E-books in libraries: a practical guide

Despite the fact that e-books have been in existence for decades in various guises and added to library collections for several years now, there has been a noticeable lack of published manuals on the subject. This is doubtless owing to the rapidly evolving nature of the market. There is now a plethora of different types of digital object that may be termed 'e-books' and a bewildering number of business and access models to match. Moreover the pace of change shows no sign of abating, but there is an increasing amount of popular interest in e-books, and what is needed is practical information to assist library and information professionals managing collections of e-books and doing their best to inform their users right now. This timely book, the first of its kind to provide a practical appraisal of e-books, aims to fill that need by addressing the key questions: Where do e-books come from and what are the key business models that support them? What needs to change before e-books become universally and easily used? What will the e-book landscape look like in ten years' time? How can you be sure you are building a good collection that your users can access easily? And what about money and budgets? This book is divided into five parts: the production and distribution of e-books; planning and developing an e-book collection; delivering e-books to library readers; engaging readers with e-books; and, the future of e-books. This book is a ready reference source for any library and information professional with an interest in e-books and their development. It is essential background reading for library managers wishing to develop an e-book collection from scratch or for those responsible for maintaining an existing e-book collection. It will also have plenty to interest publishers, who need to be aware of the issues faced by libraries managing e-book collections, and will be of great value to students of librarianship and information studies, and those on publishing related courses.

Publishing e-books : challenges and perspectives / Joel Claypool -- An introduction to e-book business models and suppliers / Anna Grigson -- Producing eBooks on demand : a European library network / Silivia Gstrein and Günter Mühlberger -- E-books for free : finding, creating and managing freely available texts / Kate Price -- E-books for public libraries / Martin Palmer -- E-books for further education / Karen Foster and Emma Ransley -- E-books for higher education / Jim Dooley -- Making e-book collections visible to readers / Anna Grigson -- Providing guidance, training and support for readers using e-books / Karen Gravett -- Information technology and e-books : challenges and opportunities / James Clay -- -Public library users connecting with e-books / Martin Palmer -- Engaging students with e-books in further education / Sue Caporn [and others] -- Engaging staff and students with e-books in a university setting / Anne Worden and Timothy Collinson.