SPEC Kit 313: E-book Collections (October 2009)
This SPEC Kit examines the current use of e-books in ARL member libraries; their plans for implementing, increasing, or decreasing access to e-books; purchasing, cataloging, and collection management issues; and issues in marketing to and in usage by library clientele.
By the May deadline, responses had been submitted by 75 of the 123 ARL member libraries for a response rate of 61%. Of the responding libraries, 73 (97%) reported including e-books in their collections. According to survey responses, most institutions entered the e-book arena as part of a consortium which purchased an e-book package. The earliest forays occurred in the 1990s but the majority of libraries started e-book collections between 1999 and 2004. Purchasing at the collection level allowed libraries to acquire a mass of titles with a common interface, reducing some of the transition pains to the new format. The downside of collections is that libraries find they are often saddled with titles they would not have selected in print; also, each collection might have a different interface, adding to user frustration.
This SPEC Kit includes documentation from respondents in the form of collection development policies, e-book collection Web pages, e-book promotional materials, training materials for staff and users, and e-book reader loan policies.
Anson, Catherine, and Ruth R. Connell. E-book Collections. SPEC Kit 313. Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, October 2009.
Table of Contents
SPEC Kit 313: E-book Collections (October 2009)
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E-book Collections frontmatter
33
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Survey Results
99
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Representative Documents
7575
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Collection Development Policies
7777
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Limiting Catalog Searches to E-books
9797
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Catalog Records for E-books
103103
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E-book Collection Lists
109109
- Brown University 110110
- University of Chicago 111111
- Columbia University 112112
- Duke University 113113
- University of Florida 114114
- University of Georgia 116116
- Kent State University 118118
- University of Kentucky 120120
- McMaster University 121121
- University of Manitoba 122122
- University of Massachusetts Amherst 123123
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology 125125
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 128128
- Pennsylvania State University 129129
- Syracuse University 130130
- Vanderbilt University 131131
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E-book Reader Loan Policies
133133
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E-book Promotion: Blogs
137137
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E-book Promotion: News Announcements
147147
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E-book Promotion: Newsletter Articles
151151
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E-book Information for Staff
155155
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E-book Information for Users
165165
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E-book Usage Statistics
169169
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Collection Development Policies
7777
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Selected Resources
177177

Title:
SPEC Kit 313: E-book Collections (October 2009)