Frequently Asked Questions

For NZ Libraries | For School Libraries | For Vendors | For Library Users

For New Zealand Libraries

For Schools

For Vendors

For Library Users

For New Zealand Libraries

Q. What is EPIC?

EPIC (Electronic Purchasing in Collaboration) is the national e-licensing initiative in New Zealand that makes available a package of electronic resources to all New Zealanders through the consortium member libraries.

EPIC’s vision is to provide access to high quality electronic information for all New Zealanders.

Over 185 libraries have committed to EPIC to date, and the Ministry of Education has continued to fund access for all New Zealand schools. As a result of this significant level of collaboration EPIC has provided unprecedented access to electronic resources for New Zealanders.

EPIC operations are funded through an administration component of member libraries’ subscriptions. The National Library of New Zealand is currently the lead agency, and hosts the EPIC office. The EPIC Governance Group (EGG), comprising 9 library sector representatives, is responsible for the strategic direction of EPIC. EGG guides the operation of the consortium and works to promote and stimulate expansion of the resources to as wide a NZ library market as possible. There is one full-time EPIC Manager, responsible for supporting EGG and the operational management of EPIC, and an EPIC trainer who provides client support and targeted training. Both positions are funded from the administration fund.



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Q. What is ‘all of New Zealand’ access?

All New Zealanders are clients, or potential clients, of at least one New Zealand library. This package of e-resources can be made available to all New Zealanders through every library that has committed to EPIC.

Q. Why should my library join EPIC?

Being part of EPIC means that you can give your customers access to thousands of high quality journals, magazines, books and images that are not freely available elsewhere. You can expand your library's collections beyond what your building could ever hold, or you could afford to purchase alone.

Libraries, by collaborating through EPIC, can provide the Content that is essential to the goals of the Digital Strategy.

More recently EPIC has initiatied a collaborative training scheme to address constraints to use of e-resources through limited e-literacy skills - this addresses the Confidence component of the Strategy.

Collaboration is central to the Digital Strategy: the Hon. David Cunliffe, the Minister for Communications and Information Technology stated in the Strategy: “We will need to work together to make it happen. Think of the Strategy as a vote of confidence in the ability of local government, economic development agencies, and others to form partnerships and get active at the local level.”

The continued success of EPIC rests on sufficient numbers of libraries collaborating. If libraries choose not to collaborate the resources will not be available to anyone. New Zealand Libraries have proven once that we can work together for the benefit of all New Zealanders. We need to continue to prove that it is possible to collaborate across sectors and make a significant contribution our information landscape.

Q. Who can join EPIC?

To be eligible for EPIC membership, organisations must be based in New Zealand and must provide a library or information service. Membership and cost allocations will be approved by the EPIC Governance Group on a case by case basis.

Where a library/information service provides for more than one organisation the following factors will be considered by the EPIC Governance Group:

  • The computer network structure is separate or shared
  • The funding arrangement across the organisations
  • The management/governance arrangement across the organisations

Decisions will be made on a case by case basis.

You can join EPIC at any time. Costs are prorated according to the subscription year.

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Q. How much does it cost to join EPIC?

Cost Allocation is determined using the model below.  Libraries can request a review of their cost allocation by applying in writing to the EPIC Manager at epic@epic.org.nz.  The EPIC Governance Group (EGG) will consider applications, and will make decisions, on a case-by-case basis. 

In reviewing this model the EGG applied the following principles:

  • Pricing should be fair
  • Pricing should aim to be affordable for all libraries
  • Pricing should aim to be attractive to small libraries in every sector
  • Pricing structure should be simple to understand
  • Pricing model should include a contribution towards EPIC administration costs

Band

Library Type

Criteria

A

Charitable Trusts

An organisation that is a Charitable Trust and obtains a significant proportion of their income from donations by members of the public.  The organisation must have a library and clients should be individuals in need.

B

Very Small Public Libraries

Public Libraries with a population base less than 10,000**

C

Small Public Libraries

Public Libraries with a population base between
10,000-30,000**

C

Small Special Libraries

Not for profit Special Libraries with collection budget (for both print and electronic resources) less than $100,000

C

Small Tertiary Libraries

EFTS funded tertiary institutions with EFTS and total number of Academic Staff FTEs below 1,000*
Mostly bible colleges, private training establishments and international colleges.

