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Bibliografia sugli e-book, 2007-2009 (gennaio)
Questa bibliografia è aggiornata al 2009 (gennaio) le precedenti bibliografie 2000-2005 e 2005-2007 sono rispettivamente pubblicate in:
- E-book: risorse attuali e prospettive future. Seminario con tavola rotonda organizzato da Cenfor International. Milano, Bibliostar 2005, Palazzo delle Stelline, 18 marzo 2005 / a cura di Serena Sangiorgi e Anna Merlo. - Roma
- AIDA, 2006. - 128 p. - ISBN 88-901144-7-9, disponibile online su www.cenfor.net/biblio/biblio_ebook_00-05.htm
- Delivering e-content: contenuti elettronici a portata degli utenti. Atti dei seminari 2006 organizzati da Cenfor International / a cura di Serena Sangiorgi e Anna Merlo. - AIDA, 2007. - 122 p. - ISBN 88-901144-6-0, disponibile online su
www.cenfor.net/biblio/biblio_ebook_05-07.htm
Come per le bibliografie precedenti, sono state qui selezionate le opere che, per il periodo indicato, trattano dell’e-book in biblioteca e delle problematiche connesse (come sviluppo delle raccolte, creazione di metadati, promozione dell’uso, istruzione degli utenti, comportamento degli utenti, uso dell’ebook nella didattica, eccetera) con esclusione delle opere che trattano preponderatamente di tecnologia e di standard nonché di specifici prodotti e del loro marketing, il cui sviluppo tumultuoso non consente la stasi necessaria alla compilazione bibliografica.
Diversamente che per il passato, non è stato fatto nessun riferimento all'iniziativa Google Book Search, per la quale si rimanda alla bibliografia curata da Charles W. Bailey, Google Book Search Bibliography, ormai giunta alla terza edizione, Dicembre 2008
www.digital-scholarship.org/gbsb/gbsb.htm
La maggior parte del materiale è stata derivata dal Library and Information Science Abstracts (LISA) il 3 febbario 2009 alle ore 13:13:17 usando la semplice formula <[(KW=e-books) or (KW=electronic books)] and (KW=libraries)> con la detta limitazione temporale.
Ogni volta che è stato possibile, la citazione è stata integrata con il link al full text ad accesso aperto, segnalando l'eventuale condizione di pre-print o di post-print.
Lo stile delle citazioni segue il Chicago-style Author-date System elaborato dal Simmons College di
Boston. Dei riferimenti estratti da LISA è riportato l’abstract, per gentile concessione di Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, proprietaria della base di dati, che qui si ringrazia. L’ordine è alfabetico dell’intestazione al primo autore o al titolo. Intestazioni uguali sono ordinate per data crescente di pubblicazione.
La bibliografia è organizzata in tre sezioni: Indagini, Seminari e Articoli.
Indagini
2008 Global Student E-book Survey – “Ebrary”, 2008
Indagine condotta sull'uso e sulla percezione degli e-books dall'aggregatore Ebrary sulla popolazione studentesca. Hanno risposto all'indagine quasi 6.500 studenti afferenti a circa 400 istituzioni universitarie nel mondo. I risultati dell'indagine sono scaricabili dal
sito,
gratuitamente previa registrazione.
2007 Global Faculty E-book Survey – “Ebrary”, 2007
Indagine sull'uso e sulla percezione degli e-books condotta dall'aggregatore Ebrary sul corpo docente, alla quale hanno risposto oltre 900 docenti afferenti a diverse università nel mondo. I risultati dell'indagine sono scaricabili dal
sito,
gratuitamente previa registrazione.
2007 Global Librarian E-book Survey – “Ebrary”, 2007
Indagine condotta sugli e-books dall'aggregatore Ebrary su un campione di bibliotecari. Al questionario hanno risposto oltre 580 bibliotecari. I risultati dell'indagine sono scaricabili dal
sito,
gratuitamente previa registrazione.
eBooks – The End User Perspective – “Springer & Business Media”, 2008.
L’editore Springer presenta i risultati di due sondaggi condotti nel 2007 tra i bibliotecari di sei istituzioni per acquisire il loro punto di vista in merito all’adozione degli eBooks ed ai vantaggi che ne derivano e, nel 2008, tra gli utenti finali di cinque istituzioni per valutarne l’uso e l’atteggiamento nei confronti degli e-books.
JISC National E-Books Observatory Project, Results of First User Survey – “Joint Information Systems Committee” (JISC), 2008
La pubblicazione contiene i risultati della prima indagine condotta da JISC sull'uso e sulla percezione degli e-books da parte degli studenti e dei docenti afferenti a circa 120 istituzioni tra college e università britanniche all'interno dell'iniziativa National E-books Observatory Project. Hanno risposto al questionario circa 23.000 partecipanti tra studenti e docenti.
