Is This Book Available Online? E-Books at NU

By: Ramune Kubilius, Collection Development / Special Projects Librarian

Why can’t we digitize the library’s print collection? Can the library link to the electronic version of my recently-published book? Can we get access to all our books online? These are common questions from library users. Statistics and user surveys have shown that many users appreciate the convenience and accessibility of electronic books. Meanwhile, trends in scholarly communication suggest a continuing emphasis on electronic access.  For example, the Galter Health Sciences Library, like most academic health sciences libraries, has converted most of its journal collection to online subscriptions. The e-book landscape is also undergoing its own evolution and while we’ve seen some progress, many challenges remain. 

So what are the barriers to providing access to books electronically?   Here are some current realities that make the provision of e-books a challenge:

• The e-book marketplace is varied. Each publisher controls if and when a certain title will be made available online.  Some books are made available in print before the online edition is released.  Some titles are not available individually but only as part of an entire suite.  Publishers provide online access to e-books through their own website and may also distribute access to other providers.  Libraries then choose which venue is best for their budgets and users.  Sometimes accessing the e-book on a publisher’s own proprietary site offers the most features or is most frequently updated.  Other times, third-party providers offer enhanced searching options or links to related content. 
• Some publishers will only provide online access to individual purchasers of the print book. Access by individual purchase with a password is a model that libraries such as Galter do not consider practical; we prefer to offer seamless access to all of our users on an institution-wide basis through our website.  Occasionally, publishers make added features available only to individual purchasers rather than to institutional purchasers. 
• Book authors and editors also play a role.  They decide which publisher to work with and what restrictions there may be on books made available online.  In addition, authors and editors may change publishers—a move that provides challenges for libraries tracking the availability of a new edition. We urge NU authors to exercise more control over their publishing agreements and work with their publishers to provide greater online access for their books!

Galter Library staff are dedicated to building and maintaining the library's collections, including those online. Library users may send recommendations for new titles the library should consider purchasing or licensing in online form. The library’s collection teams research cost, coverage, and licensing arrangements for all potential acquisitions. Each January, in the library’s online newsletter, Library Notes, and every week in our library news blog, the Galter Library provides lists of online resources, books and journals that are newly available. Individual journals and e-books are also cataloged in the Northwestern University libraries’ online catalog, NUcat.

Finding books in print and online is becoming easier.  Online search portals such as Google Books provide access to searching and previewing millions of books from libraries and publishers worldwide. The Northwestern University library community is currently investigating new search tools that will offer robust searching across all types of resources. Library Notes will continue to feature updates on new developments in e-books and other areas of scholarly communication.

How do I access electronic books from the library?

The Galter Library’s website offers a variety of ways to identify electronic books in our collection.

• Our Popular Resources section on the home page links to book collections that the library subscribes to including Books@Ovid, MDConsult, AccessMedicine, STAT!Ref, and UCentral.  Access these collections from our main menu on any library website page as well.
• You can search for electronic books using Find Resources on our website or the banner search box on every library website page.
• Galter Library users can also access many titles in varied e-book collections licensed or purchased by other Northwestern University libraries such as in ebrary, netLibrary, EEBO, ECCO, and SpringerLink e-books. 

When you search for e-books on our website or in the catalog, remember you are searching by broad subject area or title; searches inside the books are not yet possible on our website. Users should also be aware that the online book collection is a very small subset of the entire book collection at Northwestern University Libraries, so always check Northwestern University libraries’ online catalog NUcat for additional books.