EBSCO eBooks Data Integration FAQ

EPUB and/or PDF e-book content, with accompanying ONIX 2.1 metadata should be delivered to your dedicated FTP location as early as possible. Please see the Data Transfer and Integration Essentials document for additional details.

Your Publisher Relations Manager: For any questions/concerns/feedback about your business outcomes/opportunities

publishercm-ebooks@ebsco.com: A closely monitored production team inbox, for questions/concerns/feedback about the accuracy and completeness of your e-book inventory, including FTP assistance or any other production issues

EPeBookRemovals@ebsco.com: For identifying e-books EBSCO should withdraw from sale; not required if the publishing status is communicated in your ONIX feed

EISeBookDeliveryNotifications@ebsco.com: For automated distribution manifests (not required); this optional inbox is primarily for historical reference and is not closely monitored

Send frequent metadata delta files

Please send any metadata or content additions/updates to your dedicated FTP as soon as they become available.

Any price updates will need to be sent on their effective date. Note that the Supply Detail composite must contain a single USD list price (excluding tax). If multiple USD prices are provided, EBSCO must be notified which price is to be used as the base list price.

To ensure expedient take downs, title withdrawals should be communicated in your ONIX feed using the Publishing Status code. If this is not an option, please email EPeBookRemovals@ebsco.com to notify us of any withdrawals that need to be acted on manually.

Provide pre-publication metadata and content as soon as possible

Please send both metadata and content files for pre-publication titles as early as possible.

EBSCO does not support pre-ordering/pre-purchasing of eBooks before they are available for full access. However, we do honor embargo dates, where we complete processing of the metadata and content any time in advance, and then the title will automatically "go live" at 12:00:01 ET the day that embargo date is reached.

Note that we leverage the ONIX <OnSaleDate>/<j143> YYYYMMDD date value for this, not the <PublicationDate>/<b003> date value.

Check in frequently with your distributor

If you work with a distributor, periodically verify your configuration settings and be sure that your metadata is up to date.

Provide detailed metadata, including subject headings, language, and abstracts

Subject headings are considered highly valuable in aiding discovery for our customers and users. ONIX 2.1 can support a variety of types of subject headings and classifications, including LCSH, BISAC, DDC, and others. Please see Editeur's ONIX 2.1 documentation for full details.

Please note that while subject headings are supplemented by OCLC and our own internal process, this is generally a time-consuming process. The fastest way to ensure that your titles are discoverable is to provide detailed subject headings directly to us in your metadata.

Additional metadata, such as language and a detailed summary, are also helpful in promoting discovery.

Include your titles in DRM-Free/Unlimited User sales models 

Many customers only consider purchasing titles with DRM-Free availability and will filter their search for this. We have found that allowing DRM-Free access can lead to increased sales. Please reach out to your Publisher Relations Manager if you would like to discuss updating the available sales models of your titles.

Include both print and electronic ISBNs

Because our sales channels must be able to differentiate your e-book products from your corresponding print products, we strongly encourage assignment of a dedicated "electronic" ISBN to each e-book format. Clearly defining your officially sourced electronic and print ISBNs will aid in the efficiency and accuracy of our production processes, and greatly enhance our customers' ability to discover your title.

Defining your proprietary product identifier alone allows us to load the title, but its sales potential will be inherently compromised.

If a product has ever been available in another format, EBSCO strongly recommends identifying its alternate manifestation(s) in the RelatedProducts composite. At least one shared related ISBN is required if your PDF and EPUB ISBNs are different.

• If a corresponding print ISBN is available, use RelationCode value <h208>13</h208>
• If an alternate electronic format ISBN is available, use RelationCode value <h208>06</h208> and a ProductForm value of DG

Make your content accessible

As we strive to best serve our customers’ needs, we ask that you provide your content files according to WCAG AA guidelines.  

EPUB: https://daisy.org/activities/software/ace
PDF: https://accessible-docs.com/overview-pdf-ua-standard/

Our online reader supports navigation by headings and tags when they are included in your PDF and EPUB files, and those same features are available in the downloaded file to support the same navigation options when reading offline. Semantic tags to describe images, tables, and charts should also be supported when the patron is using a screen reader.

EPUB files have the added advantage of supporting reflowable text and magnification, which are utilized by users with limited vision.  

Provide both EPUB and PDF content

Our customers favor e-books available in both EPUB and PDF formats, giving their readers the option to choose whichever best suits their needs.

Reflowable EPUBs are increasingly popular and are inherently more accessible than PDF e-books.

EBSCO currently accepts EPUB versions 2 and 3. Please note that we cannot yet support enhanced features such as video, audio, JavaScript, MathML, fixed layout, or Right to Left/Top to Bottom text in EPUB3.

Include comprehensive navigation

Bookmarks are critical for navigation and greatly enhance the experience for the end user. We require at least 3 bookmarks for navigation, but preferably more. We ask that bookmarks mirror the Table of Contents, accurately link to the correct pages, and nest to indicate hierarchy.

Include accurate pagination

Pagination is necessary for both navigation and citations, so it is imperative that the page labels on both PDF and EPUB files match the printed text.

EPUB files can be paginated using pagebreak tags. For example: <span epub:type="pagebreak" id="page24" title="24"/>

Ensure consistent pricing and availability across all sales channels

To offer all customers the best and most consistent purchasing experience, please ensure that your metadata feeds to all sales channels are uniformly priced and updated regularly.

Supply open access titles

EBSCO is proud to offer an Open Access monograph collection. This collection will be available free of charge to libraries, DRM-Free, and available on the open web.

For us to accept OA titles, we need them to be clearly identified in your ONIX 2.1 feed. The preferred method of identification utilizes the <OtherText> composite:

<OtherText>
          <TextTypeCode>47</TextTypeCode>
          <Text>Open access – no commercial use</Text>
</OtherText>

However, there is some flexibility in how we can identify OA titles, if it remains consistent in your feed. We would be happy to discuss other options and review a sample feed as needed.

Please reach out to your publisher relations manager or publishercm-ebooks@ebsco.com to discuss open access.