ProQuest Explores Obstacles and Opportunities in Managing Book Collections

ProQuest’s latest whitepaper “Obstacles and Opportunities: Ebooks, Print and the Impact of Choice on Libraries and the Users They Serve” is now available for download. Focusing on the UK higher-education book market, the paper combines commentary from UK librarians with global data to highlight the complexities of managing book collections and the opportunities presented by evolving content types.

Inspired by a discussion among academic librarians in the UK, the paper provides insight into solutions ProQuest has developed that enable more efficient, flexible workflows for print and digital content. Beyond that, it provides an overview of the current book environment and its complexities. The paper highlights how libraries are charged with balancing the popularity of convenient and accessible ebooks with the ongoing demand for print.  

“Librarians’ specific goals vary, but all libraries share a commitment to connecting researchers with the content they need and curating rich, balanced collections on a budget,” noted Kevin Sayar, Senior Vice President and General Manager, ProQuest Books. “From transparency in licensing to the accessibility features of our Ebook Central® platform, we’re excited that the paper will provide deeper insight into how ProQuest responds to librarians’ expectations. Most importantly, we look forward to the dialog it will spur about responsibilities we all share in building a global book landscape that truly supports research and learning.”

“Obstacles and Opportunities: Ebooks, Print and the Impact of Choice on Libraries and the Users They Serve” is available for download at http://www.proquest.com/documents/Whitepaper-Obstacles-and-Opportunities.html. To learn more about solutions ProQuest has developed in collaboration with librarians and publishers to serve the unique needs of academic researchers, visit http://www.proquest.com/libraries/academic/.

About ProQuest (http://www.proquest.com)

ProQuest connects people with vetted, reliable information. Key to serious research, the company’s products are a gateway to the world’s knowledge including dissertations, governmental and cultural archives, news, historical collections and ebooks. ProQuest technologies serve users across the critical points in research, helping them discover, access, share, create and manage information.

The company’s cloud-based technologies offer flexible solutions for librarians, students and researchers through the ProQuest^®, Alexander Street™, Bowker^®, Dialog^®, Ex Libris^® and SIPX^® businesses – and notable research tools such as the RefWorks^® citation and reference management platform, the Pivot^® research development tool and the Ebook Central®, ebrary^®, EBL™ and MyiLibrary^® ebook platforms. The company is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with offices around the world.