From Paper to Bytes
E-books in Academic Libraries
Toni Raja-Hanhela
Lapland University Consortium Library
Brief history of e-books
Where are we now?
• E-books are common resource for libraries
• They are found in catalogs but ”real” books
are still preferred by our patrons
• Limited selection and poor mechanics to
access them
• Access to books problematic, there’s not a
standard for an e-book reader. Yet.
• Digital Rights Management (DRM) creates
problems.
Problems
• Wide diversity in software and hardware 
Lack of common platform
• Usability is poor because
• Wide range of pricing models
• Awareness in student and staff limited
E-books & e-readers
• E-readers (physical devices)
– Dedicated readers eg. Kindle
– Mobile devices eg. Phones, Pdas
– Hybrid devices eg. iPad and other tablets
• E-books
– Electronic version of book
– Use depends on format, DRM, etc.
– Is useful without e-reader but not vice versa
Usage scenarios
Book
• Use online library catalog to find the book 
go to a library  locate the book  borrow
the book  go home  read the book
E-book 1.0
• Use online library catalog to find the book 
Note that the book is available as e-book 
Try to understand how to access and read the
book.
E-book 2.0
• Smart e-readers allow you to buy and borrow
items directly from the device
• You can make notes on books and those notes
are always available for you, on all your
devices
• Social features integrated; book
recommendations, shared notes etc.
New role for the library?
• Virtual collections
• Metadata even more important
• Experts in acquisition, we know what books
our patrons need, and when they need them
• Books need to be available and discoverable
• Do we own e-books or rent them? E-books
don’t wear down or get messy.
Competition?
• Summer 2011 Amazon.com started offerering
students the possibility to rent books from
their collection
• These books are available to read in e-book
reader and all mobile devices as well.
• Students can make notes and other marking
to the book, and those notes are their to keep.
Finally
• E-books are widening the definition of book
– They are more versatile
– Social elements, ”virtual study groups”
• Librarians and libraries are still needed, but
our role may shift
Thank you!
Questions?