Library joins national eBooks project

[06 February 2008]

The Library has signed up to the JISC National eBooks Observatory project, the first national project to focus on the impact of making textbooks available online in libraries.

The scheme allows all staff and students to view and copy information from a collection of 36 eBooks made up of texts in the following subject areas:

• media studies
• engineering
• medicine
• business and management.

A list of the titles available is on the JISC project website. You may search for and access the eBooks using the Library Catalogue.

Under the terms of the project license, access to the eBooks will run until 31 August 2009. Over this time the project will analyse how students use them, and whether their availability online has an impact on sales of print copies. This data will help publishers and libraries develop business and licensing models for eBooks to support student learning.

As part of the project, the Library will be disseminating surveys to students and staff to gather your opinions and attitudes to eBooks.

For more information about the project see www.jiscebooksproject.org.

Students and staff who have questions about the project may email Jez.Conolly@bristol.ac.uk.