Why Aren't E-Books Gaining More Ground in Academic Libraries? E-Book Use and Perceptions: A Review of Published Literature and Research

E-books have yet to assume a significant place in academic library collections. This article focuses on extracting common themes from the literature that might help the reader better understand why e-books have not yet become the cornerstone of the academic library. Patrons do not use e-books because they find the experience of using e-books incongruous with their experience of using other electronic resources, and many of the unexpected limitations they encounter when using e-books are not inherent to the format. Most often, they are purposefully imposed limitations tied to digital rights management techniques. Librarians do not purchase e-books because the titles they want to acquire are often not available electronically, because they are priced or packaged in a way that makes them less appealing than their print counterparts, or because acquiring e-books does not easily integrate into their normal acquisitions workflow.