This study contributes to knowledge and practice in the area of e-book management in academic libraries. The thesis is a three part study, two preliminary studies and the main study, with each part making a distinct contribution. As practitioners and researchers embark on a more extensive engagement with e-books and while the e-book market is developing rapidly, it is increasingly important that some agreement is reached regarding the definition of the term 'e-book'. Hence, the first study reported a content analysis of 36 e-book defmitions in order to determine a valid and representative definition of 'e-book'. The study proposed a two-part definition of the term reflecting both the persistent characteristics of e-books, and their dynamic and developing nature, driven largely by the changing technologies. Despite the growth in the e-book market, the e-book industry has been researched much less than the e-journal market. An overview of the e-book marketplace is a valuable starting point for academic library decision making about the management of e-book collections. Hence, the second study provided an overview of key e-book marketplace players and their services, by analysing the web sites of nine publishers and eleven aggregators as a basis for profiling their main services. The findings showed that the e-book market is changing. The majority of ebook vendors market typically to libraries, and publishers are increasingly using e-aggregators to distribute their titles. Collections of e-books are expanding gradually and e-book business models are complex and range considerably. Academic libraries are changing and e-books have been incorporated into their collections. The demand for e-books by library users is increasing and academic librarians are planning expansion of their e-book holdings. E-books are an exciting and controversial area for librarians but they pose various challenges to academic libraries. Nevertheless, the impact of ebooks on collection management practices is under-documented. Furthermore, the future of ebooks in academic libraries is a topic that has not been extensively investigated in the current literature. Therefore, the main study of this thesis provided in-depth insights into e-book management activities and what are the associated issues and challenges faced by the librarians. In addition, the study identified and validated the main stages of the e-book management process in academic libraries. Moreover, the main study gathered opinions on the factors that will affect the future and adoption of e-books in academic libraries. The survey approach was employed for the main study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 librarians working in seven UK academic libraries, each with different sizes and with different levels of engagement with providing e-book services. The card-game method was incorporated into the interview process mainly in order to test and establish the process of e-book management in academic libraries. Overall, the findings confirmed past and recent studies on the management of e-books, whilst offering additional insights into specific practices and challenges. The central and most significant part of the study is the proposed e-book management framework of activities and the associated issues and challenges in academic libraries. The e-book management process is complex and practice needs further development at all the stages of the process
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:541593 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Vasileiou, Magdalini |
| Publisher | Manchester Metropolitan University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0025 seconds