To buy or not to buy: that is the question - E-Book acquisition at the University of Macau Library

Abstract

As E-Books have some unique features to offer, they have increasingly become an important part of a library collection. Compared with their print counterparts, E-Books have the advantages of being easily and conveniently accessible and searchable, saving shelf-space, and having other useful characteristics. However, to acquire E-Books in an effective and efficient way, a new acquisition paradigm has to be formulated and put into practice.

The decision on what E-Books to acquire, as with other library materials, depends on the different situation of the library. This paper will first examine the impacts of E-Books on library collection, and then focuses on the acquisition policies and strategies of E-Books in the University of Macau Library. Due to the unique features of the University, e.g., Portuguese is being used in some courses thus calling for library materials in neither Chinese nor English, the University and hence the Library, being the only such sizeable institution in Macau, the Library has to devise unique policies and practices for acquiring E-Books. This paper will then look at some important issues such as – the tipping point between E-Books and their print counterpart, the requirement for E-Books by different Faculties, and different policies for regular E-Books and E-Reference Books.

It is hoped that by using University of Macau Library as a case study, some key issues in E-Book acquisition and management will be addressed and the discussion of these issues will serve as a useful reference for other academic libraries.