Seminari
Evoluzione nell'utilizzo delle risorse elettroniche da parte degli utenti della
Biblioteca. Roma, venerdì 27 giugno 2008, Biblioteca Centrale "G.Marconi" del CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche.
Il seminario organizzato da Elsevier Science in collaborazione con Cenfor International, Genova e Biblioteca Centrale "G.Marconi" del CNR era diviso in due parti. La seconda pare del seminario dal titolo E-books nuovo strumento per gli utenti e analisi del comportamento sul loro utilizzo è stato dedicato alle esperienze di alcuni atenei italiani.
Articoli
Abdullah, Noorhidawati; Gibb, Forbes. 2008. Students’ attitudes towards e-books in a Scottish Higher Education Institute: part 1. – “Library Review”, vol. 57, no. 8, pp. 593-605, 2008
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present the first part of three inter-related studies investigating the use and usability of e-books in higher education based on experiments conducted at the University of Strathclyde. Design/methodology/approach - A self-selected sampling method was employed from undergraduate and postgraduate instructional students registered with the University of Strathclyde for academic year 2005/2006. An announcement email was posted to the student web portal for a period of three weeks inviting them to participate in the survey. Findings - This survey found that e-book awareness and the level of e-book usage amongst students was lower than anticipated: 57 per cent of students were not aware of the availability of e-books from the library and 60 per cent of them had not used an e-book. Non-users commented that e-books were not widely advertised or promoted. Despite the low levels of e-book awareness and usage non-e-book users indicated their desire to learn more about e-books. Research limitations/implications - This survey was dependent on self-selection and, therefore, there was no central control over the sample profile (e.g. gender, level of studies, academic discipline); hence, generalisation of the results should be treated with caution. Practical implications - This survey is beneficial in terms of obtaining a better understanding of e-book usage among students and the reasons why students do, and do not, use e-books. The findings should be of value to academic libraries in terms of emphasising the need to increase e-book awareness and usage amongst students. Originality/value - The findings should be of value to academic libraries in terms of emphasising the need to increase e-book awareness and usage amongst students.
Alijani, R.; Nikkar, M. 2008. Evaluation and comparison of free and commercial user interfaces of Digital Libraries. – “International Journal of Information Science and Technology”, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 45-57, 2008
In this study, at first, different free and four fee book-based Digital Libraries (DLs), available via www were reviewed. Four Dls Gutenberg, 24x7, Netlibrary and Ebrary were chosen. A comprehensive inventory consisted of general information, search features, display options and unique features was composed for comparing the interfaces of these DLs. Then chosen interfaces were compared and evaluated. Results showed that Netlibrary scored higher according to the specified criteria. However, in designing interface for such Dls, designers should take into considerations all the criteria proposed in this study.
Anglada, Lluis. 2008. A proposito de libros electronicos. - “El profesional de la información”, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 414-415, July-Aug 2008
The author comments on some aspects of electronic books: ergonomics, market models, languages, etc., which explain why there is still time for e-books to reach a wide acceptance.
Armstrong, Chris. 2008. Books in a virtual world: the evolution of the e-book and its lexicon. - “Journal of librarianship and information science”, vol. 40, no. 3, pp.193-206, Sept 2008
Over recent years there has been considerable confusion over the use of the term "e-book," and this article examines the variety of definitions used to date while proposing a definitive construct. Beginning by examining the definitions of "book," the paper moves on to consider the essential element of a book -- the content, and to examine publishing and structural aspects of e-books, as well as their place in libraries, before arriving at a final definition. The definition and its derivation embrace all of the issues that affect the way in which e-books are understood and used today. In conclusion, the article looks at both the genesis of e-books, and the stage of acceptance and adoption that they have reached, with brief reference to 3rd-generation e-book readers available at the time of writing. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Inc., copyright 2008.].
[pre-print]
Ball, Rafael. 2009. E-books in practice: the librarian’s perspective. – “Learned Publishing”, Vol. 22, No1, pp. 18-22, January 2009
According to the the author it has become unimaginable to provide information - particularly scientific information - without e-books. They have become part of today’s combination of media, which includes printed books and journals, e-journals, e-books, and databases. When e-books first appeared on the market, librarians very quickly formulated their key requirements. The most important requirement is functionality: it must be possible to look through a book chapter by chapter, and also to get a quick overview of a comprehensive monograph. Usage arrangements, including concurrent usage and use for interlibrary loans, are also important. The use of uniform technical standards increases the acceptance of e-books.
