Core Creative Ideas in Technical Services Interest Group

Creative Ideas in Technical Services Discussion Group

ALA Annual Conference 2010

Table 8

Sexier than a librarian? : e-books in Your Library

The questions listed below are simply suggestions for guiding and structuring your conversation.  You needn’t feel compelled to use the list or to cover all of the questions.  Don’t hesitate to consider other, better questions that may come up during your conversation.  

• How long has your library been collecting e-books?  How have your acquisitions/cataloging/management policies/procedures changed in that time?

• How do provide access to your e-books? Through your catalog? Through an ERM? Through the vendor’s platform? Other ways?

• How do you keep statistics on electronic materials? Do you count them as physical volumes? Do you record usage statistics?

• Is your library providing access to any free e-books? Archive.org? Google books? Others?

• Do you ever de-select or "weed" e-books? How and why (not)? 

• What do you like/dislike about current e-book platforms?  What would you change to improve the reading environment?

• Do you foresee a time when e-books will replace print books entirely in your library?  How will you know that it’s time?

• Many users have come to expect that journals will be available electronically, but some are less excited about e-books.  What have you done or could you do to increase the use of and demand for e-books in your library?