Going digital? : The work processes with e-books at academic libraries in Sweden

Sammanfattning

Research regarding e-book management at academic libraries is scarce, especially referring to Swedish university libraries. The work with e-books regarding selection, acquisition, promotion etc. can give insight into the stance towards e-books and their use at Swedish academic libraries. Challenges and problems such as accessibility, licensing as well as DRM restrictions may hinder e-books from becoming worthy complements to printed books. This thesis gives more insight into the acquisition, work and distribution and general working processes with e-books at Swedish academic libraries. A total of eight Swedish university libraries with 13 representatives agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews. The main results are that selection and acquisition of e-books are both influenced by librarians themselves and by user demand, and that e-books are frequently used and sometimes even favored over print books. Complex licensing and DRM restrictions may lead to e-books not being fully appreciated, which is further complicated due to a lack of promotion of e-books by academic libraries. Academic e-books are offered in English due to a lack of Swedish titles. In some situations, print books are acquired, e.g. if electronic titles are not available or too expensive. Both formats have advantages and disadvantages regarding access, availability, usage and preference. While print books are cheaper and offer a tactile experience, e-books can be read by multiple users simultaneously and do not require storage space in contrast to print books.