Busby, Lorraine. 2007. Turning pages: reflections on eBook acquisitions & access challenges. – “Against the Grain”, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 28, 30, 32, Apr 2007
Discusses the advent of electronic books and their implications for libraries in terms of access to collections. Evidence so far suggests that links to eBooks through the library catalog are providing insufficient access. Treating eBooks like print equivalents, with perhaps added descriptors to acknowledge electronic features, fails to recognize the systemic limitations of OPACs in providing access to electronic content. Despite the slow introduction to electronic books, the current proliferation of purchasing options is waiting to be embraced while progress in managing these resources has stagnated. Since staff comprises the largest component of operating budgets, good business practices suggest that designing workflow processes, which allocate minimal staff and time in handling resources, is to be desired provided that there is no negative impact on identification and access for users. It is up to library staff to ensure eBook access to users is successful to the extent that it matches users wants and needs. (Quotes from original text).
Carlock, Danielle M.; Maughan Perry, Anali. 2008. Exploring faculty experiences with e-books: a focus group. - “Library Hi Tech”, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 244-254, 2008. -
Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to describe how, in the spring of 2007, Arizona State University Libraries held a focus group of selected faculty to discover their perceptions and use of electronic books (e-books) in their research and teaching. Design/methodology/approach -The services of the Institute of Social Sciences Research were employed to recruit and moderate the focus group. Major themes explored were: use of e-books as textbooks; use of e-books for personal research; comparison between e-books and print; disciplinary differences in perceptions of e-books; and motivators for future use. Findings - Overall, the focus group revealed that faculty had generally unsatisfactory experiences in using e-books in their research and teaching owing to the unreliability of access, lack of manipulability, and the steep learning curve of the various interfaces. However, most faculty agreed that e-books would be a very viable and useful alternative if these issues were resolved. Research limitations/implications -The focus group consisted of only six faculty members and hence is not representative of faculty as a whole. A larger survey of a more diverse faculty population would greatly serve to clarify and expand upon the findings. Practical implications -The implications for academic libraries include providing better outreach and training to faculty about the e-book platforms offered, provide better course support, and advocate to e-book vendors to consider faculty's teaching and research needs in their product development. Originality/value - This is believed to be the first published study of faculty opinions and use of e-books utilizing focus group methodology and offers detailed information that would be useful for academic libraries and e-book vendors for evidence-based decisions.
Cleto, Cynthia. 2008. 10 steps to implementing an ebook collection: a guide for librarians. – “Against the Grain”, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 47-48, 2008
Electronic books and periodicals provide flexibility, economy, and efficiency traditional publications cannot match. However, a wrong move during planning or acquisition can negate these advantages, increasing costs, creating interdepartmental tension, and leaving users with inadequate research tools. To avoid these pitfalls and ensure that libraries enjoy the smoothest possible transition to e-books, Springer advises libraries to: determine its collection development strategy; evaluate different business models; gain internal support; plan policy changes with subject specialists /librarian liaisons; discuss implementation with technical staff; choose collections and vendors; link e-books to the online public access catalogue; communicate to users; download usage statistics; and review and review contracts.
Davy, Tom. 2007. E-textbooks: opportunities, innovations, distractions and dilemmas. – “Serials”, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 98-102, Jul 2007
This article explores the evolution of the textbook and examines why, despite huge investments by publishers, today's students are spending less on textbooks and are not yet using electronic resources to replace them, relying instead on free handouts and Google. This is in stark contrast to the progress that has been made in professional markets where publishers like Thomson, Reed and Wolters Kluwer now derive the majority of their revenues from digital products and services. Academics, it is argued, need to embrace digital courseware solutions, librarians need to offer new services and market themselves more effectively, and publishers need to think beyond e-books to deliver superior learning solutions.
Dooley, Jim. 2007. From print to electronic: the UC Merced experience. – “Against the Grain”, vol. 19, no. 3, pp. 22, 24, 26, Jun 2007
Describes how the University of California (UC) at Merced made the shift from print to electronic collections. When the library opened in September 2005, UC Merced librarians were immediately faced with the fundamental question of what a 21st century research library collection should be. In 2003 the library identified several significant barriers to the adoption of electronic books. Hardware and software standards and protocols were in the early stages of development, with many vendors employing proprietary systems. UC Mercedâs first eBook collection was a subscription to the History E-Book Collection, now the Humanities E-Book Collection, from the American Council of Learned Societies. The first foray into the world of commercial eBooks was a subscription to ebrary. (Quotes from original text).
Garcia-Marco, Francisco-Javier. 2008. El libro electronico y digital en la ecologia informacional: avances y retos. - “El profesional de la información”, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 373-389, July-Aug 2008
The problems, context, concept and design trends of electronic books are discussed. The advantages and disadvantages of the electronic book versus the traditional one are analyzed. Finally, its impact in the ecology of book production, preservation and dissemination and in its different stakeholders is assessed, both market-oriented firms and libraries.
