The No Shelf Required Guide to E-book Purchasing

Book excerpt: Library Technology Reports vol. 47 no.8 According to recent studies, e-book penetration in libraries of all types is rising rapidly. Creating or expanding an e-book collection is a complicated challenge. In addition to facing the same challenges a librarian would face in developing a print collection, librarians developing an e-book collection also face a host of unprecendented legal, technological, and vendor challenges. This issue of Library Technology Reports will examine these challenges, focusing on strategies for purchasing e-books in a consortium, working with vendors, implementing e-reader programs in an academic environment, and purchasing electronic textbooks. Although the challenges are significant, this issue will show how they can be overcome and how the effort it takes to develop an e-book collection is well worth the effort.