Session 288

e-Books and Transportation: Familiar Technology in a New Setting

Transportation Research BoardLibrary and Information Science for Transportation

(ABG40) Committeehttp://trblist.org

Monday, January 13, 2014Hilton, Columbia Hall #7

SPEAKERS

Chris Pringle, Elsevier Ltd.

Roberto A. Sarmiento, Northwestern University

Kenneth A. Winter, Virginia Department of Transportation

WHAT DO MANAGERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MANAGING E-BOOKS AT THE INSTITUTIONAL

LEVEL

Roberto A. Sarmiento, HeadNorthwestern University Transportation Library

TRB Library and Information Science for Transportation Committee Washington, DC

Monday, January 13, 2014

INTRODUCTION

E-books are wonderful resources and are increasingly substituting hard-copy books

E-books have many advantages and some disadvantages

Managing e-books (singly or collections) at the institutional level do create an additional level of complexity

Talking about commercially-produced, not internally-produced

Goal of presentation is to make you aware of the complex issues in order to better understand how to develop and manage digital collections

E-BOOKS ARE NOT THE SAME AS HARD-COPY BOOKS. HOW?

Acquiring

oHard Copy (H-C)= Buy -> Process -> ShelfAll steps contained within library

oE-Books (E-Bs) for libraries NOT like buying “personal copy”DRM: Who can see it? Where? How? IT involvement“Buy”, “Lease”, “Lease to buy”, etc. – Lots of deals!

oH-C ownership = Pretty much for ever

oE-Bs ownership at question; we REALLY do not own them

E-BOOKS ARE NOT THE SAME AS HARD-COPY BOOKS. HOW?

Access

o H-C: On shelves and available as long as library is open or you have a key to the library. ~8:30-5:00 M-F

o E-Bs: 24/365. Unless server is down.

o H-C: 1 to 1

o E-B: 1 to 1 or 1 to many - Access is negotiable

o H-C: ILL pretty much OK

o E-Bs: ILL OK with restrictions, up to “no loans”

E-BS ARE NOT THE DEVICE

Content vs receptacle

Desktop, laptop, tablet, phone…future

Devise-specific restrictions (Kindle vs Nook vs iPad)

Devise usability and ergonomics (desktop vs tablets vs phones)

Future compatibility

H-C: all the way back to papyrus, no manual required

IS IT REALLY OWNERSHIP?

H-C: Buy/use. Then discard or donate or re-sale. Some kept on shelves for hundreds of years.

E-Bs: Technically you do not own the book. You pay for the “right” to use the book from the publisher

o Publishers hold all cards. Yes, there is room for negotiation and you should negotiate how you will make the book accessible and how users will use book.

o Most likely will reside on their servero Cannot resell it

oLending will be highly regulated and somewhat restrictedo Book may even disappear without your knowledge or consent

COSTS

H-C Processing: Order-> Arrives-> Pay-> [Catalog-> Labels-> Pockets]-> To Shelf-> READY TO USE

“Plain” E-Bs could/may be cheaper than H-Co Anything extra adds cost (locations, viewers, etc.)

E-Bs most likely will have an annual or maintenance fee

E-Bs Processing: Order-> Negotiate extras, access, etc.-> Review/Sign contract-> [Coordinate with IT for firewall, remote access, website, etc.]-> [Catalog]-> Periodically check to see if e-book is available-> READY TO USE-> [Review metrics]-> [Periodically review/renegotiate contract]-> etc.

IMPACT ON STAFF TIME

H-C: Pretty much restricted to library/info center staff

E-Bs: Library staff, IT staff, lawyers (?), contract’s staff

Multiple vendors/publishers = Separate dealso Multiple unique requirements = Complexity!

NOT a “buy and forget” acquisitiono Requires managemento Partnerships (Library-Publisher-IT-Organization-Users)o Surrender some control to publisher

SINGLES VS COLLECTIONS

1 E-B at a time: easier to manage (less time, etc.)

Publishers moving towards “collections”o Lower pricing per unito More buying optionso Stuff you may not want includedo Reviewing/fine tuning may trigger penalties

RANDOM COMMENTS

Purchasing both formats too expensiveo Technical books in digital format are still expensiveo E-Bs may not be the cheapest alternative

Upgrading to E-Bs over H-C is recommended for certain subjects/titles

o Newly published books: E-Bs preferred

Some type of books “better” in digital format:o Encyclopedias, maps, large format, reference, tables

BOTTOM LINE

E-Bs extra features are worth it!

Technology still developing

Publishers still searching for best economic model

“Technical” transportation books not there yet, future

Towards a more universal/open platform

Copyright will continue to be an issue

Thank you!r-sarmiento@northwestern.edu

http://trblist.org