E-book Collection Development Research Articles

An assessment of e-book collection development practices among Romance language librarians

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the collection development practices regarding e-books among librarians who manage French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish (Romance) materials. The authors aim to describe factors that influence acquisition of e-books for Romance language collections to confirm librarians’ perception that humanities researchers prefer print and library administrators’ attitudes toward e-books. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data using a mixed-method approach of a survey and focus groups. Findings This study confirms that user preference is the primary consideration of Romance librarians in selecting e-books. Contrary to librarians’ perceptions, this study found that humanities faculty and students are not averse to using e-books for specific purposes such as searching, targeted reading and course materials. While restrictions on lending e-books are a concern, Romance librarians are focused primarily on serving the needs of their core constituencies. Research limitations/implications The practice of adding call numbers to individual e-books varies among institutions. Individual e-book titles in large packages do not necessarily get added to the catalog, thus making it very difficult to compare e-book collections between institutions. Originality/value This study endeavors to unify the anecdotal narratives and factors that influence the acquisition of e-books by Romance librarians.

Trends in E-book Research

<p>The research intended to identify current trends in research on e-books. Specifically it aimed to know the facets of e-books attended to by the research published during 2016. It also intended to review significant results and their supportive or contradictory nature with reference to each other.</p><p>For this review research literature on e-books was searched from LISA, Emerald, Ebsco, Google Scholar and other databases using the statement ‘e-books OR ebooks’. The query was restricted to journal articles published in English language during January to December 2016. The review finds that the focus of current research on e-books is clearly on usage of e-books. Themes such as e-book collection development and management; search and discovery are also paid more attention to. Usage of e-books by children is emerging as a prominent area of e-book research. Designing of e-books and e-book reading devices are also topics of interest to e-book researchers. Many non-LIS disciplines and professions have interest in researching e-books. </p><p> </p>

Managing e-books in a business school library: case study of Ebrary Academic Complete

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to review the e-books collection, namely, Ebrary Academic Complete, by understanding its features, cost and usage at Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). The study attempts to understand the usefulness of Ebrary in terms of its currency of titles, publishers, subjects and cost.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on five-year usage data of Ebrary Academic Complete at Vikram Sarabhai Library, IIMA. The data on usage of Ebrary was downloaded and analyzed on different parameters to find out the overall value or use of Ebrary Academic Complete package from the perspective of a management library.FindingsThe research concluded that there was an increase in usage of Ebrary Academic Complete over time. The subject analysis revealed that titles from “Business and Economics”, “Computers” and “Social Science” were the highest used. The publisher analysis indicated that John Wiley & Sons topped in both the highest number of titles in the package and highest used titles. The annual subscription fee model of Ebrary Academic Complete adopted by Vikram Sarabhai Library was working well with a gradual increase in usage bringing down the per title access costs.Originality/valueThe study helps in understanding the approach to evaluating e-book collections in terms of currency of content, subjects covered, publishers included and costs involved. The detailed analysis would assist libraries in decision-making with regard to e-book collection development.

E-Book Collection Development: Formalizing a Policy for Smaller Libraries

Three librarians from two similar but unaffiliated state colleges—both members of larger university systems—discuss how they confronted similar e-book acquisition concerns. In this session, presenters described how they took two different approaches toward revising their collection development policies, economizing their processes and streamlining their workflows. The presenters discussed patron-driven acquisition e-book programs, as well as the importance of communication and collaboration among library personnel. By formalizing the purchasing decisions of electronic formats, libraries can provide the structure needed to support changing staff roles and shrinking resources, as well as address important related issues such as accessibility and timeliness.

Deselection of print monographs in the humanities and social sciences in the digital age

