Crystal Grimes LI 810 E-books and the Future

E-books and the Future

Abstract
In todays computerized age the way we process and absorb information has changed drastically during the last decade. It was not that long ago that we used print materials and newspapers to gather information, now we use smartphones and e-readers to get our information on a daily basis. In this age of instant information can small libraries keep up with the changing technology and still remain relevant? If they are able to make small changes that incorporate e-books and ereaders then libraries of all sizes can and will remain relevant for years to come.

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Preamble
In todays world the idea of information that is available to you at all times is something that is not a new concept. Smartphones, laptops, and e-readers all allow people to access the information they need, when they need it. This technology has been around in our society for so long that it is hard to imagine how we would survive without it. The reality for certain smaller libraries is one of limited access and without the new technology that larger libraries have access to. Small and medium sized libraries that do not have access to either funding or are unable to join with a larger library are not capable in bringing in the new technologies that can greatly help their patrons in their everyday life. One such technology is that of e-books and e-book readers.

The Dilemma
Small and medium sized libraries are having a difficult time implementing the technology needed to move into the future with e-books. In addition there are budget concerns, and the need to keep staff educated in the fast moving world of computers. With the widening gap between larger libraries that are able to keep up with the new emerging technology, and smaller libraries that are being left behind, the ones that suffer the most are the patrons who want access to information and are unable to get it. These patrons will move on to a source that has access to the information they want, when they want it. If smaller libraries are unable to meet the demand of these patrons, then they will undoubtedly be left behind while larger libraries hang on.

The Riddle
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Are small and medium sized libraries able to keep up with the new and emerging technologies and still be relevant in todays computerized world? When looking at smaller libraries it seems as if they will just be left behind and unable to keep up with larger institutions that are more established. A smaller library may not have as many resources but with some proper research, and a focused plan that can implement changes over a period of time then the smaller library has a fighting chance to survive.

Collected works Analysis

Duncan in his work E-books and Beyond: The Challenge for public libraries addresses the fact that e-books are here to stay and how libraries can best work with them and not fight them. He begins the article by giving a history stating that e-books have been around since the 1970s which is when Project Gutenberg began digitizing different texts. The issue has been that until recently there has been a lack of a good electronic device with which to read these digital books and documents. The work also takes a look at a survey done with the Sunshine Coast Libraries and how there is a high demand for e-books, but a low ownership of devices with which to read them on. Duncan says that with this information libraries have a huge opportunity to fulfill this need by providing e-book readers to those who do not have them. Dormans article Will libraries survive e-books, though published in 2000, has relevant information for small libraries concerning the state of e-books. In his article a financial view is taken with the case for how viable e-books can be in this day and age. It is stated that even the best funded libraries can be overwhelmed by the cost of how much distributers want to be paid for their materials. One of the prices he calls to attention is that the minimum price was $800 a year and that no library in their system could afford that. Dorman was able to talk to the

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distributer and they both agreed that this would be a great opportunity for both the distributer and the library and so they were able to make a deal for the smallest libraries to pay $15 a year for materials. Within two weeks they were able to start rolling out the e-books and reach the community. Two articles both took a similar look at how publishers are not letting libraries either buy e-books in the first place, or restricting them to a certain number of checkouts. Kindleization by Robinson talks about how Amazon is now allowing libraries to put e-books on the kindle. This is a big change from what Amazon was doing before which was only allowing e-books purchased from the Kindle market to be used on the Kindle itself. Even though Amazon may be friendly towards the library lending e-books that is not true necessarily true with publishers of those e-books. Janes article The magic number talks about how twenty six is the number of times that publisher HarperCollins will allow one of their e-books to be checked out before it needs to be bought again. Both of these articles show one major thing that libraries will have to deal with when it comes to digital books and other works, how many times can it be read before it needs to be bought again. With a physical book it can be repaired and when it becomes too exhausted it is then rebought for the collection. That does not work with digital works that never need to be repaired due to heavy use. Martin and Mundle discuss the cataloguing of e-books and how right now that area is under a lot of change. Both a physical and a digital item can be classified but unlike a physical item the ways to use MARC for an e-book are different and can vary from system to system. In the article it is stated that advice told to users cataloguing e-books is to just ignore the fields that dont apply to an e-book, such as physical location and description. While this can be helpful it

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can also be confusing for a librarian who is just starting with organizing e-books and digital information.

Steps for Change

A major reason for many smaller libraries being unable to keep up with the changes is that they try to implement too many changes at one time. When this happens it ends up creating too much stress on already tight resources and something snaps and the entire operation for change collapses. That is why when a change is needed it is best to divide it up into little steps that can be spaced out over time. When it comes to implementing e-books and readers then these steps can be even more defined and actions can be taken to ensure that slowly working these into the already existing library OPAC will turn out successful and not be a disaster. The first thing that should be done is to know your population. Many organizations will try and make a change without knowing how their audience will accept it. With libraries it is especially important to know what your patrons opinions are. When it comes to e-books a simple survey can be asked to assess what the patrons know of e-books and readers, what kind of e-books they would read, what programs they are familiar with (if any), and if they would even use them should the library offer them. Once you understand where your patrons stand then the next step is to research e-books, both their readers and software needed to use them. If the staff doesnt understand the material then any patron who comes asking questions will not understand it either. After some research then it is time to pick out someone who will be the go to person for this topic, whether you already have someone in house willing to step up or you need to hire someone new, you need someone who is willing to be at the front and center of the e-book change. In most cases you can have someone already in house just step up and work with the e-

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books, but if this is not an option then you do need someone who can answer questions in the event that the staff does not know what to do. Once these steps are done then it is time to start implementing e-books into the existing OPAC. When purchasing e-books it is very important that you understand and read the licensing agreement; not all of them are the same and most of the time they vary from publisher to publisher. What can get libraries into trouble is when the licensing terms are misread or are not implemented fully. Sine e-books are still in a gray area when it comes to organization pick an organization scheme that is widely used by libraries around you. This is not only nice when you may have a cataloguing question, but you can also piggyback on what someone else has classified the e-book as in that particular system. What system is popular varies from area to area so make sure to research this with other libraries close by that already have e-books implemented.

Conclusion
If smaller libraries can bring in new technologies then the world will always have a place for any size of library. Right now information is in the midst of change and places where information is stored need to reflect this change as well. While it can be a costly and time consuming adjustment, it is well worth it if the need to keep providing information to those who seek it is met. The thing about these changes is that they dont need to happen all at once. A library can take its time, not to long though, to implement these changes so that they can get adjusted to the change before taking the next step.

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Reference
Dorman, D. (2000, July 10). Will libraries survive e-books? Retrieved from http://www.lincolntrail.info/WillLibsSurviveE-books.html Duncan, R. (2010, May). E-books and beyond: the challenge for public libraries Janes, J. (2011). A numbers game. American libraries, 42(5/6),35 Martin, K. , & Mundle, K. (2010, June 9). Notes on operations cataloging e-books and vendor records Robinson, C. (2011, May). Kindelization. Library administrators digest, 46(5),39