Gee, William. 2007. The conundrum of eBooks and interlibrary loan. – “Against the Grain”, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 22, 24, 26, 28, Apr 2007
Looks at the current relationship between electronic books and interlibrary loan (ILL), and explores prospects for the future. On the positive side, eBooks certainly can reduce the demand for ILL services and quickly and cheaply satisfy patron needs. Distance education patrons, in particular, can have instant access to eBooks that in their print form would require nearly a week to arrive. Problems arise when ILL encounters eBooks in commercial collections, most notably NetLibrary, ebrary, EBL, and Questia, and through research databases such as PsycBOOKS and the Springer eBook Collection. It is with these eBooks that deep concerns surface over user preferences, cataloging, resource sharing settings, accessibility, and "loanability". Discusses a three-pronged approach that libraries can adopt in case eBook publishers do not agree to freer use of their content. (Quotes from original text).
Gregory, Cynthia L. 2008. “But I want a real book”: an investigation of undergraduates’ usage and attitudes toward electronic books. - “Reference & User Services Quarterly”, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 266-273, Spring 2008
During the fall of 2004, the Head of Electronic Resources at the College of Mount St. Joseph's Archbishop Alter Library conducted a survey using a paper-based questionnaire and administered it to several randomly chosen undergraduate courses. The goal of the study was to investigate the college's undergraduates' usage and attitudes toward electronic books. The study grew from the college librarians' informal observations of students' reactions, many times negative, to e-books over a four-year period. Results ran counter to what one might expect of undergraduates belonging to the Millennial or "net" generation. The findings show that students have mixed feelings about using e-books; students will use e-books but prefer using traditional print books. The study gives insight into where electronic and print media are in the current academic realm.
Hammerl, Michaela; Kempf, Klaus; Schaffler, Hildegard. 2008. E-Books in wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken: Versuch einer Bestandsaufnahme. - “Zeitschrift fur Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie”, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 68-78, 2008
This article aims to provide a practice oriented overview of the current situation of commercially sold or fee-based e-books from the perspective of academic libraries. Given the expectations which both users and libraries hold for this relatively new form of electronic media and the potential which e-books are presumed to have, this article sheds light on what has actually been achieved so far. This survey covers not only a general assessment of the market, but also the current options for access, the price levels and purchase conditions, methods of distribution, options for research and use, and methods of indexing and cataloguing. The essay concludes with examples of actual experiences with e-books in academic libraries and an outlook on possible future developments.
Hawkins, Donald T. 2008. Seattle Public Library: keeping the focus on the customer. - “Information Today”, vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 24-25, Sept 2008
Presents an interview with Andra Addison, communications director for the Seattle Public Library in Washington. Addison reveals the library's many innovations and shares her views about its ability to draw patrons besides its unique architecture, whether people have to wait to use a computer in the library, rules for photographers not disrupting normal library operations, future plans and future directions for the library, and electronic books.
Henry, Elizabeth; Longstaff, Rachel; Van Kampen, Doris. 2008. Collection analysis outcomes in an academic library. - “Collection Building”, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 113-117, 2008
Purpose -The intent of this article is to illustrate outcomes and results of a collection analysis done by a smaller academic library. Design/methodology/approach -The collection was evaluated using an online analysis tool combined with a physical inventory of the collection. Findings -Peer group comparisons revealed some of the problems with this particular collection were also widespread among the comparison libraries. The value of the e-book collection to patrons was clear: not only did e-books provide resources to remote students; they help compensate for shortfalls in the print collection. Practical implications -The catalog more accurately reflects what is on the shelf and also what is reported to OCLC. Access to the collection has been improved and enhanced. Steps were taken to refocus the library's collection development procedures and management. The changes made have led to increased faculty involvement in selection and a more balanced, more comprehensive collection management plan. Originality/value -For any library considering whether they can or should do an analysis, the article illustrates that the benefits are well worth the time and expense. The analysis had a positive impact on collection development and management.
Herther, Nancy K. 2008. The ebook reader is not the future of ebooks. - “Searcher”, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 26-40, Sept 2008
E-books are everywhere today on the Web (Google Book Search, Project Gutenberg), and more are on their way, growing both in number and the richness of access and design. However, the e-book reader is a different species. These are proprietary devices, developed by entertainment, computer, or other companies intent on replacing the physical book. Today, the world is experiencing the third generation of e-book readers, driven by huge media giants Amazon and Sony. This article summarizes the first two ebook generations (what worked and what largely did not) and wonders if the third time is the charm or if history will just repeat itself.
