Collection Building Through Patrons: Caltech Library's Kindle Program |
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| Authors: | David McCaslin |
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| Institution: | California Institute of Technology , Pasadena , California |
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| Abstract: | This article examines the impact of introducing a patron-driven acquisition service to patrons through a commercially recognizable vendor. The author reports on the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Library program, which circulated Amazon Kindles to patrons, with only the Amazon Kindle catalog and a $25 allowance serving as barriers to patron-initiated collection development. Results of this study analyze user activity, preferred subject areas, user feedback, title duplication, and related costs to maintaining the service. The findings of this study may serve as a guide to academic libraries studying the impact of patron-guided collection development. |
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| Keywords: | patron-driven acquisitions e-books e-reader Kindle collection development |
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