Information Automation Limited

This was a very successful conference with over 700 delegates, opened by the President of India, and with various Ministers taking part. We presented the paper below and it generated considerable interest and debate.

Facilitating Access: National Strategies for Developing e-Book Collections in Academic Libraries in the UK

Ray Lonsdale1 and Chris Armstrong2

1 Department of Information Studies, University of Wales, Aberystwyth and 2 Centre for Information Quality Management, Information Automation Limited

Abstract

Further and higher education institutions in the UK benefit from the existence of a national information environment managed by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). The JISC is responsible for networking to FE and HE institutions and for the promotion of eletronic information sources and services within those institutions. In 1997, it funded the first international study into the publishing and provision of e-books to the university sector within the UK, which was undertaken by the authors. The findings demonstrated a nascent e-book publishing industry with a high degree of interest in the format, and recognition of the need to formulate a mechanism which would ensure synergy between the various 'actors' involved in the electronic publishing process - publishers, library andinformation professionals, computing and information technologists. The report recommended the creation of a national committee representing the different 'actors' to ensure a national strategy was in place to facilitate the future development and provision of e-books.

Under the aegis of the JISC, a national collection development strategy for e-books was established in late 2000. On the recommendation of our 1998 study, an e-Book Working Group was convened to bring together academics, librarians, publishers and representatives of relevant national bodies, as well as a JISC Collection Development Officer. The remit of the Group is to formulate and implement a national strategy to facilitate the provision of e-books to the academic communities in the UK. The work has included an analysis of national and international e-book publishing, the development of formal links and, subsequently, e-book contracts with publishers, the creation of a national licence and charging mechanism for e-books, and a national and international programme for dissemination.

While there can be no doubt that e-books are established within academic publishing, there remains uncertainty on the part of the HE and FE communities in the UK as to the place of the medium in their collections, and its use in learning, teaching and research. A significant element of the strategy addresses this uncertainty by facilitating acceptance and uptake of the format by students and academic staff. The Group also has responsibility for commissioning research into e-textbooks and free e-book publishing, and into issues surrouding the management and promotion of e-book collections in FE and HE.

The paper opens with a brief contextual description of the JISC and the genesis of the e-Book Working Group, and delineates and analyses the challenges which have arisen in establishing and implementing the national strategy. The potential ofthis strategy as a model for other countries to consider, as their academic institutions facilitate access and begin to manage e-books is explored. The paper reports on the findings of the current research being undertaken by the Group and the impact of this research on future activities. This paper is conceived as a catalyst to further debate for the international community.

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