The Trent Library has purchased e-books from the Association of Canadian University Presses (ACUP) for the 2014, 2015, and 2016 imprint years through the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL). These scholarly books cover a wide range of topics across geographies, primarily in the humanities and social sciences. As of January 2015, almost 1,000 ACUP titles are available through TOPCAT. By the end of 2016, over 2,000 new imprints from ACUP will be added to our collection.
Most scholarly e-books are controlled by Digital Rights Management (DRM). This can be used to limit the number of simultaneous readers and/or the portion of a work that can be copied. The participating presses, with their respective DRM, are noted below. There are four levels of title-specific DRM for ACUP titles:
- MUPO (multiple simultaneous viewers)
- SUPO (one concurrent view)
- SUPO+ (one concurrent view with VIEW ONLY rights - no printing) for titles that may have potential for course adoption, for example
- OA - no restrictions on usage
Authorized users may download or digitally copy 20% or one chapter of a work, EXCEPT for SUPO+ titles, where neither of these is permitted. There are no limitations on OA titles.
Where known, for titles from each publisher for 2014 the general status of DRM follows:
- Athabasca University Press - MUPO
- Canadian Plains Research Center
- Laval University Press - SUPO
- McGill-Queens University Press - MUPO (70%) and SUPO (27%) a few SUPO+
- Les Presses de L’Université de Montreal - SUPO
- Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) - SUPO
- Presses de L’Université du Quebec (PUQ) - MUPO
- University of Alberta - SUPO
- University of British Columbia (UBC) – mostly SUPO
- University of Calgary Press - MUPO
- University of Manitoba Press - SUPO
- University of Ottawa Press - MUPO, SUPO+, a few OA
- University of Regina Press - OA
- University of Toronto Press - almost equal blend of MUPO, SUPO, SUPO+
- University of Toronto Higher Education (UTPHE) - SUPO+
- Wilfrid Laurier University Press - MUPO, SUPO, a few SUPO+
It is worth noting that publishers do review the DRM settings each year, and this process is underway at present. This means that some DRM settings will change soon – mostly moving select titles moving from SUPO to MUPO.
