Report of the E-Book Working Group

04/20/2006 

Introduction

At the 2005 AMICAL conference in Beirut, a Working Group on e-book initiatives was constituted to assess the technology developments in this area and recommend proposals for the Consortium. This is an important project for AMICAL given the rapid growth of the Web, access to technology, and potential to share digital resources among Consortium members. Libraries were originally based on a concept of scarcity: printed books were rare, difficult to obtain and transport, and it made sense for users to come to centrally located collections. However, a networked environment changes the conditions of distribution, making it feasible to deliver content directly to the user. This shift in the distribution process means that libraries must rethink their traditional roles and explore new ways to serve their academic communities. Thus, the potential advantages of e-books highlights a primary need for AMICAL member institutions to foster stronger relationships and develop innovative ways of sharing resources and expertise as they address the challenges and opportunities of serving students and faculty in a rapidly changing environment. 

Overview

Following upon preliminary conversations in Beirut and via e-mail after the conference, the Working Group determined that it lacked information necessary to develop strategies that support the use of e-books through the Consortium. The results of that survey (now available online) indicated that while a few members are already implementing e-books, the majority are deeply engaged in institutional dialogues on how e-books fit with their services and missions. A significant number of AMICAL members expressed interest in a consortial arrangement to implement or increase the use of e-books at their own institutions. However, two fundamental challenges were readily evident. First, given the limited financial resources of the member institutions, this goal would have to be achieved with minimal impact on institutional budgets. Second, it is evident from the survey and the Group’s research that there are substantial issues to be resolved within the current digital book environment. Some of these challenges include pricing models that parallel and even exceed the cost of print-based media, an overly restrictive focus on digital rights management (DRM), and a wide range of proprietary formats and portable reader devices. Though progress is underway in addressing these issues, AMICAL will need to carefully consider the implications of every step taken toward a consortial e-book agreement.    

Seven Steps towards an AMICAL e-Book Agreement

The Group sees the development of an e-book consortium agreement as a process consisting of the following seven steps:

1. Identify and evaluate the need for e-books among AMICAL member institutions.
2. Assist member institutions in understanding the various formats and distribution models.
3. Develop a memorandum of understanding as an agreement to take concrete steps toward the goal of executing an eventual purchase agreement.
4. Finalize a decision on the distribution model, format and specifications.
5. Contact vendors to develop bids.
6. Gain approval from member institutions and complete a purchase agreement.
7. Develop strategies to support the use of e-books (an ongoing activity throughout the process). 

The interest and need (Step 1) have been determined through the survey and the Working Group feels that the most significant challenge now is to focus on the second through fourth steps of the process. To achieve this, the Group recommends the development of an e-book database that will serve as an information repository and resource for the Consortium. Since this document is designed to assist the Group in establishing its own priorities and in helping foster a discussion at the upcoming AMICAL meeting in Cairo, it will concentrate on describing the issues underlying appropriate e-book formats and distribution models, the development of a database, and the proposal for a memorandum of understanding.

Distribution Models and e-Book Formats

Ideally, an AMICAL e-book agreement would be both innovative and flexible, one that serves the needs of a diverse group of institutions that share a unique common bond. It should also fully exploit the advantages of the digital format of e-books given the geographically dispersed nature of the Consortium. There are currently two primary access and pricing models offered by major e-book suppliers. A majority of the survey respondents expressed a strong preference for the multi-user simultaneous model:

Ø       One book, one user access model:

This model mirrors the traditional library circulation model in that a single digital copy is loaned to a single user. If a library does not want to deny access to additional users, it must purchase multiple copies of the same title. Titles are automatically deleted at the end of the loan, which then frees the title up for another user.

 Ø       Multi-user, simultaneous access model:

The multi-user, simultaneous access model has become the preferred model for libraries as it takes greater advantage of the digital format. While this model better reflects users’ expectations and addresses library needs, there may still be licensing restrictions on the number of simultaneous users for each title.

In addition to the distribution issues, there is the vexing question of a broad diversity in available formats. Currently, there are four major e-book formats including Adobe, Microsoft, eReader (formerly Palm) and Mobipocket with approximately 15 minor formats. Eventually, a single standard will emerge that separates content from presentation, mostly likely based on CSS and XML (managed by the World Wide Web Consortium -- W3C) which are open standards used on the Web. The OpenReader organization has been working toward this goal of a cross-platform, vendor-neutral, international standard, but the agendas of the various stakeholders (publishers, authors, distributors) have delayed progress toward a resolution.  

It is clear from the survey and from the Group’s own research that it should focus its efforts on e-books that are not dependent on proprietary reading devices. AMICAL member institutions already face significant challenges in the acquisition and ongoing maintenance of technology resources. An e-book proposal that would require the purchase of additional hardware in the form of a proprietary reader would entail additional costs and lock member institutions into a single format. Thus, the Group recommends that a proposal consider only device-independent e-books that could be used throughout the Consortium. 