D

Small For Profit Special Libraries

For Profit Special Libraries with collection budget (for both print and electronic resources) less than $100,000

E

Medium Public Libraries

Public Libraries with a population base between
30,000 - 50,000**

E

Medium Special Libraries

Not for profit Special Libraries with collection budgets (for both print and electronic resources) between $100,000 - $300,000

E

Medium Tertiary Libraries

EFTS funded tertiary institutions with EFTS and total number of Academic Staff FTEs between 1,000 – 5,000*

F

Medium For Profit Special Libraries

For profit Special Libraries with collection budgets (for both print and electronic resources) between $100,000 - $300,000

G

Large Public Libraries

Public Libraries with a population base
between 50,000 - 100,000**

G

Large Special Libraries

Not for profit Special Libraries with collection budgets (for both print and electronic resources) between $300,000 -$1,000,000

G

Large Tertiary Libraries

EFTS funded tertiary institutions with EFTS and total number of Academic Staff FTEs between 5,000 - 10,000*

H

Large For Profit Special Libraries

For profit Special Libraries with collection budgets (for both print and electronic resources) between $300,000 -$1,000,000

I

Very Large Public Libraries

Public Libraries with a population base
greater than 100,000**

I

Very Large Special Libraries

Not for profit Special Libraries with collection budgets (for both print and electronic resources)  greater than $1,000,000

I

Very Large Tertiary Libraries

EFTS funded tertiary institutions with EFTS and total number of Academic Staff FTEs above 10,000*

J

Very Large For Profit Special Libraries

For Profit Special Libraries with collection budgets (for both print and electronic resources) greater than $1,000,000

K

National Library of New Zealand

National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* EFTS and Academic Staff FTE Numbers are based on the most up to date Ministry of Education Financial performance of public providers (TEIs).

** Population data is drawn from the most up to date PubSIG Public Library Statistics and, if information is unavailable, from the latest Census data on www.stats.govt.nz.

 

Q. How do you join EPIC?

Email epic@epic.org.nz. The EPIC Manager, will provide you with all the information you need.

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Q. What happens when the one year term is up?

You will be given the opportunity to sign up for another year.

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Q. How can I improve the use of the databases?

Here are some tips:

  • Make their use a priority.  The EPIC libraries with high usage statistics have integrated e-resources into their day-to-day services.
  • Explore and get to know the content – then you’ll know what’s going to be useful for you and your staff.  E-resources are not supposed to be the only source you use.  Their content complements your collection, and should be used along with books, the Internet and other sources.
  • Make them easy to find for your staff and your customers.  If you need help with this, email: epic@epic.org.nz
  • Market them! Show your customers ‘what’s in it for them’.
  • Make using them a part of your staff professional development and meetings.
  • Make sure your staff are using them and will continue to use them. If skills are an issue contact EPIC to discuss participation in the EPIC LIANZA Training Initiative.
  • Find some champions in your library – you might have some staff that are keen to get their teeth stuck into them.
  • Find out what other libraries are doing – don’t reinvent the wheel!  Visit http://epic.org.nz/nl/training.html to explore and learn from the many high quality training and marketing resources that have been developed by libraries across New Zealand and internationally. See http://epic.org.nz/nl/libpromo.html for some customisable EPIC promotional material too!
  • Ask for help if you need it! epic@epic.org.nz

Q. What sort of structure and governance does EPIC have?

The EPIC Governance Group (EGG) guides the operation of the consortium and works to promote and stimulate the expansion of the consortium’s offerings to as wide a New Zealand library market as possible. It is responsible for the strategic direction of the consortium and for ensuring that the operations match the consortium’s stated purpose.

National Library of New Zealand is lead agency.  It hosts the EPIC office and holds the EPIC contracts with vendors and with each EPIC member library.

The EPIC Manager and manages the day to day running of the EPIC consortium.

Q. My library doesn’t have a website, so how are my customers going to get access?

EPIC can provide you with a simple website for providing access to the resources.  Please email epic@epic.org.nz  if you’re interested in this.

Q. Do I need to provide an acceptable use statement on my Website?

As a part of each EPIC member library’s obligation to take ‘reasonable precautions’ to limit usage of the databases to use allowed by the Electronic Resource License Terms and Conditions, it is recommended that you display the following statement on any Webpage or document that provides access to the EPIC Resources:

Please Note - By following the links [on the document or webpage] you agree that:

"These databases are protected by copyright. They are provided by [library name] for use by individuals who are registered [library name] staff and patrons for the purposes of personal use or for research in a corporate, business, academic or government setting. By accessing these databases you agree to these terms and conditions of usage. Your continued access to and usage of these databases indicates your agreement to abide by these terms and conditions."


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Q. Who will manage my account ?

The EPIC Manager, epic@epic.org.nz, will manage your user details and invoicing. She is your first port of call for any issues regarding your membership to the consortium.   If you’re not sure whom to ask – email Janet.  If she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find out who does.

Q. What if I don’t want to make some of the databases available to my customers?

You can manage access by not linking to particular databases.

Q.Are there any user limits to the databases?

