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UKOLN is supported by:

It’s a book, but not as we know it: ebooks in libraries Penny Garrod, UKOLN, University of Bath

p.garrod@ukoln.ac.uk

CILIP one day school, Kent. 12 May 2004

www.bath.ac.uk

a centre of expertise in digital information management

www.ukoln.ac.uk

                                                             

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Ebooks in contextPublishing process• Creator uses computer to

write/compile material from outset

• Material no longer has to be converted to print unless required

• Infrastructure in place to create all media in electronic form e.g.e-journals;online reference;

books; audio books for MP3 players and PDAs

• Search, browse, locate chunks of information

• ideally suited to reference/non-fiction; study/leisure/enquiry needs

• Materials updated on regular basis

• Fiction? Quality of the reading experience?

• impact on print materials?

                                                             

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Ebooks: who needs them?• Who are they for?

Identifying appropriate groups and marketing to ensure take-up.

• Suppliers:can they provide what libraries want and need?

• e-audio books: worth considering?

• Costs: justifying additional cost: consortial purchasing; usage statistics; ILL potential; Collection Development policy etc.

                                                             

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Ongoing issues for libraries • Content:US bias/US rights only; poor coverage in some

subjects; bundling (lots of unwanted items);availability • access models: multi-user, simultaneous access required by

libraries; (suppliers offer one-book, one-user or limited concurrent use); accessibility (screen-reading software?)

• benefits to libraries and end-users? Critical mass not yet reached – limited usage statistics/feedback

• impact on print collections e.g. reference – need to revise collection development policies

• ILLs – consortial purchasing could facilitate this• staff training –understand role of ebooks and actively promote • integrate into existing collections e.g. MARC records and

OPACs –may not be straightforward• promotion/marketing – needs to be ongoing; demonstrate

purpose of ebooks and when useful • Licensing/purchasing restrictions: e.g device specific; formats

tied to devices; restricted access

                                                             

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more issues… Hardware

Future trends? Target specific groups. Buy and lend devices or enable use of own device?Sustainability?

•PCs/Laptops (WiFi services?)

•PDAs and Smartphones (3G) – future trends?

•Dedicated audio players or PDAs for e-audio?

Software

•Microsoft reader

•Adobe ebook reader

•Mobipocket, Palm etc. for PDAs

Content

• format wars; tied to platforms

• limited choice/US bias/rights

•Bundling: unwanted material

•Patchy:good in some subjects

                                                             

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Examples of ebook suppliers • netLibrary: c. 26 members of netLibrary group

(academic + LB Richmond public libraries)• eBrary: available to UK libraries through Coutts

Library Services UK: http://www1.couttsinfo.com/uk/[www.ebrary.com]

Staffordshire University; pilot project Essex public libraries

• Safari Technical Books (Proquest): http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/ London Boro’ Richmond; Staffordshire University• OverDrive: www.overdrive.comPilot projects in public libraries (Essex and

Blackburn with Darwen)

                                                             

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Free ebooks

• Project Gutenberg: http://promo.net/pg/ - oldest producer of free ebooks (started in 1971)

• Australian portal: global sources of free ebooks: http://www.e-book.com.au/freebooks.htm

• many publishers provide links to out of copyright titles e.g. Amazon and Penguin

• Berglund, Y. et al. An investigation into Free eBooks. Draft report. Oxford Text Archive and the JISC, November 2003. http://ahds.ac.uk/litlangling/ebooks/free-e-books.pdf (see appendix for list of free ebooks)

                                                             

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Ebooks for childrenand young people

• very limited resources in UK– e.g. ‘Tumblebooks’ from netLibrary; – titles from Oxford University Press,

Dreamworks and Bantam Books

• Childrens elibrary (US)

“the source of children’s ebooks for schools and libraries” http://www.childrenselibrary.com

                                                             

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netLibrary in the UKnetLibrary User Group: established Sept 2002 by

OCLC/PICA Birmingham– members mainly academic libraries (c.26)– public libraries: LB Richmond (customer); UKOLN and

Hampshire are members of Committee – enhancements as result of input from user group– netLibrary provide updates at meetings– email discussion list and website

netLibrary model: − PC-based; one-book one-user− borrow for short period; Athens authentication

cost: − based on publishers’ lists + service fee− two options: ‘pre-paid ongoing access’ or annual

service fee

Content: - Non fiction - largest holdings (23%): Business,

Economics and Management; US bias –but gradually adding content from International publishers

                                                             

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netLibrary interface 2004

www.netlibrary.com

                                                             

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Ebooks in the academic sectorJISC activities• ebooks working group• subscription package via Taylor & Francis: ‘pick

and mix’ 180 ebooks. See: www.tandfjisc.comLibrary activities• NOWAL (12 members in NW England)

- largest netLibrary collection in Europe 12,000 titles - Serves 160,000 students; access on and off campus

• netLibrary: c.26 academic customers (netLibrary user group members)

• Other ebook suppliers/aggregators:– Staffordshire Uni: eBrary (15,000 titles); Safari

Technical (100+titles)– Uni of Huddersfield: Books 24x7 ITPro (2200titles);

ENGnetBASE (140 titles, PDF format) (also netLibrary)

                                                             

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Ebooks at Staffordshire University

                                                             

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netLibrary record at Staffordshire University

                                                             

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Summary of findings:academic libraries• Established market (e-journals; online

databases) – publishers/suppliers have responded

• PC -platform of choice -campus facilities + Athens authentication; but note future technology trends e.g. ownership of Smartphones and PDAs?