Purpose For most college and university libraries, deselection of monographs should be an essential component of collection development. Few of these libraries have unlimited space for book stack expansion. This research study aims to cover the reasons why this should be undertaken and how it can be accomplished in the humanities and social sciences. At the main campus of Adelphi University Libraries, a conservative approach was used to identify and carefully review monograph titles that were published more than 50 years ago, and, in most cases, this resulted in their deselection without significantly affecting the collection. For some of these titles, the author determined that they might be worth replacing with available e-books and the author did so. Design/methodology/approach A brief overview is provided to delineate why deselection is important, and how it can be accomplished. A literature review was prepared. It included a review of deselection at small-, medium- and large-sized college and university libraries. The pros and cons of print versus e-books for collection development were reviewed, including four case studies. The feasibility of replacing print reference titles with e-books was also covered. A review of the monograph weeding project at the Adelphi University Library in the humanities and social sciences is provided. Conclusions and a projection of next steps are also included. Findings An overwhelming majority of the monograph titles reviewed were deselected without adversely affecting the overall quality of the collection. A small number of available e-book editions were selected to replace some of these deselected titles. Research limitations/implications All of the titles deselected were published more than 50 years ago. All of these titles were in the social sciences and humanities. The deselection review was limited to philosophy, religion, history, political science, sociology, education and psychology. There were limitations on the amount of time available to review titles in most of these fields, and as a result, only a small percentage of the titles in our collection could be reviewed. Practical implications The library has very serious space constraints, which has made it difficult to provide the needed study space for members of the Adelphi University community. Some sections of the book collection are jam packed, with no room for expansion. Deselecting older less used titles and eliminating some sections of book shelves help address both of these problems. Replacing some of these print titles with e-books contributes as well. This deselection project has reduced the holdings of monograph print titles significantly. In the future, the author hopes to rely less on print titles and more on e-books for collection development. Social implications In most fields, college and university students would be better served for their research by more recently published titles. Older, less used titles, as well as those not used at all, should be deselected to make room for more useful and up-to-date titles. As more and more titles become readily available as e-books, the collections of print titles can be reduced. Being able to use e-books even when the library is closed is a great advantage. It should also be noted that these titles can be used by more than one user simultaneously. Originality/value In conducting the literature search, the author discovered that there were a large number of titles on deselecting print titles. There was also considerable research on e-book collection development. However, there were few that linked these two important topics. In this research article and case study, the author hopes to have made a significant contribution to linking them together.

Demand-driven acquisition at HKUST library: the new normal

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the impact of three concurrent demand-driven acquisition (DDA) programs on e-book collection development at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Library. Design/methodology/approach – Counter Book Report 2 reports of the Ebrary, Wiley and JSTOR were analyzed from the launch date of the respective program to June 30, 2014. Findings – The value of two local DDA programs, Ebrary and Wiley, were seen. JSTOR program needs to be evaluated at local and consortial levels when the pilot is finished. Originality/value – The experience of HKUST Library will provide a reference point for libraries that are yet to implement their DDA program.

Let the Patron Drive: Purchase on Demand of E-books

Purchas on demand is an emerging e-book collection development model that can help academic libraries satisfy their patrons' changing needs. In this session, Jonathan Nabe and Andrea Imre of Southern Illinois University Carbondale described their implementation of a purchase-on-demand e-book collection developed on MyiLibrary, with content from Ingram's Coutts Information Service, and then they analyzed the pros and cons of this collection development model. Benefits include lower cost-per-title and higher usage rates; challenges include avoiding duplication of print titles and adapting to restrictions in license agreements.

Do Off-Campus Students Use E-Books?

ABSTRACT The number of electronic books (e-books) that are available is increasing rapidly. Libraries are acquiring them individually, in large groups, and as part of collections. Off-campus librarians perceive them to be the best solution to the problems and expenses related to loaning and shipping print books to off-campus students. This study looks at the usage of e-books by off-campus students at Central Michigan University (CMU) to see if usage patterns can assist librarians with e-book collection development to support off-campus programs.

E-book Subscription in a Distance Education Institution: A Case of Indira Gandhi National Open University, India

The present study details e-book subscriptions at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Library, New Delhi, India, and describes the various publishers and aggregators of e-books, collections, pricing models, access, functionality, and other important features of various packages. It highlights the challenges to overcome in stabilizing e-book solutions for academic libraries, especially libraries operating for the benefit of off-campus learners. The study considers the elements and strategies of e-book collection development and access which must be adopted by academic libraries, especially for distance education facilities.

E-book Subscription in a Distance Education Institution: A Case of Indira Gandhi National Open University, India

The present study details e-book subscriptions at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Library, New Delhi, India, and describes the various publishers and aggregators of e-books, collections, pricing models, access, functionality, and other important features of various packages. It highlights the challenges to overcome in stabilizing e-book solutions for academic libraries, especially libraries operating for the benefit of off-campus learners. The study considers the elements and strategies of e-book collection development and access which must be adopted by academic libraries, especially for distance education facilities.