Levine-Clark, Michael. 2007. Electronic books and the approval plan: can they work together?. – “Against the Grain”, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 18, 20, 22, 24, Apr 2007
Most academic libraries have acquired a variety of electronic books from numerous vendors. The ideal situation would be to blend acquisition of eBooks and print books into one process, allowing better control over which sorts of arrive in either format, and allowing for less duplication or for a substantial discount in price for libraries opting to purchase a print and electronic bundle: eBooks should be brought the control of the approval plan. It is clear that the approval vendors are making significant headway toward integration of eBooks into the approval process. In order for eBooks to be successfully and meaningfully integrated into the approval process, approval vendors need to have a significant amount of frontlist eBooks available to them at the time of publication. Publishers need to develop consistent and fair pricing models for packages, allowing libraries or consortia to duplicate print and electronic versions of titles. (Quotes from original text).
Levine-Clark, Michael. 2007. Electronic books and the humanities: a survey at the University of Denver. – “Collection Building”, Vol.26, No. 1, pp. 7-14, 2007
The purpose of this article is to identify levels of awareness and patterns of usage of electronic books by scholars in the humanities. A survey was was submitted to the University of Denver community to assess the knowledge about and usage of electronic books; the results of this study are presented here. Scholars in the humanities have a higher level of awareness of e-books than their colleagues across campus but use e-books at the same rate. Their patterns of use are different, with humanists using less of the e-book than do other groups. Humanists still prefer printed books to electronic texts at a higher rate than do other groups and care less about added features, such as searchability, than they do about content. Humanists conduct research differently than do most other scholars, using the library catalog and browsing as primary means of finding information, and valuing the book more than other resources.
Lewis, Suzanne. 2008. E-book discovery and use behaviour is complex. - “Evidence Based Library and Information Practice”, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 38-41, 2008. -
A review of: Rowland, Ian, David Nicholas, Hamid R. Jamali, and Paul Huntington. "What do Faculty and Students Really Think about E-books?" Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives; 59.6 (2007): 489-511.Objective - To assess academic user awareness, perceptions and levels of use of e-books. Also to discover the purposes for which e-books were used and identify the most effective library marketing strategies for e-books. Conclusion - This study reveals a significant level of interest in and use of e-books in one academic community, but with differences determined by age, gender, academic sub-group and subject area. it builds on the findings of previous studies of e-book usage and indicates key areas for further study. These include whether real-life information behaviour correlates with the self- reporting of respondents, and the intersection of gender and self-reported information behaviour. This information, plus the patterns of book discovery behaviour emerging from this study, will be of interest to publishers, booksellers and libraries.
Lonsdale, Ray; Armstrong, Chris. 2008. Aggre-culture: what do e-book aggregators offer?. - “Library + Information Update”, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 28-33, 2008
The market for e-books has taken off, particularly in the world of education. Aggregators provide easy access to large collections of titles form many publishers, through a single interface. Consultants Ray Lonsdake and Chris Armstrong compare the offerings of the largest providers and point to emerging trends.
Martin-Gonzalez, Juan-Carlos; Pivetta, Emma. 2008. Factores clave en el proceso de adquisicion de libros electronicos. - “El profesional de la información”, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 408-413, July-Aug 2008
After the introduction of electronic journals collections in academic libraries the next step is to expand the existing collections of books and reference materials with new content in digital format. The international publishing industry is currently offering their books in digital format. The present article reviews the key factor to be considered in the selection and acquisition stages of electronic books as well as the existing international publishing offer. It is shown also a comparison of electronic books aggregators with strong presence in Spain.
McKnight, Cliff; Dearnley, James; Morris, Anne. 2008. Making e-books available through public libraries: some user reactions. - “Journal of Librarianship and Information Science”, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 31-43, 2008
This paper considers the results of an online questionnaire survey that collected user data on e-book collections held at Essex County Libraries over a two-year period between April 2004 and June 2006. The research was funded by the Laser Foundation, and specifically considered e-book collections held on Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices, as well as collections viewable on Personal Computers with Internet access. Questionnaire responses from 58 individuals indicated clearly that marketing of e-book collections needs serious consideration, that certain genres were popular with users (notably Science Fiction), and that the largest number of respondents were aged between 21 and 30. As we discuss, the findings of this questionnaire survey offer few insights into e-book usage that have not been reported in other research. However, what the findings do illustrate clearly is that publicity afforded to e-book and other electronic collections remains crucial. From perusal of the data, 47 of the 58 respondents found out about the e-book collections after browsing the website. Whilst this obviously indicates that the website is indeed useful, the fact that only nine respondents investigated the collections having seen publicity material tells another story. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications, Ltd., copyright 2008]
Millan, Jose-Antonio. 2008. El polimorfo libro electronico. - “El profesional de la información”, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 369-371, July-Aug 2008
A review of the major characteristics of e-books, both as reading appliances and as content, includes a description of advantages and disadvantages, functionality, intellectual property, acceptance, market, and other considerations. The multiple different formats, devices and prices, and the absence of an important social base of users of this kind of device dedicated only to reading, make the e-book a product with a still uncertain future.
