Academic Libraries as Digital Gateways: Linking Students to the Burgeoning Wealth of Open Online Collections |
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| Authors: | Jane Hutton |
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| Institution: | West Chester University of Pennsylvania , |
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| Abstract: | ABSTRACT Digital collections of full-text e-books are proliferating on the Web and provide a wealth of open content for students. To examine whether academic libraries are providing a digital gateway to these resources, ten e-book titles from open digital collections were searched in the online catalogs and Web pages of ten academic libraries serving distance learners. Only three of the digital collection e-books were available from any of the library catalogs, and none were found on library Web pages. Availability of the ten e-book titles through Google and other digital discovery tools also had mixed results. Continued projects for improved delivery of open online content are necessary. In order to fulfill their role as digital gateways for their academic communities, libraries must pursue metadata standards to support cross-searching, collaborative projects, and development of e-resource search software, which integrates with the library catalog. |
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| Keywords: | Electronic books open digital collections findability |
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