Database Proposal

In its ongoing dialogue, the Group determined that it would be beneficial to create a database that brings together information about the vendors and organizations working on the development and distribution of e-books and related access issues. While a few members of the Consortium have already acquired e-books, others are just beginning to debate the issues and would benefit from a central repository of information and research. The database should cover both free and fee-based models, and identify any current or planned AMICAL member e-book acquisition programs. It would assist the Consortium in understanding developing trends and determining the most appropriate format for the basis of a consortial purchase.   

The Group recommends that the database be developed as follows:

·       The Working Group should establish the framework and upload its own research to the database. Once set up, other AMICAL members should be able to add contributions to create a resource that reflects not the view of any one institution or the Group itself, but the collective expertise of the Consortium.

 ·       The database should be part of the AMICAL Web presence once this established. Depending on the timeframe for setting up the AMICAL site, the Group may use a temporary space and port the resources over to the site once it has been created. The Group recognizes the need to work closely with the AMICAL Communications Group in developing an online database.            

 E-Books and the RESPOND Project

Since a few member institutions already offer e-books through their collections, it may be useful to establish a catalogue of available e-books titles that each library has purchased. However, the Group needs to determine how this will mesh with the RESPOND project from the AMICAL ILL/DD Working Group that has been working with OCLC. The RESPOND project will increase resource visibility, facilitate the management of ILL requests between AMICAL members, and assist in collection development. The Group feels strongly that it should not attempt to develop a resource listing that may be researched through the RESPOND project; on the other hand, the Group also feels that it may be useful to develop a list since unlike print-based media, e-books are often dependent on specific file formats and distribution models.   

Memorandum of Understanding

Before AMICAL undertakes concrete steps toward an e-book agreement, it would need to complete a memorandum of understanding (Step 3). Developing and circulating a draft memorandum at the meeting in Cairo would address potential challenges and ensure that the project meets the needs of each member institution. It should be noted that this is a preliminary memorandum of commitment for AMICAL to pursue the process and would not require an immediate financial commitment on the part of the institutions involved. While the memorandum could eventually result in the development of specifications and negotiations with vendors, it may lead to other resource sharing opportunities for AMICAL (see the related initiatives below). The Group recognizes that the eventual step of contacting vendors to solicit bids would have to be handled with great care. 

At the meeting in Cairo, the e-Book Working Group should closely coordinate its work with the ILL/DD Working Group as there may be opportunities to facilitate interlibrary cooperation on e-books that are already available. Depending on the agenda and outcomes achieved at the meeting in Cairo, the memorandum may be incorporated into a broader agreement undertaken at the conference. 

Related Initiatives

The Working Group will continue to monitor ongoing initiatives in the field, including some of the more innovative projects that are developing new distribution models for academic resources. Two current initiatives are of particular interest to the Working Group. First, the development of LibraryCity (www.LibraryCity.org), a grass-roots project to construct a world-wide digital library of both copyright and public-domain texts, is notable for its stated goal of creating online communities and incorporating multimedia files. With close ties to TeleRead and the OpenReader initiative, it may help resolve some of the complexity over competing formats and complex pricing structures (as it may provide fee-based access to copyright protected works). The second initiative of interest to the Group is the e-Print project (www.eprints.org) which assists institutions and faculty in providing free and open access to their research documents and data. The open-source software developed by this project might provide a foundation for AMICAL members to create their own sharable research repositories. If successful, it may even serve as the basis for fostering a greater appreciation of the rich cultural resources that are represented through AMICAL. While the Group has been charged with the specific task of e-books, the broader goal of this initiative is the sharing of digital resources and the Consortium should not overlook ways of sharing the extensive resources already embodied within the member institutions themselves.

Strategies for Promoting e-Book Adoption and Use  

Finally, the Working Group believes that it needs to develop strategies to promote the utilization of e-Books at each institution. Despite the many challenges faced in the lack of format standards and the current broad range of licensing options, the potential for sharing e-books resources offers a unique opportunity for the Consortium to have a direct impact on the academic communities of the institutions that have joined AMICAL. However, potential resistance, or at least a degree of skepticism on the part of administrators and faculty that member institutions must work with, was evidenced through the survey results. University librarians will need support as they strive to further integrate digital resources such as e-books into teaching-learning environments that often remain devoted to traditional practices associated with print-based resources. The Group will need to work closely with member institutions to identify challenges that delay e-book acquisition and use, and foster the necessary support to ensure that acquisition budgets for electronic books are an integral part of their long range plans.

Conclusion

The survey by the e-Book Working Group identified a strong interest among AMICAL members in undertaking an agreement to share e-book resources. Although this project faces significant challenges due to the lack of standardization and the reliance on proprietary formats, the inherent flexibility and transferability of digitally based media are compelling reasons to work toward a solution. The Group feels that if the Consortium can not resolve financing or vendor issues at this time, it should still work toward an alternative solution similar to the shared research repositories offered through the open-source model of ePrint. Almost all AMICAL members felt that e-books were rapidly evolving and many see them as an essential resource to be offered by libraries in the future. The Group will continue to assist the Consortium in laying the foundation to collaborate on this project and in developing an innovative agreement for sharing digitally-based resources.