Book Review: Academic E-Books: Publishers, Librarians, and Users

Abstract

In their introduction to Academic E-Books: Publishers, Librarians and Users, editors Ward, Freeman and Nixon list the potential promises of e-books to libraries: they cannot be lost or damaged, they do not require staffing to check-in and out and shelf, they take up no space, they can be purchased on demand, they can be checked out by multiple users, and they are often searchable. These promises are particularly enticing when so much scholarship is done through online journal databases and when library service models are shifting from a focus on physical collections to an emphasis on creating spaces for collaborative scholarship. However, e-books also present challenges that the editors summarize in two statements: “1) lack of sufficient content and 2) users’ stated preference for print books in many cases” (2). The Academic E-Books contributors flesh out these issues through specific examples from the publishing industry, libraries, user experience and case studies. They also demonstrate how libraries are combatting challenges to successfully integrate, and in some cases replace print with, e-book collections.