect on its origins, development, and future.
How it started
In June 2016, Mary Hill, then Library Services Manager at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, approached Greater Manchester health librarians with a proposal: to collaborate on a joint bid for a collection of cancer eBooks. The idea was well received, and Mary submitted a funding bid via the Health Care Libraries Unit (HCLU).
To identify the best supplier, Mary used a comparison matrix of eBook providers. DawsonEra emerged as the strongest option, offering a comprehensive collection of cancer-related titles alongside a wide range of other subject areas. Crucially, their model allowed any content purchased by an individual Trust to be shared across all consortium members—an important factor in the group’s decision-making.
At the same time, East Cheshire NHS Trust was already using DawsonEra. As The Christie began to expand services into the Cheshire region, it made sense to formalise this partnership. East Cheshire joined the collaboration, and the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire (GMAEC) eBook Consortium was established.
Growing the collection
Over the following years, consortium members successfully secured local funding and invested in subject-specific collections that benefited our users. Key collections included:
- Obstetrics and gynaecology
- Healthcare management
- Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Oncology and cancer
By 2019, the consortium had built a substantial shared collection, providing access to hundreds of eBook titles across the region. Models for purchasing generally consisted of:
- Credit-based licence: Provides a set number of annual credits (typically 250–500). Each credit allows a user to access a title for a 24-hour period.
- Limited-user licence: Restricts access to a fixed number of concurrent users, usually between one and three people at a time.
- Unlimited licence: Allows unrestricted access, with no limits on the number of users or the frequency of use.
COVID-19 and a change of provider
In 2021, we had a major challenge: the Bertrams Group, parent company of DawsonEra, went into administration. This put both the consortium and its eBook collection at risk, raising concerns about potential loss of access to purchased content.
Fortunately, in early 2022, a new provider stepped in. Browns Books acquired the DawsonEra platform and its content. Importantly, they not only preserved the consortium’s existing eBook collections but also agreed to continue the shared access model that had underpinned its success. We agreed to transition to this new provider.
New members and building on success
Over the years, we have grown as a consortium with other Trusts deciding to join the group. Our current membership includes:
- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
- East Cheshire NHS Trust
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
- Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
- Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Our most recent members from North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust joined after one of our original members, Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, merged with Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
We estimate that as a group, we are serving around 100,000 NHS staff.
Key principles of GMAEC eBook Consortium
Throughout the history of the eBook Consortium, collaboration has been central to our success. However, we have never formally defined an ethos or set of guiding principles. Recently, Steve and Dan attended an after-action review with colleagues in the Midlands who had attempted to develop a similar model, which got us thinking about how we work:
Here are what we believe are the key principles of our consortium:
- Membership in the GMAEC group is not based on spending levels. Each Trust has different budgets for eBooks, and varying levels of investment will never affect membership.
- We prioritise cost-effective purchasing models. As a group, we select the most affordable options. Where possible, we favour buying credits over user licences, as this allows access for a wider number of users.
- A shared funding pot has been created. Recognising that some members face challenges with eBook procurement, several Trusts contribute to a central fund. This can be used to support access to specific titles or to purchase eBooks that benefit a large number of users.
- KOHA has streamlined eBook management. Since its introduction, a local KOHA administrator has been able to upload new eBook titles on behalf of consortium members. This role is invaluable, and we extend our thanks to East Cheshire (Alison and Rowan) for saving the group significant time.
Future of the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire eBook Consortium
We believe the future of the GMEC ebook consortium is very bright. The recent launch of Browns’ new iOS and Android app will make accessing our shared ebook collections even easier for users. Looking ahead, we remain committed to our founding principles and to expanding collections that deliver real value to a large section of the NHS workforce across the North West.
Collection usage
Availability of usage data
Under both the DawsonERA consortium arrangement and the current Browns Books model, usage data have been available to support evaluation of the e-book collection. A limitation of the shared platform is that usage statistics cannot be disaggregated at individual organisational level, preventing detailed analysis of activity by participating trust.
However, this collective approach aligns with the collaborative purchasing model underpinning the consortium. Resources are acquired for the benefit of all member organisations, and each organisation derives value not only from its own investment but also from the contributions of other consortium members. Consequently, collection performance is evaluated at consortium level rather than by individual organisation.
Top 10 used titles in 2025
Analysis of usage during the 2025 calendar year demonstrates strong engagement with e-book content, particularly within the mental health organisations represented in the consortium. The composition of the most frequently accessed titles reflects the subject interests and information needs of these organisations.
The findings are particularly noteworthy given the predominantly digital collection strategy adopted by Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust. The high utilisation of electronic resources suggests that users are engaging with the online collection and that the available content is meeting identified information needs.
The following usage measures were used in the analysis:
- Read Online: A user accessed and read content within an e-book through the Browns VLe platform following authentication via OpenAthens.
- Download Count: The number of occasions on which a user downloaded part of an e-book.
- Unique Users: The number of individual users who accessed a particular e-book.
- Loan Days: The cumulative number of days for which an e-book was loaned to a user. This measure is dependent upon the purchasing model associated with the title.
Top 10 titles accessed by different unique users
Analysis of unique user activity provides an indication of the breadth of engagement with individual titles. For example, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Third Edition: Basics and Beyond was accessed by 28 distinct users during the twelve-month study period, representing the highest level of individual user engagement among titles within the collection.
Collection utilisation as a metric
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust uses collection utilisation as a metric for comparing the performance of library collections across different formats and over time. This measure assesses the proportion of available titles that demonstrate evidence of use within a specified period.
Within the Browns VLe consortium collection, 563 of the 1,347 available e-book titles recorded either online reading activity or downloads during 2025. This equates to a utilisation rate of 41.8%, indicating that almost half of the available collection was actively used during the year.
For comparison, utilisation of the print book collection within the NoW catalogue can be measured by examining the proportion of book titles (rather than individual copies) that were issued during a comparable twelve-month period. Recent analysis indicated that 17.5% of print book titles were borrowed at least once during the year.
While caution should be exercised when comparing different formats, these findings suggest substantially higher levels of engagement with the consortium e-book collection than with the equivalent print collection, highlighting the value of digital resources in supporting access to information across consortium member organisations.
Daniel Livesey, Library Manager, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Steve Glover, Head of Library Services, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
