Abstract

Some considered 2000 the year of the e-book, and due tothe dot-com bust, that could have been the format’s highwater mark. However, the first quarter of 2004 saw thegreatest number of e-book purchases ever with more than$3 million in sales. A 2002 consumer survey found that67 percent of respondents wanted to read e-books; 62 percent wanted access to e-books through a library.Unfortunately, the large amount of information writtenon e-books has begun to develop myths around their use,functionality, and cost. The author suggests that thesemyths may interfere with the role of libraries in helpingto determine the future of the medium and access to it.Rather than fixate on the pros and cons of current versions of e-book technology, it is important for librarians tostay engaged and help clarify the role of digital documents in the modern library.

Highlights

  • Some considered 2000 the year of the e-book, and due to the dot-com bust, that could have been the format’s highwater mark

  • The potential user base for the e-book rises as more computers and personal digital assistant (PDA) are sold, decreasing the need for special equipment

  • The e-book industry is currently dominated by commercial-content providers, such as Franklin, and software companies, most notably Adobe, Palm, and Microsoft

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Summary

Myth 1—E-books Represent a New Idea That Has Failed

Many libraries have invested in various forms of e-book delivery with mixed results.[5]. Memex.[7] The Gutenberg Project put theory into practice by converting traditional texts into digital files as early as 1971.8 Even if the e-book merely represents the latest incarnation of the concept, it does so tenuously. Books in their present form have a history of hundreds of years, or thousands if their parchment and papyrus ancestors are included. This history is rich with successes and failures of technology. The technology is clearly not ready for uncritical, widespread acceptance, but it is deserving of more than a summary dismissal

Myth 2—E-books Are Easily Defined
Myth 3—E-books and Printed Books Are Competing Media
Myth 4—E-books Are Expensive
Myth 5—E-Books Are a Passing Fad
Findings
Conclusion
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