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Over 15,000 libraries have added NetLibrary eBooks to their collections ([11] OCLC, 2006), and due to the enticement of special sets pricing and/or consortial discounts, many of them add eBooks by the hundreds and thousands per purchase ([9] Minitex, 2007). OCLC, owner of NetLibrary, the largest eBook vendor, reported revenues of $10.5 million for the NetLibrary division in 2005, and $16.6 million in 2006 ([11] OCLC, 2006).
eBook, or e-book, is the abbreviation for "electronic book" - a book written in or converted to digital format. The early efforts of Michael Hart and Project Gutenberg (see [12] Project Gutenberg, 2006) on public domain titles starting in 1971 attracted the attention of readers and librarians, and the late 1990s opened possibilities for large purchases of proprietary eBooks, some in a downloadable format requiring a special reader, and others accessible via the internet and a subscription. NetLibrary, the eBook collection/product described in this article, is web-based.
Proliferating eBook collections do not necessarily generate a corresponding rise in the enthusiasm level of reference librarians. Ellen [13] Safley (2006) explained at a conference presentation that "reactions to NetLibrary by staff are fairly negative as they do the troubleshooting for passwords, proxy problems, printing issues, and readability concerns". Despite library staff complaints, she documented an increased demand for eBooks.
Many libraries opt for inclusion of eBook records in the library catalog, but the user concerned with format must limit a search to electronic or nonelectronic resources, and this option may not be intuitive. Some librarians report annoyance over the default catalog search results, and an intense dislike for the eBook product itself. Their complaints extend from a variety of technical problems, to (ironically) outdated editions in comparison to what is available in print, to lack of influence with the eBook vendors and vendors' inability or unwillingness to respond to requests. The long-awaited interface enhancements for NetLibrary, and library catalog limitations may have hindered the interest of reference and instruction librarians, who, at many institutions, have yet to fully discover the utility of eBooks at the reference desk and beyond, and may not actively promote eBooks or provide instruction on them. Ongoing inconveniences with the web-based interface and a learned bias may translate into a lack of promotion that may be...