Library Use of eBooks, 2013 Edition

Book excerpt: This report looks closely at how libraries use eBooks. It is based on a survey of 68 academic, public, corporate, legal and other special libraries and covers licensing, collection planning, use of consortiums for purchasing, number and type of suppliers used, spending levels, spending plans, use of tablets, eReaders and other technologies, use of eTextbooks, eDirectories and related spending plans, preferences for licenses from individual publishers or aggregators, and plans for license renewals. The study gives details of use of and spending on a broad range of vendors and distributors including Amazon and Barnes & Noble, among many others. The study also covers: use of eBooks for course reserves, eBook issues in interlibrary loan, and the emergence of dedicated endowments for eBook purchases. The study also covers the types of eBook models preferred by libraries of different types, and how librarians view likely developments in the eBook industry.