The Effects of E-Books on Libraries

The Effects of E-books on Libraries

Some libraries offer up to 600,000 e-books titles. A majority of the patrons use a laptop, PC or net book to read the e-books. In fact the major issue that libraries have with e-books has to due with the different contractual terms that each publisher sets for their books. In addition “not every book publisher in the United States makes its content available to libraries for lending in e-book formats” (Joss). Adding to the dilemma, many of the e-books come in different formats making them difficult to download for certain devices. This inconsistency in formats tends to force more and more librarians to resolve technical issues for the patrons. On the bright side, libraries are seeing “more and more people visiting libraries to take advantage of the computer resources, including wireless Internet access and public computers” (14). Only a very small percentage of libraries offer the use of e-readers. This is in part due to the limited and shrinking budgets of the libraries and to the lack of a standard e-book format. Libraries should not have to purchase proprietary format e-readers.

The Library of Congress has started a program to build “the World Digital Library, an online collection of rare books, manuscripts, posters, and other materials that would be freely available for viewing to Internet users” (Craig). The Library is hoping to partner with other countries to help showcase and preserve the history of not only our own but other cultures as well.

Concerns have been growing for years as to the methods of data preservation for the future. “Until recently, the bulk of the output by scientists, scholars, and government agencies was text on paper or digital versions of the same” (Hendon). Books are easy to catalog, simple to access, can simply be stored on a shelf and can last for centuries virtually unattended. Today’s information is being printed less and less, “Science is now conducted in the digital realm, with scholars...