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Many libraries, public, academic, or special, no matter how technologically advanced, maintain a finger‐marked, dog‐eared file at the reference desk. This file, usually on 3x5‐inch cards, contains answers to questions that have proved difficult. Such a file is necessary in any library that has ever had, or ever expects to have, any turnover in reference personnel. Even good, seasoned librarians may not have perfect recall for the minutia of a vexing question answered months or years ago, perhaps by someone else. Determining the number of access points in a manual reference aids file is a dilemma. One could make a cross‐reference for every way any person could possibly seek the information or one could write a single card and trust collective memory to remember how it was filed. Multiple cards increase the possibility of finding the information, but clog the file. The single card approach, as has been observed, “provided only one point of access, which frequently could not be identified in a stress situation.” Also, newer librarians, weaned on computers and impatient with manual files, tend to avoid the card file, which they view as an unworkable relic. The manual reference aids file at the California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Library contained about 800 tidbits of elusive information such as subject headings used for archaeological site reports, a list of the Supreme Court cases kept in the reserve book room, facts of local history, a reminder of which issue of Fortune lists the annual Fortune 500, where to find Nielsen ratings, and more.

The purpose is to bring together all bibliographic references of the published literature on electronic books (e‐books) and related technologies in one source so that it will save time for others in conducting literature searches and reviewing the developments.

The information included in this bibliography is collected systematically from all the published sources in the world such as journal articles, conference papers, conference proceedings, books, reports and PhD theses on e‐books until the last quarter of 2004. Mainly it covers e‐books, e‐books publishing, the impact of e‐books on different types of users, e‐book publishing techniques and trends, e‐book user interfaces and other technologies related to e‐publications.

As computer usage continues to grow exponentially, the desire of users to use electronic publications (e‐publications) has also increased tremendously. This has led to the publication of materials in electronic form as e‐publications on both CD‐ROMs and web. The e‐book is one of the several forms of e‐publications and its popularity has been growing steadily for the past decade.

This bibliography will be useful to all researchers conducting research in any areas related to e‐books and e‐book publishing.

This paper provides background information on e‐books, and outlines their implementations, advantages and disadvantages. Details are given of the e‐book technologies of hardware and software with tables comparing the features of various products on the market. The role of e‐books in education in general is outlined. The specific case of India is described in more depth with details of initiatives for utilising e‐books for a national literacy mission. The paper concludes that, at present, viewing technology is a limiting factor but that in future content will become paramount.

To provide a snapshot picture of the current e‐book industry from the perspectives of various key individuals in the industry.

Over 20 interviews were conducted following an extensive review of the published literature and examination of product/technical information.

The interviews revealed varying opinions on the current state of the industry and even on the definition of the e‐book industry itself. Key issues identified include: standards, digital rights management, content availability, pricing, device/reader technology, integration and market development.

This industry is still relatively young, generally marking its beginnings in 2000; however, its early years have been marked by market hype, investor fallout and slow market development. Today's industry is at a pivotal point: can obstacles to maturity be overcome or will the industry be either subsumed by the larger consumer electronics or web‐based industries?

Information professionals may find these perspectives useful in framing their own applications of e‐book technology in their planning for future technology, collections and services.

The interviews, generally conducted with the understanding that comments and other key competitive information would remain unattributed, provide an insider's look at a technology and industry developing in a larger arena of rapid technological and market change.