Gale databases have a limit of 20 simultaneous users for each of the 11 databases – eg. 20 for InfoTrac OneFile, 20 for Biography Resource Centre, etc… Training logins will be available for any training sessions you have that might exceed 20 users. All other databases have unlimited simultanious users.

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Q. What sort of authentication is available?

Visit our brief guide to setting up access to your EPIC databases for information about authentication and set up.

Q. What are the minimum technical requirements?

EPIC resources are best viewed on the following
browsers:

Thomson Gale
Internet Explorer 5.5 and above (Windows®)
Internet Explorer 5.2 (Macintosh®)
Netscape® 7.1 and above.

EBSCO
Netscape 7.x
Firefox 1.0
Internet Explorer 5.5

Britannica
Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
Netscape Navigator 6.2 or higher

Oxford (Grove Art, Music and OED)
Netscape 4 or higher
Firefox 1.0 or higher
Internet Explorer 4 or higher

Proquest
Use Proquest's Browser Health check to see if your browser is ok for searching Proquest Science Journals.

Javascript and Cookies must also be enabled. Flash is required for some features in Britannica and EBSCO's Visual Search.

Q. Our computer network uses firewalls - what configurations do we need to make

If your organisation uses a proxy server, firewall, or any content filtering software, ask your network administrator to make sure that it allows access to the following:
search.ebscohost.com
*.ebscohost.com.
*.epnet.com.
*.gale.com
*.ggimg.com
*.infotrac.galegroup.com
*.rdsinc.com
*.galenet.gale.com
*.galenet.galegroup.com
*.gale.com
*.galegrouprpas.com
*galegroup.com
*eb.com
*ebonline.co.nz
*britannica.com
*grovemusic.com
*groveart.com
*oed.com

Britannica's IP addresses may be required in order for you to access to Britannica Online School Edition.
These are:
208.44.56.*
66.117.176.*
66.117.177.*

And EBSCO

204.179.122.*. and 72.164.152.1-254

Q. How do I access my Usage Reports?

Instructions for accessing usage reports. 
The instructions are based on the details provided by each vendor.  

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Q. How do schools access the resources?

Through www.tki.org.nz/epic

Q. How can I keep in touch with EPIC developments?

If you’re a staff member of an EPIC Library you can join the EPIC-L list serve.  Visit:  http://lists.natlib.govt.nz/mailman/listinfo/epic-l to subscribe.

Q. I have another question - who do I ask?

Also you can email epic@epic.org.nz if you have any questions at all.

For Schools

What is EPIC?

EPIC - short for Electronic Purchasing In Collaboration - is a shared initiative of New Zealand libraries, which have joined together to buy collective access for the New Zealand public to tens of thousands of online resources. 

The Ministry of Education has paid for all registered New Zealand schools to access EPIC until March 31 2007.

What are the new EPIC resources?

Since 2004 schools have had access to 14 databases from EBSCO and Thomson Gale.  In 2006 5 more of the world’s best online resources were made available:

  • Britannica Online School Edition
  • The Oxford English Dictionary Online
  • Grove Art Online
  • Grove Music Online
  • ProQuest Science Journals

    • For a full list of all EPIC resources visit http://epic.org.nz/nl/eresource.html

    Q. I'm a school librarian - how do I get access?

    Ministry of Education has paid for all New Zealand registered schools to access EPIC until 31 March 2009 through Te Kete Ipurangi.

    Contact Te Kete Ipurangi to see whether your school has already registered to use EPIC. If not, your principal will be sent a Letter of Agreement for signing.

    To use EPIC, your school will need a secure user name and password login that is unique to your school.  This will be sent to you once your letter of agreement has been signed and returned by the authorised person at your school.

    Once the agreement has been received it will be processed and login and password details will be emailed to you. We anticipate processing of the request will take five working days.

    Q. Will the Ministry continue to pay for New Zealand school access to EPIC beyond 2008?

    Ministry of Education has paid for access for all schools until March 31 2008. If the Ministry chooses not to pay for future years, EPIC registered schools will be contacted about others option to subscribe to the resources.  This may include subscribing at a cost. If you choose not to subscribe then you will no longer have access to the resources. We do not know how much it will cost as cost depends on the number of NZ libraries choosing to belong to the EPIC consortium. However a key principle for EPIC is that it must be affordable for all types of libraries. 

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    Q. Can Home Schoolers access EPIC?

    EPIC for Schools is limited to registered New Zealand schools. We are focusing on registered schools accessing using a defined administrative model and a specific licence agreement. In the future we will review the progress and may consider how home schools may be able to be included.

    EPIC is a New Zealand Library consortium - which also includes NZ Schools. This means that 185+ libraries (not just schools) have joined together to make access to these resources available through their libraries. Almost all public libraries have joined and in the interim Home Schoolers can contact their local public library regarding access to EPIC.