• Browsing; bite sized bits of info (‘sliced and diced’) textbooks to match student need; satisfy short term loan requirements

• Computer ownership - high in some disciplines e.g. computing, technology, business & mgt – subjects that are well served by ebooks

                                                             

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Public Libraries today

Digital library

Egovernment agenda - digital skills + 24/7 access

Web sites; portals; Virtual Reference; Community Information; e-content e.g. online reference; e-books and e-audio

Mobile technologies: Wi-Fi; remote access; enabling access via members own equipment

Traditional library

Social inclusion agenda -Library as community centre

Books, magazines, newpapers, CDs, DVDs, VHS etc.

Café/retail outlet

Reading activities; access to ICT; zones for kids; support for lifelong learning

Towards the hybrid library

                                                             

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Ebook Projects in public libraries

1. People’s Network Excellence Fund. 2. Laser Foundation funding

Mixed model approaches: pilot and evaluate various products & delivery models • Co-East + Loughboro Uni + Essex libraries

(Laser Foundation): ebrary (PC-based) + Overdrive.com (12 x HP iPAQ PDAs)

• Blackburn with Darwen: (PN Excellence): 40 Compaq iPAQ PDAs - content from Overdrive.com

• LB Richmond: e-audio + netLibrary + Safari (PC based +Otis MP3 players)

                                                             

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Co-East/Loughborough University and Essex libraries• PC-based access to e-books + PDAs (HP iPAQ

1910) preloaded with content – lent to readers• Remote users can download content to own

PDAs• eBrary: Coutts/ebrary - ‘general interest

collection’ - 2500 titles• Overdrive:230 titles from ‘Digital Library Reserve’

website: fiction (Palm reader) +non-fiction (Adobe) – some in both formats

Website: http://ebooks.essexcc.gov.ukProject reports: www.bl.uk/concord/laser-reports.html

                                                             

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OverDrive in Essex Libraries

                                                             

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London Borough Richmond upon Thames Public Libraries

Model• E-audio books - downloaded on Otis MP3 players• PC-based ebooks (via 150 terminals in 13 branches)Content• netLibrary: >300 non-fiction titles +>3000 out of

copyright titles• Safari Technical: 254 IT & management titles; facility

to swap titles during subscription year; 3 concurrent user licences

• Audible.com (audio books – fiction and non-fiction) Joint collection with Blackburn & Darwen; download titles onto MP3 Players; 2 pilot user groups

www.richmond.gov.uk/libraries/e-books

                                                             

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Blackburn with Darwen Library and Information Services

• PDAs (40 x Compaq IPAQs with MS Pocket PC 2002). Multipurpose devices - able to support

e-audio books (MP3) plus ebooks • DRM restrictions (items cannot be swapped

between devices) so solution = provide themed collections e.g.science fiction, thrillers loaded onto individual device

• Content: e-audio from Audible.com; ebooks from OverDrive

• Pilot group: young people aged 18-24; senior citizens; mobility impaired; library reading groups and regular and non readers

                                                             

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Audible.com

                                                             

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Summary of findings: public library projects• Corporate IT: can slow things down e.g. security

issues; mapping models onto existing systems; building web interface

• Suppliers: eBrary and OverDrive designed for US market - adapted for UK public libraries

• Costs: need to negotiate and bargain with suppliers to get what you want

• Usage levels: how to sustain after initial launch; marketing strategy needed; targeting specific groups of users

• PDAs -parts replacement; battery life; clear instructions on use; redundancy

• target specific groups initially e.g. disabled and housebound; young people

                                                             

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Increased take-up of online reference services

Not really ebooks but form part of electronic

resources/electronic collections. Online reference

is often included at ebook events and in articles on

ebooks/electronic publishing

• Oxford Reference Online: http://www.oup.com/online/oro/

• XreferPlus http://www.xrefer.com (won CILIP award

• KnowUK: www.knowuk.co.uk

                                                             

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The futureNew 6 inch screen ebook reader from Sony: Librie

EBR-1000EP launched in Japan, April 2004 – “it looks more like paper than the computer screen it is”

(reflective screen – same when read indoors or outside)– Rental books model – content available for two months;

described as ‘a library of sorts’ [Guardian Online 22 Apr]

ILLs – can ebooks satisfy ILL requests?Costs: additional or (in the long term)- savings? New library models emerging: eBook Library

(ebooks Corp. Australia): www.library.ebooks.com also: http://ebl.ebooks.com– For Academic and research libraries– ‘Non-linear lending’: short term circulation; books by

chapter

                                                             

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Cleveland Public Library (USA) – the shape of things to come?

                                                             

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A few resources (there are many)

• Penny Garrod. ebooks in UK libraries: where are we now? Ariadne Issue 37, October 2003 www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue37/garrod

• Academic libraries: Hazel Woodward and Louise Edwards (Sept. 2001).Shaping a strategy for ebooks: an issue paper www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=wg_ebooks_home

• Clifford Lynch. The battle to define the future of the book in the digital world: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_6/lynch/index.html