Shelf Evolution: E-books in Libraries

Abhishek Kumar*

Abstract
An Era of Digital Innovation everything is Simple, Smart & Portable. E-books
have these attributes. In this Paper “Shelf Evolution: E-books in Libraries” explore the
Shelf Evolution through Book (Print) to eBook (e-print) user friendly interactions.
E-books and Users’ learning Behavior disclose the creativity of user innovations.
“Save the time of user” 5th law of library science by Ranganathan also contributes the
existence of eBooks in the library.
The role of eBooks in school, public, and academic libraries decrease the amount
of shelf. E-book manages library system services like Acquisitions and management.
Many Libraries provide the services for members which have access to eBooks
through databases. The main threats of ebooks are copyrights Violation through
distribution of illegal copy eBooks, Server failure where the databases of eBooks store.
So, the existence of shelf as a secondary sources always.

Keywords: E-books, users’ learning Behavior, library system services, copyrights.

1. Introduction:
An eBook is an electronic version of a traditional printed book which can be
accessed through by computer or other electronic devices. Earlier Terry’s (2000)
definition, which centers on texts with paper counterparts:
At its simplest level, an e-book consists of electronic content "originating from
traditional books, reference material, or magazines" that is downloaded from the Internet
and viewed through any number of hardware devices. These include PCs, laptops, PDA’s
(personal digital assistants), palm PC’s or palmtops, or dedicated e-book readers.
Gardiner & Musto (2010) defined as “An electronic book (variously: e-book, eBook, e-
book, ebook, digital book, or even e-edition) is a book-length publication in digital form,
consisting of text, images, or both, readable on computers or other electronic devices”.

The first e-book inventor is not widely agreed upon. Bursa (late 1940s): Index
Thomisticus is the first e-book which contains an annotated electronic index to the works
of Thomas Aquinas, prepared by Roberto Busa beginning in 1949 and completed in the
1970s. Ángela Ruiz Robles (1949), a teacher from Galicia, Spain, patented the first
electronic book la Enciclopedia Mecánica, or the Mechanical Encyclopedia. Her
intention was to decrease the number of books that her pupils carried to the school.
The beginning of free ebooks to the public by US Libraries in 1998 through their
web sites and associated services (Helfer, 2000). E-book services in libraries have grown,
and so the number of people with e-readers. Now the archival storage ‘Internet Archive’
and ‘Open Library’ offers over 4,000,000 fully accessible public domain eBooks
(Wikipedia, 2011).
_____________________________________________________________________________
Correspondence Address: *Abhishek Kumar, Department of Library and Information Science & Central Library Banaras Hindu
University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh India-221005. Email: abhishek.clbhu@gmail.com

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2. Five Laws of Library Science & Ebooks:

In the light of the five laws of Library & Information Science (L.I.S) created by the
Father of L.I.S., Dr. S.R. Ranganathan (1931) the philosophy about ebooks as:

2.1 Ebooks are for use

The increase prevalence of ebook lending in libraries and their popularity, People
wants to borrow ebooks; libraries want to lend ebooks. Ebooks are a viable lending
material from libraries and a commodity that libraries should be adding to their
collection.

2.2 Every reader his or her ebook

At present, different reader demands different features of ebook. Ebooks are

subject to the whims of multiple interested parties. Libraries should be working towards
lifting restrictions or limitations on access to content, be they come from the publisher,
author, copyright, or otherwise. In addition, they should be looking to secure ebook
versions that are accessible to the hearing and sight impaired.

2.3 Every book, any ereader

The different format or platform does not break the barrier to access the ebook to
the ereader. The ideal would be that any ereader would have the capability of reading any
ebook regardless of the origin. While this is true with some devices currently on the
market (such as the iPad), at present a person cannot pick up a Kindle can receive content
from anywhere but the Amazon store. As libraries move forward, it should be advocating
for ebook availability on any ereader device.

2.4 Save the time of the ereader patron

At present, the average process for borrowing an ebook is an arduous task. There
are many screens to click through, multiple boxes to enter patron information, and then
(eventually) the task of downloading material (and possibly transferring it to another
device). The platform for borrowing ebooks needs to be more in line with the interface of
iTunes or Amazon: enter your library card number, browse the titles, select the titles that
want to borrow, and then an automated checkout.

2.5 The library is an evolving organism

The fifth law of library science "the library is a growing organism" means that a
library should be a continually changing institution, never static in its outlook. Books,
methods, and the physical library should be updated over time.

