E-knjige u znanstvenim i narodnim knjižnicama u Švedskoj

Introducing e-books into Swedish libraries has been influenced by the idea of equal access to all media for all Swedish citizens as well as by librarians’ wish to provide the best possible service to their users. Libraries perceived this new resource and service as a way of fulfilling their specific function in a democratic society, which is usually described as mediation (or transfer) of knowledge and culture to all. This is a common basis for the incorporation of new media and information resources (including e-books) into Swedish academic and public libraries. Apart from this common platform, we see other similarities in working with e-books in both types of libraries, but also a number of differences. Most of them relate to the position of libraries within their respective context and in relation to their specific role. Academic libraries are quite influential players in the global scholarly communication and supporters of both research and study processes. As such they are embedded in a mainly international market of scientific information and scholarly materials. They have significant resources provided by their parent universities for the acquisition of scholarly material and a wide choice of commercially available material from different providers. They are also incorporated into a national library consortium with great negotiation power. Thus, they have more freedom to experiment with a variety of business and pricing models offered on the international market. They also have a high competence in publishing and are often publishers themselves. Their involvement in research processes and in open access initiatives puts them in a position to provide expertise to researchers in the areas of publishing and intellectual property protection. Public libraries are part of the local cultural and educational landscape. As such, they depend on the production of media and content in national languages which helps cater to the needs and demands of the local population. They are also customers on the limited market of publishing, entertainment and education-related materials which help fulfil their function as educators. As public libraries offer open and free access to their resources to the entire population of a certain area, eventually covering the whole country, they are regarded as a disruptive element in the market economy. This perceived threat from public libraries was reborn with the emergence of e-books. Despite their differences, both academic and public libraries face similar challenges and problems relating to the management of their collections, creating metadata, and providing access to their content. So far, there haven’t been any mutually satisfactory solutions.Ulazak e-knjiga u švedske knjižnice ponajprije je potaknut idejom omogućavanja jednakog pristupa svim medijima za sve švedske građane, kao i željom knjižničara da osiguraju najbolje usluge svojim korisnicima u okviru vlastitog područja odgovornosti. Novi resursi i nove usluge promatrani su u svjetlu ispunjavanja specifične uloge knjižnica u demokratskom društvu, a u Švedskoj se pod tom ulogom podrazumijeva posredovanje (ili prijenos) znanja i kulture svim građanima. Na takvim su osnovama novi mediji i informacijski izvori (uključujući e-knjige) uključeni u švedske znanstvene i narodne knjižnice. Uz zajedničke osnove, postoji i niz drugih sličnosti u odnosu prema e-knjigama u dva navedena oblika knjižnica, ali i niz razlika, od kojih većina proizlazi iz specifičnosti same knjižnične kolekcije i njezine specifične uloge. Znanstvene su knjižnice iznimno važne u globalnoj znanstvenoj komunikaciji kao podupiratelji istraživanja te su kao takve uključene u međunarodnu razmjenu znanstvenih informacija i akademskih tekstova. Raspolažu sa znatnim resursima za nabavu građe koje im osiguravaju sveučilišta uz koja djeluju, te su im na raspolaganju brojni i različiti sadržaji nakladnika i drugih posrednika. Organizirane su u konzorciji nacionalnih knjižnica što im ojačava pregovaračke pozicije, te stoga imaju više slobode za eksperimentiranje s različitim poslovnim modelima koji se nude na međunarodnom tržištu, često se i same bave nakladništvom, a njihova uloga u istraživačkim procesima, pokretu otvorenog pristupa i sl. stavlja ih u poziciju da samim znanstvenicima često pomažu pri objavljivanju radova ili ih savjetuju u području intelektualnog vlasništva. S druge strane, narodne su knjižnice dio lokalnog kulturnog i obrazovnog miljea. Kao takve, ovisne su o medijima i sadržajima na nacionalnom jeziku kojima se zadovoljavaju zahtjevi i potrebe lokalnog stanovništva. Koriste se manjim nakladničkim područjem, usmjerenim na objavljivanje zabavnih i obrazovnih materijala. Budući da narodne knjižnice nude slobodan i besplatan pristup svojim uslugama i sadržajima svim stanovnicima nekog područja, a da mreža narodnih knjižnica eventualno može pokriti teritorij cijele države, smatra ih se igračima koji remete tržišnu ekonomiju, a takva se prijetnja aktualizira s jačanjem tržišta e-knjiga. Bez obzira na navedene razlike, i znanstvene i narodne knjižnice suočavaju se sa sličnim izazovima i problemima u upravljanu i organizaciji kolekcije, izradi metapodataka i osiguravanju pristupa resursima. Za sada još nije pronađeno rješenje koje bi u cijelosti zadovoljilo sve uključene strane

The Use and Ease of Access of EBooks in Public Libraries

Research Problem: The purpose of this research project is to examine how patrons are using the eBook collection at a New Zealand public library. Specifically the research examines the relationship between print and eBooks and how this relationship affects borrowing habits. It also explores how the eBook borrowing process for affects usage of the collection. There is little information on this topic from a library patron perspective, and even less research conducted in a New Zealand context. Methodology: Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research. Self-completion questionnaires with a combination of quantitative and qualitative questions were offered to members of Christchurch City Libraries. A semi-structured interview was also conducted with two library staff members. Results: It can be observed that print is still the most borrowed and the favoured format. There are a number of reasons for this but the most prominent was that eBooks cannot offer the same sensations and reading experience that a print book gives. Most users were happy with using only print books though the ones that were open to trying eBooks were unable to do so as they did not own eReaders. The incompatibility of Amazon Kindles was also a reason some patrons were borrowing print books as they were unable to get the titles they wanted for their eReaders. The small size of the eBook collection was a deterrent for some users but the library is aware of this and is working towards building a larger collection with a wider selection