There is much debate around e-books and their potential uptake, which to date has been slow.  There are a number of reasons for this, including concern among publishers about loss of revenue (if print sales go down) and also nervousness about providing course texts online as there is a lack of evidence regarding demand.  Publishers, librarians and aggregators are unsure about what are the most realistic and sustainable pricing and licensing models for providing students with online access to course texts. A potential disadvantage often cited is that people will not read books online.  However, a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) study of e-book usage in the UK has revealed “62% of students reported that they read online whilst only 6% said they print to read.  Students say the main attraction is that e-books are more accessible than print books, meaning that users can get at them wherever they are and at whatever time they like.”

Some of the more obvious advantages of e-books in the academic environment are speed of supply and 24/7 access, wherever you happen to be. Part-time and distance learners would particularly benefit from the latter point.  Multiple simultaneous access to texts is another clear advantage. Other advantages are automatic return, so books are never overdue and no damaged or lost books.

The purpose of the pilot is:
  - to ascertain the level of availability of core reading material
    for undergraduates.
  - to increase accessibility of the core collection
  - to enhance speed of supply of core texts
  - to test the benefits of e-books for the user community
  - to gain experience of the e-books market

While we already provide access to thousands of e-books through the library website many through the IReL initiative, these are not focussed specifically on undergraduate course needs.

The bulk of our e-books are now provided by three main suppliers, each of which employs a different purchasing model.  One of the more interesting models is Dawson’s, which provides 400 credits (uses) for each book per year.  If the credits run out before the end of the year, we can either purchase a second copy, or allow rentals for the duration of the year until the 400 credits are reinstated. 

The pilot is concentrated on the area of core textbooks for undergraduates.  For every multiple copy order we receive, we substitute an e-book for two print copies.  As a result of the pilot we currently have 80 e-books spread across all subject areas which will shortly be available through the catalogue.  This number will of course increase as the year progresses.  They can be accessed by clicking on the e-books button on the library catalogue to view the full list, or by searching the catalogue in the usual way.  The link will bring you straight into the text of the e-book.  There is also the potential to incorporate core e-texts in Moodle. 

The success of the pilot will depend to a large degree on promotion and training.  Both library and academic staff have a role to play in ensuring that the level of awareness is high.  The pilot will be reviewed at the end of the year and its success will be measured in terms of usefulness to students, cost and the administrative impact on the library.  We hope that e-books will become an established part of the DCU information environment. 

For e-books to become established, the industry needs to move towards standardisation of platforms, purchasing models and licensing terms.  However, in DCU we have at least raised awareness of demand with publishers.  Many have changed their position and are now responding to the type of material we require, in the way that we wish to acquire it.