Milloy, Care. 2008. Promoting and embedding e-textbooks: the library challenge. -"Against the Grain", vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 48-51, 2008
In 2007, JISC Collections held a workshop with UK higher education librarians to acquire a deeper understanding of the issues that librarians and information professionals face when promoting and embedding electronic textbooks into learning and teaching processes. The workshop took into account the local issues that librarians face on a daily basis in order to identify how JISC Collections, publishers and electronic book aggregators could assist and coordinate with librarians. A publisher, an aggregator, a librarian and a virtual learning environment expert were invited to present case studies of how they promote e-textbooks and the challenges and issues that they face. What was evident from these presentations was that the lack of available e-textbooks and e-books for taught course students meant that there was little or no current practice to discuss.
Morris, Carolyn. 2008. Issues in vendor/library relations -- Buying ebooks: does workflow work? Part I. - “Against the Grain”, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 85, 87, Sept 2008
Part 1 of an article on issues associated with the acquisition of e-books and its implications for library/vendor relations. As the demand for e-books grows, libraries are struggling to develop strategies to accommodate them within current ways of doing business. The method of e-book acquisition can have a profound impact well beyond workflow, bearing even on the future success of the entire library. To protect the library from pitfalls, library administration may want to take an active role in the e-book vending decision. All of this does not mean acquisition and selection workflows should not be taken into consideration when choosing an e-book vendor, but they should not drive the decision at the expense of everything else.
Nicholas, David. 2008. The information-seeking behaviour of the virtual scholar: from use to users. - “Serials”, vol. 21, no. 2, pp. 89-92, July 2008
The case is presented for moving on from monitoring activity in the virtual scholarly space to studying the virtual information seeking of users and then relating that to diversity, satisfaction and scholarly outcomes. The article shows that, thanks to new methodological techniques that enable us to obtain deep and robust insights of what goes on in the virtual environment, it is now possible to obtain such data. These methods, using deep log analysis, are outlined and results illustrated in regard to CIBER'S Virtual Scholar Research Programme and their use in three major, national research studies - the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)-funded "National E-books Observatory Project," The JISC/British Library (BL)-funded Google Generation study and the Research Information Network (RIN)-funded "Evaluating the Usage and Impact of E-journals in the UK.".
Nicholas, David; Huntington, Paul; Rowlands, Ian. 2007. E-books: how are users responding?. - “Library + Information Update”, vol. 6, no. 11, pp. 29-31, Nov 2007
Describes the SuperBook project, which analysed how students used some 3,000 electronic books (e-books) at University College London. SuperBook is an action research study funded by Emerald and Wiley publishers, which involved 'dropping' more than 3,000 carefully selected e-books from OUP (Oxford Scholarship Online), Wiley (Interscience), and Taylor and Francis into the University College London (UCL) information environment. What in effect was being created was an e-book observatory in which behaviour could be observed by librarians, publishers and academics, and changes introduced and then evaluated. This article concentrates on just one of the e-book collections, that of Oxford Scholarship Online. (Quotes from original text).
Nicholas, David; Ian Rowlands, David Clark, Paul Huntington, Hamid R Jamali, Candela
Olle. 2008. UK scholarly e-book usage: a landmark survey. - “Aslib Proceedings: New Information Perspectives”, vol. 60, no. 4, pp. 311-334, 2008
Purpose -This JISC funded UK National E-Books Observatory study is a benchmarking survey of e-book usage and perceptions in more than 120 participating universities. The paper aims to present the results that investigated: use of e-books in general (methods of obtaining e-books, reasons for using, viewing/reading behaviour in connection with e-books); use of e-books provided by the library; use of JISC collection texts (use and awareness); use of the library and print material in general. Design/methodology/approach -The study is based on an online survey which was conducted between 18 January and 1 March 2008, over which period 22,437 full or partial responses were received. Findings -The study shows that e-book penetration is very strong (61.8 per cent of all students are already using them in connection with their scholarly work, as teachers or students), so the e-book revolution has already happened but clearly it has some way to go. Originality/value -The paper presents the results of the biggest survey of its kind ever conducted, which represents a huge advance in one's knowledge of e-book use on a national scale.
Ribes-Llopes, Inmaculada, Olga Muñoz-Navarro, Gloria Colomina-Fons. 2007.
E-books in MetaLib. The PoliBuscador experiment. – “Igelu Newsletter”, vol. 2, n. 1, 2007
If many aspects of a perfect management system for e-journals still have to be defined, this is more than true in the case of e-books. E-books are new and the immaturity of existing models is even greater. This lack of maturity is evident in the integration of e-books in MetaLib and SFX. The limitations of SFX for the administration of the ISBN restrict the functionalities of this link technology. On the other hand the interoperability of the portals of e-books leaves much to be desired.
