No Shelf Required: E-Books in Libraries

No Shelf Required #1

by Sue Polanka

E-books have been around for more than 10 years but are still a relatively new phenomenon to many librarians and publishers. With the introduction of e-book readers, the e-book has become mainstream, with recent triple-digit annual increases in sales. But what place do they have in the library? In this volume, Sue Polanka brings together a variety of professionals to share their expertise about e-books with librarians and publishers. Providing forward-thinking ideas while remaining grounded in practical information that can be implemented in all kinds of libraries, the topics explored include
An introduction to e-books, the different types, and an overview of their history and development
E-book technology: general features of interfaces and e-book readers, best practices for acquisition, data standards, and how to track usage
Why e-books are good for learning, and how librarians can market them to a wide range of users, as illustrated by case studies and examples

Genres: Nonfiction, Library Science, Technology, Librarianship, Books About Books, Professional Development, Adult

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good overview of the current state of eBooks for any type of librarian, since there are chapters dedicated to school libraries, public libraries, and academic libraries. I'm afraid it has already started going out of date since the information changes so quickly. I would have liked to see more of a focus on marketing eBooks to users, but that's probably just because of where my library is at in the process.

This might have been a better eBook. ;)

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-crafted look at ebooks and their impact on libraries and publishers. For anyone interested in the rise of ebook popularity--and particularly their effect on libraries--this is a must read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read Ch. 5 "The Academic Library E-book" by Lindsey Schell. Excellent, succinct. Topics covered:
table with comparisons of e-book vendor features, the UT Experience, purchasing and processing workflows, Sharing e-books across library consortia, marketing e-books to faculty and students, and most importantly challenges and issues. The latter address: Patrons who still want print, Digital rights Management (DRM), ADA (Americans with Disabilities) compliance, Portable devices, Licensing, Interlibrary loan, MARC records and loads, Discovery.Plagiarism, and Textooks. An added bonus to this chapter is a cast study by Anne Behler "The Penn State University Sony E-book Reader Project".

I look forward to reading other chapters in this anthology, particularly:

Ch. 1 E-books on the internet (James Galbraith)
Ch. 2 E-books in the School Library (Shonda Brisco)
Ch. 8 E-book Standards (Emilie Delquie and Sue Polanka)

[Harry Fulgencio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selective chapter reading articles written by different authors. Introductions on the backgrounds of the different scholars/authors(@ page 239). As a hesitant user of Portable Reading Devices or e-Books, I am partially convinced on the implications of the studies presented. However, it is a supplement to the different means of gaining access to books that would otherwise be inaccessible to other people. I would much like to see or read efforts (apart from Yale University, Oberlin, US universities/ College..) by other knowledge institutions adopt/assess the promotion of e-Books. This can provide an idea on how to make that possible.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowing the words of another librarian:
"Informative book for librarians. I need a bit more help than this book provided." It had a lot of good background information for me since I am totally new to the field of ebooks. Can't wait for the second book to come out because I will be making a decision on ebooks in the near future.

[Karen! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout various chapters, the author explores the potential, difficulties, and current state of eBooks and what that means for libraries. I really appreciated that the author delves into the implications for separate library types and situations.

Well written and well researched, I found this very helpful to my own needs as a librarian analyzing the eBook and digital library market.

[Mindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful professional literature for librarians about e-books. I was really hoping that it would help me to make a decision regarding e-book purchasing, but it didn't. I did find a couple of options to research, though!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This well done overview of e-books in libraries covers public, school, and academic libraries. I would recommend this to anyone interested in starting an e-book collection. However, this topic is very timely and Polanka's No Shelf Required 2 is coming out in December.

[Jeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really feel this book was very helpful as the ebook market is still in such great flux with no clear-cut model for school libraries. I fear any book published on the topic will be out of date by the time it makes it to print.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful, both background and looking forward.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative book for librarians. Wish there was a book like this that focused solely on high school libraries. I need a bit more help than this book provided.

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

dated the moment it was published. Informative as a historical reference of the last 10 years, but not so functional as a current text.

[Tweller83 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good for what it was. I didn't get a lot of hands on information, just what is ebooks, etc. which I already knew. Not horrible, but not great either in my opinion.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewing for Information Today

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good general overview thy will unicellular become out of date.