Libraries expect e-book growth

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Librarians expect significant growth in e-book acquisitions, according to HighWire's recent 'eBooks Librarian Survey'.

The survey of 138 librarians from 13 countries was conducted as part of HighWire's ongoing exploration of the fast-growing scholarly e-book market.

The survey data was analysed by Michael Newman, Stanford University’s head biology librarian. He also concluded that: simplicity and ease of use seem more important than sophisticated end-user features and that users tend to discover e-books through both the library catalogue and search engines. He also observed that users today prefer PDFs but that format preference will likely change as technology changes. In addition, DRM seems to hinder e-book use for library patrons - the ability to print is essential - and the most popular business model for librarians is purchase with perpetual access.