Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Lending E-Readers: Legal? Ethical? Practical?, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Libraries of all types have taken the plunge of lending ebook readers to their patrons, yet controversy remains. As far back as 2007, the Sparta, N.J., Public Library was one of the first to dip its toes into then unknown waters (http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6533029.html). Many others have followed suit. In fact, Library Journal's 2011 "Ebook Penetration and Use" surveys (http://www.thedigitalshift.com/research/ebook-penetration) found that 12% of academic libraries, 15% of public libraries, and 17% of school libraries are lending e-readers. They lend Kindles, NOOKs, iPads, and Sony Readers of all shapes and sizes. Some are for classroom use, and …

Open Access Ebooks, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Libraries, faculty, and researchers around the world celebrated Open Access Week from Oct. 22 to 28, 2012. SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (www.arl.org/sparc). organizes the program, now in its sixth year. The celebration provides an international forum for sharing the benefits of open access and inspiring wider participation in the open access movement.

I decided to participate in Open Access Week 2012 by highlighting various open access ebook platforms on my blog, No Shelf Required (http:/ /libraries. wright .edu/noshelfrequired). In my research, I discovered a wealth of resources for open access books, many of them international in …