Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Econtent Quarterly - Volume 1, Issue 2, Sue Polanka, Mirela Roncevic

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Welcome to the second, Winter 2014 issue of eContent Quarterly. Since launching the journal at 2013 ALA in Chicago, our goal has stayed the same: while the library and publishing industries remain in a state of flux, we want to tackle e-content from every angle and through the voices of a variety of information professionals shaping it. This includes public, academic, and school librarians as well as publishers, aggregators, book distributors, and all others in the business of selling e-content to libraries.

Big Data, Little Numbers: Sources For Ebook Statistics, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Anyone interested in buying, selling, or creating ebooks has probably needed a fact, figure, or statistic to help make a decision, make a point, or make a purchase. Big Data, surveys, trends, market research, patron attitudes, cost analysis, and a host of other information points are available; you just need to know where to find them. In this column I highlight a variety of tools for librarians, publishers, and other information industry professionals for locating that perfect number.

The list is certainly not exhaustive as there are so many resources available. The list includes my personal favorites, ones that I …

What Librarians Need To Know About Epub3, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

Librarians and library users face challenges with multiple ebook formats. The most common are confusion on the part of users as to what file type they need and what the file type means, as well as how to download it properly to their devices. The sheer number of vendor interfaces also cause technical difficulties due to format variety and instructions for use. In fact, in October 2012, Library Journal Patron Profiles reported that 23% of library patrons were unsuccessful in borrowing ebooks due to technical difficulties. Library users, faced with a variety of ebook formats on a regular basis, are …

Econtent Quarterly - Preview Issue, Sue Polanka, Mirela Roncevic

University Libraries' Staff Publications

This is the preview issue of the journal econtent Quarterly, published by the America Library Association. eContent Quarterly is edited by Sue Polanka and Mirela Roncevic, whose deep knowledge of the e-content landscape and vast library and editorial experience combine to bring focus to the journal’s purpose. Polanka and Roncevic have a history of previous collaborations, including the development of the 2011 title E-Reference Context and Discoverability in Libraries: Issues and Concepts. Roncevic is also a contributor to Polanka’s No Shelf Required blog.

Ebook Access: Business Models For Subscription Services, Sue Polanka

University Libraries' Staff Publications

At the O'Reilly Tools of Change for Publishing conference in 2011 (toccon.com/toc2011), Kevin Kelly, senior maverick at Wired, discussed the future of publishing in terms of access versus ownership. He believes accessing, not owning, content is the future. As a librarian, I thought this made perfect sense--after all, that's what libraries have offered for centuries.

However, putting myself in the shoes of publishers, those who rely on sales and revenue, this sounded a bit frightening. How would an access-based future alter the publishing and book distribution industry? How, if at all, might this affect libraries?

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 …

Recruiting Entry-Level Sci-Tech Librarians: An Analysis Of Job Advertisements And Outcome Of Searches, Mary Lou Baker Jones, Mary Frances Lembo, James Manasco, John Sandy

University Libraries' Staff Publications

What qualifications are academic library administrators looking for in candidates for entry-level science and technology librarian positions? The Student Relations Committee of the Sci-Tech Division decided to explore this question, with the objective of providing career development information to students in library and information science who are interested in science or technology library positions.