1. Tipping point or whipping post?
eBooks in NUI Maynooth,
the story so far...
2013 LAI/CILIP Ireland Joint Conference and Exhibition
11th April
Hugh Murphy,
Senior Librarian, Collection Management Services
hugh.murphy@nuim.ie

2. The space we’re in
• Global tipping points
• Growth of usage
• Formats
• DRM
• Devices

3. It’s easy to get carried away..
“By the turn of the century, paper will satisfy less
than 5 percent of the total commerce in
information. Although education and
entertainment have their own migratory
paths and rates, the objective will be the
same: paper is going to be replaced with
electronic media”
(Kounta, J. (1992). Tomorrow’s libraries: More than a modular
telephone jack, less than a complete revolution - Perspectives
of a provocateur. Library Hi-Tech, 10(4), 39-50.
1992, p. 39)

4. …but haven't we reached tipping
point?

5. Tipping point - supply
• 2013: Amazon and Apple
patenting the ‘digital bazaar’
• Greater availability of eBooks
• Adoption of eBook model by
publishers (academic)
• E-readers

6. Tipping point - demand
• Ebook usage leads to more
reading
• Seasonal peaks
• Consumers not put off by
issues?

7. Whipping post - supply
• Multiplicity of providers
• Reluctance to adapt?
• ‘Big seven’
• Prohibitive costs

8. Whipping post - formats
• EPUB • AZW
• HTML • BBeB
• .djvu • iBook
• .lit
• .mobi
• PDF
• .pdb
• .kf8

9. The NUI Maynooth experience

10. Tipping point
• c390,000 electronic
books available
• Full text electronic
journals currently
number 49,168
• c425,000 print books &
journals available
• Mobile devices = game
changer

11. Whipping post
• Providers
• Formats
• Licences
• Resource limitations

12. Licences
“X reserves the right to introduce
appropriate technical
protection measure to control
access and/or use of the
Intelligence in accordance with
this Agreement, provided that
no such measure shall
adversely affect the rights of
the Subscriber or its Authorised
Users...”

13. Unsustainable
“When it comes to eBooks, we cannot give them
what they want, not really, we cannot give them
books from Simon and Schuster or Macmillan or
new books from Penguin or Hatchet, and not
more than 26 times from HarperCollins, and
probably not many books from Random House...
...I am no longer convinced that spending ... on the
current eBook system is a wise move”
(Bobbi Newman - Librarian by day blog, March 7 2012)

14. So, why make it even more complex?

15. WHY WE DID IT
• Tipping point
• Proof of concept?
• Because we could / should?

16. Isn’t it what they want?

17. HOW WE DID IT (1)

18. HOW WE DID IT (2)
[NUTS AND BOLTS]
• 10 kindles for general, 10 for English
• Library Staff usage
• Free general books
• List of titles submitted to Library
• Incentivised in pilot – no fees
• Catalogue records

19. HOW IT WENT
• c100 titles uploaded
• Time consuming
• Licensing restrictions
• Security restrictions
• Strong marketing campaign

20. DID IT WORK?
• Validated our communication model
• 90% ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’
• 94% would borrow again
• Repeat and increased business from
academics
• Devices always on loan

21. So, everyone is happy?
• Rapid pace of change
• Changing user needs
• Expectations

22. Future?

23. (Some) References:
• http://www.infodocket.com/2012/06/22/pew-internet-releases-new-report-libraries-
patrons-and-e-books/
• http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/report-penguin-to-cease-windowing-library-ebook-
titles/
• http://www.thedigitalshift.com/research/ebook-usage-reports/
• http://www.slideshare.net/lselibrary/ebooks-536653
• http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/streaming-ebooks-a-new-distribution-model-for-
schools/
• http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/booksellers-v-libraries-publishers-v-amazon-these-
are-the-wrong-battles-to-fight/
• http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/ebook-best-seller-price-average-plummets-to-
lowest-level-yet/
• http://gizmodo.com/5993800/why-do-we-keep-making-ebooks-like-paper-books
• http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/06/22/libraries-patrons-and-e-books/
• 2012 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. Academic Libraries (EBSCO funded)
• No shelf required : e-books in libraries , Chicago : American Library Association, ; 2011..