[post-print]
Rowlands, Ian, Nicholas David, Hamid R. Jamali, Paul Huntington. 2007. What do faculty and students really think about e-books? – “Aslib Proceedings” Vol. 59 No. 6 pp.489 - 511, 2007
The purpose of this article is to report on a large-scale survey that was carried out to assess academic users' awareness, perceptions and existing levels of use of e-books. The survey also seeks to find out about the purposes to which electronic books were put, and to obtain an understanding of the most effective library marketing and communication channels. The survey is part of an action research project, CIBER's SuperBook, that will further investigate the issues raised in this initial benchmarking survey using deep log analysis and qualitative methods. The paper partly fills the gap in the literature on e-books which has mainly focused on usage and not the users.
DOI:10.1108/00012530710839588.
Rowlands, Ian; Nicholas, David. 2008. Understanding information behaviour: how do students and faculty find books?. - “The Journal of Academic Librarianship”, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 3-15, 2008
Faculty and students at University College London (UCL) were polled online in November 2006 as part of a wider investigation into the impact of e-books in UK higher education. One of the survey questions probed the strategies that members of the academic community use to identify the conventional printed books that they need for work, study, or leisure. This article reports on a quasi-experimental statistical investigation of the survey findings for this single question. Multivariate data analysis suggests that book discovery is very highly structured, with gender, subject discipline, and academic status offering powerful predictors of certain underlying behavioural strategies. A model of book discovery strategies is developed and this is used to help segment the survey population into those with high or low levels of dependence on formal library systems or nonlibrary-based solutions. The paper concludes with a discussion of some of the practical implications of these findings for librarians, publishers, and booksellers.
Sottong, Stephen. 2008. The elusive e-book: are e-books finally ready for prime time?. - “American Libraries”, vol. 39, no. 5, pp. 44-48, May 2008
E-books come in two types: computer-based and portable. A computer-based e-book uses a fixed or semi-mobile device such as a laptop computer, whereas a portable one uses either a dedicated reader like the Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle or a mobile device such as a PDA or cell phone for which reading books is a secondary function. E-books are sold either as individual books or through subscriptions. Subscription services like NetLibrary are the primary providers to libraries, and such services use computers rather than portable devices to display their content. Whether e-books become popular depends on user preference, availability of high-quality content, cost, intuitive interface, and standardized methods of encoding and downloading.
Soules, Aline. 2007. E-Books: acquisitions, the user, and the future. – “Against the Grain”, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 34, 36, 38, Apr 2007
Discusses the impact of electronic books on library acquisitions and user behavior. Experiences with users and eBooks are important considerations in contract negotiations and lobbying for improvements. Negotiations often center on issues critical to the library and regardless of how necessary or legitimate, they are not necessarily user-focused. A classic example is cost, which is key for the library and determines whether the user has access at all. Once a package is acquired, however, users do not know or care about cost. Other negotiating points include items both visible and invisible to users: needed technical improvements to enable eBooks to "handshake" with the rest of the libraryâs technology, digital rights that determine print and download restrictions, archiving issues, etc. These may affect users attitudes about eBooks and their ability to use them. But users do not connect these conditions to such things as print annoyances. It is the negotiator who must determine the priority to give to issues that directly affect the user. If the acquisitions librarian is not the negotiator, he/she can be proactive about identifying and communicating user priorities to the negotiator on the users behalf. This is where acquisitions and the user are clearly connected. In larger libraries where acquisitions is more divorced from the public interface, it can be particularly difficult to remember that actions and a sense of urgency about these issues are as important to users as the face-to-face interactions they have with public services librarians. (Quotes from original text).
Soules, Aline. 2009. The shifting landscape of e-books. – “New Library World”, Vol. 110, No. 1/2 pp.7 - 2, 2009.
The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of e-books, describing their potential scope, highlighting information from recent ebrary surveys in connection with the author's on-the-ground experience with students, and discussing the challenges of these evolving works.
DOI:10.1108/03074800910928559
Taylor, Lisa. 2008. Cutting edge books: the impact of digital books on public library acquisitions. - “Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship”, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 51-61, 2008
The book has made the transition to the digital age; that much is certain. However, the jury is still out on what form or forms the book of the future will take and how libraries will adapt. This article is a look at the impact of digital books on public library acquisitions, including available formats, purchasing considerations, functional concerns, terms, pricing, and future trends.
Tracy, Toni. 2008. What about ebooks? - “Against the Grain”, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 40, 42, 44, Sept 2008
In response to a growing number of requests from the publisher and library communities to preserve non-journal scholarly literature such as e-books, Portico developed a study in late 2007 to help offer insight to the community about the current e-book landscape, including business models, data formats, and preservation needs. While libraries are still experimenting with e-books and how to properly include them in their collection development strategies, e-book publishers are immediately ready to implement a preservation strategy. The technological analysis of the study shows that even the more difficult e-book content will be no more difficult than e-journals.
