Library E-Book Platforms Are Broken: Let's Fix Them

Content Provider	Semantic Scholar
Author	Thomas, Joelle Chilton, Galadriel
Copyright Year	2016
Abstract	E-books promise users convenience and accessibility, but library e-book platforms contain so many barriers to use and access that patrons often turn away in frustration. In addition, aggregators’ e-book platforms often include intrusive, onerous digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. The traditional solution of DRM-free ebooks are generally only available only in large and expensive publisher packages. One approach to solving these problems is an evidence-based selection of e-books program; it not only offers access to hundreds of DRM-free, unlimited simultaneous-user e-books that are integrated with similar e-journal content, but also includes an agreement that libraries will only purchase titles with the highest use. User Expectations and the E-Book Reality When scholars disseminated their ideas primarily through print, physical access and discovery were considerably challenging. In this environment, even the earliest, clumsiest iterations of electronic search and access were revolutionary, and users’ information-seeking paths included either learning the intricacies of the few systems available or turning to a librarian for advice or mediation. Scarcity made even rudimentary electronic access valuable; any search method more efficient than paging through paper indexes was worth investing the time to master. Today users are more likely to complain about finding too much information than not enough; we have come a long way from the finicky spearfishing of DIALOG to the massive trawl of Google. Once the prospect of watching a movie without leaving your home was an unthinkable luxury; now subscribers spend half the evening scrolling through their Netflix queues, paralyzed by choice. When it comes to accessing
File Format	PDF HTM / HTML
Alternate Webpage(s)	https://works.bepress.com/galadriel-chilton/1/download/
Language	English
Access Restriction	Open
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article