| As online journal access becomes the norm, the expectation has been that e-books will follow suit. But the reality is patchy provision of e-books as publishers withhold core titles, especially textbooks, for fear of catastrophic print revenue losses.
Publishers are still experimenting with e-books, aggregators are coming under pressure from publishers and users on price, sales models and licensing structures, while information professionals and users are demanding more core titles and better prices.
Bill Gates cited electronic textbooks as the next big thing at the launch of Microsoft operating system Vista, but unless publishers are willing to take more risks with how they make their content available, e-textbooks may be left behind by e-learning content delivered in alternative ways such as virtual learning environment plug-ins. |
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