Building and Managing E‐book Collections: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual for Librarians

Citation

Hallam, G. (2013), "Building and Managing E‐book Collections: A How‐to‐do‐it Manual for Librarians", Library Management, Vol. 34 No. 6/7, pp. 560-561. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-06-2013-0057

In case you hadn't noticed, e‐books have finally arrived on the library scene! Early generations of e‐books certainly did not excite consumers: the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen in order to read a monochrome text with poor resolution and little functionality was far from appealing. Today, however, as mobile technologies revolutionise user interfaces and the quality of screen resolution to significantly change user behaviour and user expectations, Amazon reports that it is now selling more digital books than printed books. Libraries are rapidly embracing the new formats.

The text Building and managing e‐book collections: A how‐to‐do‐it manual for librarians is therefore a timely resource for information professionals who wish to gain a good understanding of the issues associated with e‐book collections in libraries. The editor, Richard Kaplan, has brought together nine authored chapters that cover the diverse aspects of e‐book collection management. The chapters are shaped by the authors' own careers in electronic resources, acquisitions and access, so that the content reflects their experience and expertise. The book is published by Facet Publishing in the UK, but its genesis was stimulated by the Medical Library Association (MLA) in the USA. While many of the authors are associated with health and medical libraries, the book's focus extends beyond specialised collections.

In Part I, “E‐Books in Context”, the reader is provided with a concise overview of the e‐book industry: some brief historical notes are followed by the key issues of e‐book adoption as viewed by publishers and by libraries. Part II considers “E‐Books in Detail”, with an examination of the range of activities that librarians are likely to be involved in: budgeting, licensing, selection, resource discovery and description. Consideration is given to the complexities of diverse e‐book formats, e‐readers, and delivery options. To conclude, Part III presents a series of case studies which seek to add a practical dimension to specific issues such as marketing, access management and circulation in different types of libraries, eg high school, academic and public. One case study also explores the impact of e‐book collections on staffing in an academic library. The volume includes a detailed table of contents, as well as a comprehensive index at the end.

By publishing the text as a “how‐to‐do‐it‐manual”, there is a very real danger of over‐simplifying what is described as “a fluid and complicated environment” (p. xii). While the book purports to provide “step‐by‐step guidance for managing e‐book collections” (p. xiv), it might better to refer to it as a source book of “things you need to be aware of as you venture into e‐book territory”. The chapters themselves are fluid, with themes such as e‐Book licencing – which is the core subject of Chapter 6 – also being discussed by publishers as business models and by librarians as collection sustainability, and then further explored within the context of the chapters on both selection and budgeting. The concept of Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) is raised in five different chapters and one case study. Perhaps the most pragmatic and autonomous focus is to be found in Chapter 8, Cataloguing, Locating and Accessing E‐Books, where there is a detailed discussion, with plentiful exemplars, of MARC, AACR2 and RDA standards.

Professional interest in e‐books has increased dramatically in recent months, with concerns raised about the implications that the disruptive nature of emerging technologies and new publishing models will have for libraries. E‐books and e‐lending are high on the agenda internationally, with professional forums being held in across the world and library associations leading active campaigns about the real challenges that libraries are facing. There are undoubtedly many questions surrounding e‐book adoption and librarians are seeking answers that will ensure that libraries will have a secure future in a rapidly changing world. Unfortunately, this book, Building and managing e‐book collections: A how‐to‐do‐it manual for librarians, will not give us all the answers; its value lies in helping librarians to develop a broader and deeper understanding of the issues and challenges which they will need to effectively engage in the dialogue with publishers and to contribute to the debate about e‐books in libraries.