[Original posting on this topic is reproduced below; the responses follow it.]
Mon, 21 Jun 2004 13:15:50 -0700
From: Kris Gerhard <kgerhard_at_iastate.edu>
I've been asked by my Dean to investigate adding digital versions of
textbooks currently in use at ISU. The library has a longstanding
policy that excludes textbooks and while we lack the space to add
hardcopy textbooks, we could do something with electronic textbooks.
I've done some looking through major vendor websites and have come up
with fewer than five titles available. Has anyone else investigated
this, or know of a source that includes online textbooks?
I do see a number of current textbooks come with a webaddress and
password for the individual student; this may account for the lack of
electronic textbooks, as the publishers charge per book, and library
purchases that included online access would have potential lowering of
profit for the vendors.
Thanks for whatever any of you can suggest--
Kris Gerhard
Kristin H. Gerhard
Associate Dean for Collections and
Technical Services
203 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
vox 515/294-7511
fax 515/294-2112
email kgerhard_at_iastate.edu
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) From: Joe McNeill <jmcneill_at_mail.mcneese.edu>
Subject: RE: CDL-Electronic Textbooks
I think you would be making more trouble for yourself than is worth it. We
happened to have a situation happen this summer term with one of our
faculty who had ordered a “text book” through the normal channels at our
bookstore. The text book did NOT come in before the semester started. It
just so happened the library happened to have a copy of the text in our Net
Library collection.
He was wanting to provide access to students to this Net Library version
until the hard copy came in. Further investigation showed that this item is
now out of print, and a new edition is pending. That was why the text did
not come in to the bookstore before the semester started. Our Net Library
license lets the user check it our to themselves for 2 hours at a time.
Only one user can check it out. Also, downloading is a problem, and only a
limited number of pages can be printed at a time.
Your current practice of NOT putting textbooks should apply in this
situation, too. Students should not be able to depend on the library to
purchase their textbooks. Professors should not expect the library to do
that either.
That is just my opinion – stay out of the textbook providing business.
Joe McNeill
System Administrator
Frazar Memorial Library -- http://library.mcneese.edu
McNeese State University
Lake Charles, LA 70609
337-475-5720
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) From: John Abbott <abbottjp_at_appstate.edu>
A subtext of this discussion is that textbooks are excluded from the
collection per the collection development policy. This is an article of
faith in collection development and needs rethinking. Excluding required
textbooks makes perfect sense, but a ban on textbooks in general poorly
serves the reader. In quantitative areas (chemistry, physics, economics,
statistics, mathematics, biology, biochemistry, etc. (and perhaps music and
religion too)) access to texts *other than those used in a class* is
essential and these should be purchased regularly for the collection.
A particular course text's explanation of the Kreb's cycle, Spearman's rank
correlation coefficient, Buddha's doctrine of No-Self, dissonant vs.
species counterpoint, color profiling in Photoshop, etc. may not be clear
and reading several approaches with examples presented at an introductory
level may be necessary for the introductory learner to grasp the
idea. Subject dictionaries and encyclopedias don't do this well. I see
relatively heavy use of texts in these types of areas. Periodically they
require evaluation and weeding if major advances are made.
Received on Fri Jun 25 2004 - 19:19:53 EDT