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Nudging the envelope : the hard road to mainstreaming UCD Library e-book provision

2009-11, Pan, Rosalind, Byrne, Ursula, Murphy, Hugh

Results of a local survey in late 2008 show that e-books have not yet reached a tipping point at University College Dublin (UCD) Library, with only about a quarter of those surveyed saying that they have used any. There is therefore everything to play for in this developing area. We describe briefly the stages of e-book development at UCD Library, and then focus upon the main themes that have emerged and our experience in each case. These themes are: collection development and acquisition; resource discovery; statistics and promotion; then future challenges and plans. There is discussion of the real challenges that we have seen over the three years that we have had a specific focus on e-books, in terms of the inter-team nature of the enterprise, the rapid transition to new working methods, and the threat presented to future e-book developments by the current financial situation.

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Publication

Verification vanishing as data goes electronic

2009-05-14, Kendlin, Valerie, Byrne, Ursula

Most of us use internet-sourced information in order to live in this global, electronic age. We communicate, share information, apply for jobs, do research, book holidays and listen to music and the ability to handle this mass of information are vital skills we need to hone. A librarian is there to help people find and use credible information, highlight the risks of freely available sources such as Wikipedia, and emphasise the need to state clearly from where the information originates. Is risk the correct word to use in connection to access to a source such as Wikipedia? Yes; and the editing of Wikipedia entries has implications for all internet users, not just reporters. The internet has truly changed how we interact with each other look at social networking options available to all of us via Bebo, Facebook and Twitter but it has also altered how we make choices.