Librarian Carol Simpson (2008) recommended that editing be done to Ranganathan's law
due to media richness. In the advanced era of library, there will be some things that work

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very well; those will be universally adopted. Despite the want for e-book services in
libraries has grown, and so the number of people with e-readers, some difficulties still
keep libraries from being able to provide the popular technology. Just recently have most
big publishers agreed to sell e-books to libraries for public use. It has taken many years,
but publishers of electronic books now realize that libraries providing an e-book to
patrons can be a huge opportunity for advertising and usually results in patrons becoming
customers. In the end, libraries will get to where they need to be in terms of lending
ebooks.

3. Printed books & Ebooks:

The traditional book represents a designated format: a physically distinct creation

made of a collection of pages and presented in a bound volume. However, in discussing
the electronic book, the focus shifts from the form to the content: whereas the content of
a paper book takes the form of words on a page, digital content is not tied to a physical
object (Desmarais, 1995).

3.1 Portability (Space savings): Portability & Mobile availability of e-books may be
provided for users, so these e-books may not need to be stored on the device. In
the portability (space & weight) that a comparably sized print book takes up, an e-
reader can contain thousands of e-books, limited only by its memory capacity.
Over 2 million free e-books were available between July 4 and August 4 in 2009.
This feature decreases the existence of the shelf in the library.

3.2 Smart features (Mechanical and multimedia benefits): Many authentic E-book
websites can include the ability to translate books into many different languages,
making the works available to speakers of languages not covered by printing
translations.
Many e-readers have the ability to display motion (Readable eBook in low
light or even total darkness), enlarge or change fonts (Harris, 2009), use Text-to-
speech software to read the text aloud for visually impaired, partially sighted,
elderly or dyslectic people or just for convenience, search for key terms, find
definitions, or allow highlighting bookmarking and annotation.
According to Goleman & Norris (2010) printed books use 3 times more
raw materials and 78 times more water to produce than e-books.
Multimedia features offering eBooks to richer reading experiences than is
possible through traditional, physical books.

3.3 Usability & accessibility (Distributive and access benefits): An e-book can be
purchased/borrowed, downloaded, and used immediately, whereas when one buys
or borrows a tangible book, one must go to a bookshop, a home library, or public
library during limited hours, or wait for a delivery. Numerous e-books are
available online free of charge. For example, all fiction from before the year 1900
is in the public domain. Also, libraries lend both classic and current e-book titles
for limited times, free samples are available of many publications, and there are

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 other lending models being piloted as well. E-books can be printed for less than
the price of traditional new books using new on-demand book printers.
Depending on possible digital rights management, e-books (unlike physical
books) can be backed up and recovered in the case of loss or damage to the device
on which they are stored, and it may be possible to recover a new copy without
incurring an additional cost from the distributor. Compared to printed
publications, it is cheaper and easier for authors to self-publish e-books. Also, the
dispersal of a free e-book copy can stimulate the sales of the printed version
(Doctorow, 2006).

4. Future of eBooks for libraries:

E-book even more closely, its masses of business models, formats, and licenses to
Libraries, publishers, and users. Libraries and providers are eager to incorporate e-books
as fully as possible into the mainstream of the materials available to libraries and to users.

Libraries can acquire e-books; various access models available and the potential
pros and cons of each; best practices for workflows and processes throughout the life
cycle of an e-book and specifically for licensing e-book content; and key points for
cataloging e-books and using an electronic resource management system to manage e-
book collections. If libraries and publishers make an investment in e-books, then we may
soon have a library where there is no shelf required.

References:

1. Busa, R., "Stop the reader, Fr. Busa has died". L'Osservatore Romano. Retrieved
2011-02-11.
2. Desmarais, N. (1995). Models of the electronic book. CD-ROM
Professional, 8(5), 114.
3. Doctorow, C. (2006). Giving it away. Content: Selected Essays on Technology,
Creativity, Copyright, and the Future of the Future, 71-75.
4. Gardiner, E., & Musto, R. G. (2010). The electronic book. The Oxford companion
to the book, 164-171.
5. Goleman, D., & Norris, G. (2010). How green is my ipad. New York Times.
6. Harris, C. (2009). The Truth About Ebooks. School Library Journal, 55(6), 18.
7. Helfer, D. (2000). E-Book in libraries: some early experiences and reactions.
8. Ranganathan, S. R. (1931). The five laws of library science.
9. Simpson, C. (2008). Five laws. Library Media Connection, 26(7/6), 6.
10. Terry, A. A. (1999). Demystifying the e-Book: What Is It, Where Will I Lead Us,
and Who's in the Game?. Against the grain, 11(5), 18-20.
11. Wikipedia,. (2011). E-book. Retrieved 1 January 2011, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book#Libraries
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