Unknown. 2008. As I see it! - will books ever go out of print? Printing technology and the future of the book /. - “Against the Grain”, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 76-78, June 2008
While e-books have gained ground in science and medicine, where researchers already do much of their work online, it is clear that such books represent a much diminished service as far as scholars in the humanities and some social sciences are concerned. Digital printing technology may have come to the rescue of the printed monograph by giving publishers the opportunity to meet scholarly needs better. It makes low print runs cost-effective, meets continuing demand for back list titles, and reduces costs by matching printing to actual sales. It also provides a more rational way of meeting worldwide demand by local printing. In short, the printed book is by no means dead. It has just become modern.
Vassiliou, Magda; Rowley, Jennifer. 2008. Progressing the definition of “e-book”. – “Library Hi Tech”, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 355-368, 2008
Purpose -- This paper aims to propose a definition for the concept "e-book" on the basis of an analysis of existing definitions. The e-book marketplace is growing rapidly and the potential impact of e-books on publishers, librarian and users is increasing in significance. Yet, there is agreement that despite a few widely accepted definitions there is no consensus on the definition of the term e-book, and, further that consensus on the definition would be beneficial for both researchers and practitioners. Design/methodology/approach -- This paper starts with a brief overview of the developments in e-books, covering technologies, marketplaces, and the attractions and challenges associated with e-books for users and libraries. It then reports on a content analysis of existing definitions of e-book. A collection of definitions was compiled through an exhaustive literature review. Content analysis was performed to identify the frequency of occurrence of key words and phrases across these definitions. Findings -- There is a consensus that definitions of e-book should include reference to: The digital or electronic nature of e-books, analogy to printed book, some indication of the content of e-books, and some allusion to e-book technologies. We propose a two-part definition that embraces these themes, but also reflects the in-use features of the e-book. Conclusions and recommendations make proposals for further discussion on the concept of e-book and, more widely, into the publication, acquisition and use of e-books. Originality/value -- In the rapidly developing e-book marketplace it is essential to have agreement on the definition of e-book, and furthermore, such a definition needs to reflect both the persistent characteristics of e-books, and their dynamic and developing nature.
Wilkie, Tom; Harris, Sian. 2008. E-books are here to stay. - “Research Information”, no. 35, pp. 16-18, 2008
Electronic books are gaining popularity, especially amongst researchers. However, the way in which e-books are used could have a big effect on the role of librarians and information professionals, with publishers in effect replacing librarians as intermediaries between reader and content. The reason behind the popularity of e-books in research compared with other types of books is simple: researchers already do their day-to-day work online. Universities and corporate research libraries are moving to a preference for e-books because they are very familiar with digital content. Despite this enthusiasm amongst researchers, however, there are formidable barriers to the wider acceptance of e-books. One issue is that of file format, as publishers continue to struggle with which formats and devices to standardise and what kind of format.
Woods, Bronwen; Ireland, Michael. 2008. Ebook loans: an e-twist on a classic interlending service. - “Interlending & Document Supply”, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 105-115, 2008. -
Purpose - In April 2007, the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), in collaboration with Ingram MyiLibrary, launched the eBook Loan Service. The paper describes the management of challenges associated with the project as well as the background and context of the aims to eBook Loan Service model. Conclusions and future activities by the partners with regard to e-book lending are discussed. Design/methodology/approach - The paper addresses two main topics: how the eBook Loan Service model was developed, the challenges and risks, the outcomes and benefits; and to evaluate whether a project stretching across boundaries of geography and time as well as between public and commercial partners can be managed successfully. Through a literature review, the context of the e-book lending model for libraries is addressed, as well as the challenges of virtual project management. Findings - The challenges and risks associated with implementing the new service were resolved and the project was a success. Originality/value - The new service delivered by this project underlines the richness of new ideas emerging in the library community to improve access to scholarly literature in the digital age. With this model of affordable short-term access to scholarly e-books, libraries will be in a better position to serve the just-in-time needs of users in the electronic environment and end-users will have better access.
Živković, Daniela. 2008. The Electronic Book: Evolution or Revolution? – “Bilgi Dünyas”, vol. 9, n. 1, pp. 1-20, 2008
The aim of the paper is to show the most important developments of the e-book in the last 10 years. Special emphasis is on the activities contributing to the creation of favorable condition for the production, distribution and reading electronic books. Successful information management with regard to e-books means defining the term e-book itself, developing identification systems, digital rights management and legal deposit as a part of digital libraries and cultural heritage.
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