E-book acquisition features:
attitude of Iranian information
professionals
Amir Ghaebi and Sepideh Fahimifar
Department of Library and Information Science, Alzahra University,
Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to consider the most important criteria of e-book acquisition in academic
libraries. The survey seeks these reasons on the basis of two aspects: e-book features for users and for
information professionals or libraries. Moreover, restrictions on e-books acquisition are surveyed with
regard to information professionals’ attitude.
Design/methodology/approach – The survey research method is used in this study with
questionnaire and interview used for data gathering. The statistical population consisted of 60
information professionals working at state universities of metropolitan Tehran.
Findings – The results show that high storage capacity and multimedia capability are the most
important features in acquiring e-books on the basis of academic user needs. Also, the main criteria of
acquiring e-books from the professionals’ point of view of fostering their interests are: occupying little
space, ease of selection and simultaneous circulation. Moreover, this study shows that the main
restrictions of e-book acquisition are: hardware and software restrictions, the lack of a union catalog
for Iranian e-books, low level of user familiarity, hackers and even eye-fatigue when reading.
Originality/value – This study takes the form of unique research that surveys the e-book
acquisition criteria in Iran on the basis of two aspects (user and library) with focus on information
professionals’ attitude, simultaneously. In addition, there has not been any research on e-books in Iran,
and this study is the first.
Keywords Electronic books, Academic Libraries, Information professionals, Librarians, Acquisition,
Iran
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
A number of Iranian academic libraries are already in the process of electronic book
collection development and running e-book pilot projects. Moreover, some academic
libraries, such as Iran University of Science and Technology, are using methods of
transforming paper-based books especially out-of-print or rare books into digital
counterparts. While all information professionals have a professional commitment to
disseminate up-to-date information, they should also place priority on offering the content
their users require. Moreover, they are faced under significant additional pressure to seek
optimal methods for acquiring all resources. So, academic information professionals as
information mediators should select e-books basically according to two aspects; academic
users as end-users and libraries specially information professionals as a server.
This paper starts with a review of e-book definitions. Then we discuss e-book
categorizations based on different approaches such as presented information, content
etc. finally the attitude or opinions of information professionals on e-book acquisition is
evaluated on the basis of e-book functionalities.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
E-book
acquisition
features
777
Received January 2010
Accepted January 2010
The Electronic Library
Vol. 29 No. 6, 2011
pp. 777-791
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/02640471111188006

E-book definition
Although the idea of e-books is not new, there is still much confusion about e-books, even
at the level of basic definition of what an e-book is (Tedd, 2005). The term e-book is used
ambiguously to refer to either an individual work in a digital format, or a hardware device
used to read books in digital format (Lynch, 2001). Currently, there are a lot of different
definitions on e-books and each of them is not complete. The reason for this state of affairs
is the rapidly increasing speed of development of information and communication
technologies (ICT) and subsequently the needs of changing e-book definition.
Vassiliou and Rowley (2008) in their paper carried out research on a content analysis
of existing definitions of e-book in an attempt to achieve consensus. The results of their
research shows that the definition of e-book should include reference to: the digital nature
of e-books, analogy to printed book, some indication of the content of e-book, and some
allusion to e-book technologies. Then, they proposed a two-part definition based on the
persistent and dynamic nature of e-books. These parts of definition are as follows:
(1) “An e-book is a digital object with textual and/or other content, which arises as
a result of integrating the familiar concept of a book with features that can be
provided in an electronic environment”.
(2) “E-books, typically have in-use features such search and cross reference
functions, hypertext links, bookmarks, annotations, highlights, multimedia
objects and interactive tools”.
This definition can support our intention of e-book in this paper because it does not
introduce only unique e-book publishing model such as only web e-book, but it also
includes all publishing models of e-books. Moreover, added features of e-books over
hardcopy books is stated in this definition and that is focus point in this paper because
the attitudes and opinions of academic information professionals on e-book acquisition
is evaluated on the basis of these features.
E-book categorization
With continuing progress in ICT nowadays, e-book publishers are producing various
kinds of e-books. These e-books can be categorizes basically according to content, style
of presented information, different access models, functionalities, etc.
Content
As with a paper-based book (p-book), there is a great variety of type of content that can
be published in e-book format. On the basis of content, e-books are as same as p-books
and can be grouped similarly into novels, textbooks, reference materials such as
dictionaries; scholarly monographs; directories; grey literature, including technical
reports, working papers, standards, conference papers and proceedings, official
publications, trade literature, privately published material, theses, and translations; and
out of print and free e-books (Armstrong and Lonsdale, 2003; Tedd, 2005). However, the
basic content of most existing e-books in the academic libraries studied in this survey are
textbooks and reference material such as encyclopedias, dictionaries and manuals.
Presented information
The kind of presented information on e-books is various, e.g. some e-books are only an
exact electronic or digitized copy of a p-book, while others include, in addition to text,
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