Purpose This paper provides an analysis of the current state of the art in e-books, and attempts both to set the scene and provide reasons for their low uptake. Methodology The different approaches to e-books of academic librarians, authors, publishers and readers are considered, using the results of a recent survey commissioned by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). Findings and Va...

ECONOMICPRESSURE ON LIBRARIES in the United States is approaching a critical stage.’ Academic libraries in particular are vulnerable to this pressure because of tightened budgets coupled with rapidly increasing costs. Academic institutions have been hurt economically by the need to increase tuition, while enrollment is decreasing due to lower birthrates in the 1950s and early 1960s, less intere...