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Digital Books forDigital Libraries

Issues surrounding the collection management of

e-books

Ray Lonsdale&

Chris Armstrong

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Introduction

Structure of workshop

Define an e-book Demonstrate types of e-books Group work

Value and constraints of e-books Management and use issues

Feedback and general discussion

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What is an e-book?

Does it depend on: Its origin How it is distributed

For some, e-booksmean the hardware

Its format How it is read

SemanticsWhen is an e-book a database?

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What is an e-book?

“Any piece of electronic text regardless of size or composition (a digital object), but excluding journal publications, made available electronically or optically for any device (handheld or desk-bound) that includes a screen.”

Armstrong, Edwards & Lonsdale, 2002

But a public library view might include the need for lending – thus physical portability

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Types of e-books

Free e-books Aesop’s Fables from Gutenberg

http://www.gutenberg.net/browse/IA_A

International Children’s Digital Library http://www.icdlbooks.org/

Shakespeare (MIT) http://the-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/

Jane Austin (Online-Literature) http://www.online-literature.com/austen/emma/

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Types of e-books

Academic monographs City of Bits

http://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-books/City_of_Bits/

The Two Cities http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/citysites/

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Types of e-books

Reference books Oxford

http://www.oxfordreference.com/

Textbooks Spartacus

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWW.htm

Study Guides NetLibrary

http://www.netlibrary.com/

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Group work

Working in groups, discuss the following issues surrounding the management and use of e-books.

You will have 30 minutes for discussion. Choose a representative who will speak on

behalf of your group in the general discussion session at the end.

We shall lead this general discussion and your representative should take notes and be prepared to respond to each issue as we introduce them.

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E-Books in use

Advantages Disadvantages

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Issues to discuss Management implications for library

Discovering the existence of e-books Selection policy Acquisition Licensing Facilitating access within the library/institution/authority Hardware and/or networking to accommodate e-books Evaluating use Promotion in the institution Archiving Other

Use Teaching and learning/curriculum Reference use Recreational use Need for research into usage

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E-Books in use

Advantages

Space Updating Security Remote access Concurrent access Added value features Portability Integration into VLEs Tailoring texts Other

Disadvantages

Hardware / software Printing and copying Physical use Interface problems Management issues Availability of texts Authentication Information Literacy Technophobia Other

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Issues: Management

Discovering the existence of e-book titles

Bibliographic control – lack of (for both free and commercial e-books)

Need for legal deposit / national bibliography Need for bibliographic map

Publishers’ advertising Library press Discussion/mailing lists Publishers’ catalogues Staff recommendations Other library Web

sites Publisher web sites Conferences/Exhibitions Internet/colleagues Serendipity Subject lists Journals

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Issues: Management

Selection policy

Need for policy / revision of policy Need for set of criteria: appropriateness of

resource for user group(s) as well as quality issues

Comparison of formats (to buy in paper or electronic form)

Training of staff

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Issues: Management

Acquisition

Need for approvals / publisher trials Passwords, etc

Incorporation in library management systems

Cataloguing issues

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Issues: Management

Licensing User groups (in library / in institution / remote /

distance learners / professional users)

Number of concurrent users Part-book access Printing/ e-copying / copying to laptops Charging mechanisms Charging models Consortia / National or regional licences

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Issues: Management

Facilitating access

OPAC (ability to link from Cataloguing)

Web site Lending / use of portable readers / loan of

readers Intellectual Property Management: encryption

of texts may mean that a book may have to remain on the workstation/reader on which it was downloaded

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Issues: Management

Hardware and/or Networking

Intranet / LAN Broadband Workstation positioning

Disenfranchised users

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Issues: Management

Evaluating use

Use of publisher’s statistics – whose responsibility?

Library management systems (adequacy) Qualitative evaluation?

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Issues: Management

Promotion in the institution

Attitudes to using e-books Methods for promotion Information Literacy

Implications for different types of library Role of publishers

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Issues: Management

Archiving

Is there a need? If you never ‘acquire’ but only licence

Role of publisher Does the licence allow archiving Long-term archiving – coping with

hardware/software obsolescence

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Issues: Management

Other

Links with publishers to develop a critical mass

Need for national initiatives Collection Development Policy for e-

resources embracing e-books Special needs / disability access

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Issues: Use

Teaching and learning / Curriculum Reference use Recreational use

Need for research into usage of e-books

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Issues: Use

Teaching and learning / Curriculum

Appropriateness of format for teaching methods used

Working with academic staff Availability of relevant materials (subject,

language) or does availability drive the curriculum

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) Inclusion of commercial / in-house e-books

Licence dictates what you can do

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Issues: Use

Reference use

Search functionality Other functionality Ability to cut-and-paste with citation

available New skills for ILS staff?

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Issues: Use

Recreational use

Range of e-books made available e.g. General fiction

Use of portable readers for loan vs. ‘online bookshelf’

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Issues: Use

Need for research into usage of e-books

In academic, public, school libraries, etc.

Attitudes Usage patterns Impact on learning, teaching and reading

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Digital Books forDigital Libraries

Issues surrounding the collection management of

e-books

http://www.i-a-l.co.uk/