A model for publishing a hypertext journal

Abstract

We dedicate this first issue of 2002 to Cindy Hepfer and share a few well-chosen words to honor her for her years of editorial leadership. Serials Review 2002; 28:1–3.     

Facing Faculty Fears about Embracing the Ebook: Communication Strategies for Liaison Librarians

Carol Cramer and Ellen Daugman of Wake Forest University discussed faculty attitudes toward ebooks in the library collection. Cramer and Daugman shared communication strategies based on their experience balancing the print book preferences of some faculty with the budgetary and collection development needs of the library.     

Shared Insights,Shared Collections

Abstract

Whitney Jordan, acquisitions librarian at Western Carolina University (WCU), presented “Shared Insights, Shared Collections” at the 28th Annual North Carolina Serials Conference. In her presentation, Jordan discussed the experiences of WCU and the Western North Carolina Library Network (WNCLN) in a consortium-based evidence-based acquisitions ebook pilot project. The three WNCLN consortium institutions partnered with Taylor & Francis to design an evidence-based ebook program, customized to each institution’s needs. Jordan emphasized the need for strong communication and effective project management in any collaborative collections project.     

Single-Stop Ebook Reader “SimplyE”: Is It APPlicable for Academic Libraries?

Accessing ebooks from different vendors often requires switching between multiple platforms, which can be unwieldy for library users. To offer readers a coherent and seamless reading experience, the New York Public Library (NYPL) initiated a project called SimplyE (or LibrarySimplified). The end user deliverable of this project is an application (Android, iOS) that enables users to read ebooks from multiple vendors through a single interface, thereby delivering a Netflix-style experience for searching, browsing, and checking out ebooks. The back end consists of applications that manage ebook collections, circulation, and metadata for libraries. This column explores the viability of implementing SimplyE in an academic library setting.     

Building Bridges: Advocacy as a Tool for the Technical Services Professional

ABSTRACT

“The Sharpest Tool in the Shed” column seeks to introduce new systems and tools relating to scholarly publishing, serials, electronic resources, and more. This issue's column will focus on an important but often overlooked tool for anyone engaged in the work traditionally housed in technical services (TS)—advocacy for the work of technical services. This would include both advocacy regarding how technical services work supports the library's mission and the work in other divisions. How to make that work accessible for the novice to facilitate collaboration with other library departments is also discussed. As a serials catalog librarian at Michigan State University Libraries, I have worked to make advocacy a part of what I do and how I think about my work and the work of my colleagues. Locally, this has meant the development of a series of talks around TS expertise and projects to reach out to our colleagues about our work.     

Data-Informed Ebook Discovery: An Analytical Approach to the User Experience

ABSTRACT

This article reports on an effort to better understand the discoverability of ebook collections at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). Library staff analyzed titles in nine ebook packages across disciplines and conducted a two-pronged analysis of how discoverable titles in these collections were, both in Summon Discovery Service and the online catalog, and the quality of what could be discovered about the ebooks with these tools. This study revealed that discoverability of ebooks is not equal across collections, and some collections require more work to make them discoverable in Summon and the catalog. Finally, the majority of titles were discovered in Summon, but the catalog still seems to be a better discovery engine for these ebooks.     

Advances in Librarianship,Vol. 28

Abstract

This quarter’s column reports on sessions from the Charleston Conference, held in Charleston, SC, November 6–10, 2017.