Abstract
This paper argues that the evolution of e-book technology is related to the penetrating impact of networks and information technology on society. It defines the concept of e-book and describes some aspects of e-book technology. By focusing on book production processes, the paper examines what probable consequences the development of e-books and a global network economy will have for publishers and book industries. E-books, along with other electronic formats, will trigger major changes as the digital products and distribution channels will force the logic of the network economy on the book publishing industry.
E-book collections, such as ebrary and Netlibrary, provided an economical opportunity to fill
gaps in our print collection. With an institutional focus on distance education, e-books seemed to
provide the obvious solution for how to serve users who will never come to campus. With our
traditional users taking to e-journals immediately, we thought e-books would be a win-win
solution. However, use statistics indicated that our e-book collections remain underutilized.
e-book market is threatened by unfettered proliferation of e-book platforms, formats, and DRMs. Some service providers support multiple e-book platforms and DRMs. They can adopt this type of model, but do publishers agree to support it in their licensing agreements?
Google wants to make e-books available to all devices with web browsers, from mobile phones to desktop computers, challenging Amazon's Kindle e-book reader which forces buyers to buy books through the company
Google has tried to made a deal with those opposing it's Google Books deal (such as Amazon and Microsoft) by offering to allow them to resell books from it's site. Amazon has rejected the idea.
Instead of the 20,000 books the school currently has, the students of Cushing
Academy will have 18 e-readers at their disposal. The learning centre - the
replacement for what was once the school's library - will also have three large
TVs, a coffee shop, and laptop-friendly booths.