    Q. Can I set up EPIC access so we don't have to use a password?

    No.  This is because the service is available to all schools in New Zealand so it is important we have an uncomplicated access administration process. The access we have set up means that we can effectively manage usage reports, monitor acceptable usage and troubleshoot access problems for you.

    However schools can give their staff and students the username and password. This does not contravene your licence as long as you make staff and students aware of the terms and conditions. In short - the resources should only be used by school staff and students for school business, they must not give out the passwords to anyone else outside of the school. Every time someone logs in to the resources using your schools' user id and password they accept these terms and conditions.

    Q. Can staff/students log in from home?

    Yes. Schools can give their staff and students the username and password for use at home and at school. This does not contravene your licence as long as you make staff and students aware of the terms and conditions – principly that the databases should only be used by school staff and students and passwords should not be given to anyone outside of the school.

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    Q. We keep getting a login screen when after we've signed on at www.tki.org.nz/epic - what can we do?

    The EPIC resources are authenticated using a system called "referring URL". This means that EBSCO and Gale will recognise that you have already signed into EPIC from the TKI's secure EPIC website and, therefore, should let straight into the resources. If, after signing in at TKI, schools are asked for a password at the Gale or the EBSCO site it is likely that security settings, your browser and/or computer may be blocking the referring URL authentication.

    Check with your network administrator that your computer and/browser settings support referring URL authentication.

    If your school uses a proxy server, firewall, or any content filtering software, ask your network administrator to make sure that it allows access to the following:

    search.ebscohost.com
    *.ebscohost.com.
    *.epnet.com.
    *.gale.com
    *.ggimg.com
    *.infotrac.galegroup.com
    *.rdsinc.com
    *.galenet.gale.com
    *.galenet.galegroup.com
    *.gale.com
    *.galegrouprpas.com
    *galegroup.com
    *eb.com
    *ebonline.co.nz
    *britannica.com
    *grovemusic.com
    *groveart.com
    *oed.com

    These IP addresses may be required in order for you to access to Britannica Online School Edition.
    These are:
    208.44.56.*
    66.117.176.*
    66.117.177.*

    And EBSCO
    204.179.122.*.
    72.164.152.1-254

    Ensure that Cookies and Java are enabled. Also Flash is used in some parts of Encyclopaedia Britannica and EBSCO's Visual Search.

    If you have Norton Personal Firewall it may block your access. Follow these instructions to alter your settings.

    The EPIC resources are best viewed on the following browsers:
    Thomson Gale
    Internet Explorer 5.5 and above (Windows®)
    Internet Explorer 5.2 (Macintosh®)
    Netscape® 7.1 and above.

    EBSCO
    Netscape 7.x
    Firefox 1.0
    Internet Explorer 5.5

    Britannica
    Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
    Netscape Navigator 6.2 or higher

    Oxford (Grove Art, Music and OED)
    Netscape 4 or higher
    Firefox 1.0 or higher
    Internet Explorer 4 or higher

    Proquest
    Use Proquest's Browser Health check to see if your browser is ok for searching Proquest Science Journals.

    If you are still having problems email epic@epic.org.nz

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    Q. Our computer network uses firewalls - what configurations do we need to make

    If your organisation uses a proxy server, firewall, or any content filtering software, ask your network administrator to make sure that it allows access to the following:

    search.ebscohost.com
    *.ebscohost.com.
    *.epnet.com.
    *.gale.com
    *.ggimg.com
    *.infotrac.galegroup.com
    *.rdsinc.com
    *.galenet.gale.com
    *.galenet.galegroup.com
    *.gale.com
    *.galegrouprpas.com
    *galegroup.com
    *eb.com
    *ebonline.co.nz
    *britannica.com
    *grovemusic.com
    *groveart.com
    *oed.com

    Britannica's IP addresses may be required in order for you to access to Britannica Online School Edition.
    These are:
    208.44.56.*
    66.117.176.*
    66.117.177.*

    And EBSCO
    204.179.122.*.
    72.164.152.1-254

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    Q. How can I get training on the EPIC Resources?

    Please contact your local National Library of New Zealand School Service Centre. See http://www.natlib.govt.nz/en/services/4contact.html for contact details.

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    For Vendors

    Q. We’re interested in offering our products through EPIC, how can we be involved?

    Please register your details on this form.

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    For Library Users

    Q. I’m a library user – how do I access EPIC?

    See www.epic.org.nz/libraries.html for the list of EPIC Libraries

    Q. I’m a library user having trouble getting into the EPIC resources – can you help me?

    Please contact the library, or organisation, that you are accessing from.

    Q. I have another question - who do I ask?

    Email epic@epic.org.nz

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