Beth Ashmore

Riding the eBook Wave

eBooks are here to stay, or so the signs of the times seem to indicate. A December 2004 press release from Google announcing new partnerships for digitizing library collections pushes us ever-closer to the ubiquity of the eBook. However, a word of caution for those poised to toss out print collections: While the continued existence of eBooks is a certainty, the manner of that existence is far from certain. Librarians are (and should be) key players in the evolution of the eBook industry; thus, librarians need to know the current issues and trends in the eBook market. This article swipes a broad stroke across the eBook landscape. The authors contacted a sample of eBook insiders — publishers, distributors, software and hardware providers, and others — and asked them questions about the state of affairs for eBooks. What follows are some of their answers. A caveat before we begin our journey into eBooks: All eBooks are not created equal; an online dictionary is a different beast, with different promises and problems, than an online Stephen King novel. With this knowledge in hand, it is best to view these questions and answers of various eBook insiders as a small crosssection of the industry as a whole.

Creating a Library Resources Tool for WebCT

ABSTRACT The distinct lack of a designated place for library resources to plug into some of the most popular course-management system packages available is a problem that many academic libraries currently face. This article provides an example for academic librarians and other educational service providers to create simple portable learning modules of resources for implementation in WebCT, a popular course management system.

Identifying and Troubleshooting Link-Resolution Issues with ILL Data

Troubleshooting when a link resolver goes wrong can be difficult as it usually relies on the user to report the problem. Using data on interlibrary loan requests that have been cancelled because the materials are available online is one way that libraries can examine where link resolvers may be failing. For the 2012/2013 school year, the Samford University Library looked at this cancelled interlibrary loan request data to determine where their new link resolver and knowledgebase needed further customization to improve the user experience. This process not only identified a number of problems all along the link resolution chain, but it also put in place an ongoing process for identifying and troubleshooting link resolution issues in the future.

Google Book Search Libraries and Their Digital Copies

ABSTRACT The Google Book Search Library Project has partnered with an array of impressive libraries, including Harvard University, the University of California System, University of Michigan, and the New York Public Library. The reasons for collaborating with Google to further book digitization are different for each library. Moreover, the exact way in which these libraries will use their own digital copies has yet to be decided for many of the libraries involved. While the Google Book Search Library Project remains controversial, the Google library partners are seizing an unprecedented opportunity to amplify the scale of their pre-existing digitization initiatives.

The Swets Trap: Understanding the Past to Create the Future

Anyone who’s taken a history class has probably been told that in order to understand the future, you have to understand the past. Recently, the past has reared its ugly head in the guise of the recent bankruptcy of Swets Information Services B.V. in September 2014. You would pretty much have to live under a rock to miss the commotion across the listservs, emails, and news publications related to this recent serials crisis. Many of us have paused in our day-to-day operations to ponder what this might mean for the future of serials. Although this editorial focuses specifically on the Swets event, the special issue as a whole explores other areas challenging the serials landscape from innovations in the publishing world to evolved concepts of description through linked data or knowledgebase data to questions about acquisitions practices for journal packages. All of the articles included in this issue indicate that a time of reflection is upon us as a discipline. With these challenges, opportunities to innovate and repurpose our skills will come—if we are willing. More invited articles focusing on the “future of serials” will be included in the next issue of Serials Review. My thanks go out to Beth Ashmore, Jill Grogg, and Susan Davis for their contributions to this editorial. Please consider contributing your opinion for a future editorial about this latest saga to the serials crisis or any other challenges and opportunities that you see for the future of serials.

The Read Feed—Reviews

ABSTRACT Beth Ashmore reviews More Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data; Michelle DeMars reviews Library Consortia: Models for Collaboration and Sustainability; Sarah Tusa reviews Library Management in Disruptive Times: Skills and Knowledge for an Uncertain Future.

Troubleshooting Electronic Resources with ILL Data

Troubleshooting electronic resource linking issues can seem to be an insurmountable task—so many resources, so little time. Using interlibrary loan (ILL) data on requests for materials available online, the electronic resources staff at the Samford University Library detected problems with the implementation of their new link resolver. This data also provided a window into some systemic issues within the metadata of certain sources and the link resolver knowledgebase. In addition to helping us improve linking for our users, the establishment of a workflow for communicating cancelled ILL transaction data on an ongoing basis has also improved the communication between electronic resources staff and the ILL department regarding the overall linking process.

From scraps to reams to mobile screens? An update on printing services in academic libraries

ABSTRACT As a follow-up to their 2001/2002 study on printing services in academic libraries, the authors explore how the provision of printing services has changed over the last twelve years. This article explores how libraries are choosing to fund printing services as well as how technology, such as scanning and mobile devices, has changed the way printing services are provided. The results of the 2013 survey find a greater percentage of libraries are using a fee-based system for printing, and, while some technology is providing greater data and control for printing services, other technological advances are having unintended consequences for libraries’ printing infrastructure.