Abstract
About five years ago, when many believed digitization would become the panacea for libraries, some of our colleagues predicted that e-books would supplant print. For example, Andrew Pace wrote in 2000: “In five years e-book sales will match those of traditional print; in ten years, e-books will outsell print. There is little doubt left in my mind – e-books are among us and are here to stay.”1 While the proliferation of e-books has not matched the lofty predictions, the availability and usability of e-books is expanding each year. The options for reader and search platforms have increased, more titles are becoming available, prices have stabilized, and selection options have evolved. Library information infrastructure has likewise matured. Remote access by proxy authentication is more widespread than five years ago; some libraries are part of a wireless network enabling students to conduct distributed research; and online distance education is burgeoning. E-books are finally a reasonable option for supplementing the library collection. This paper will provide a short primer on cataloging and access for librarians who are planning to add e-books. While several platforms for e-books exist (such as a digital book on a CD-ROM or a digitized book that the library itself has created), this paper will limit the discussion to the prevalent platform model: a vendor-supplied, web-accessible content, such as NetLibary.
Recommended Citation
Doncevic, John and Floyd, Kathryn
(2007)
"Integrating E-Books into the Collection: Some Practical Considerations,"
The Christian Librarian: Vol. 50:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2572-7478.1619