E-Book Management: A Multiple Access Points Approach

Currently no dedicated electronic-books (e-books) management system exists that effectively and consistently searches across different e-book databases. The University of South Alabama Biomedical Library has explored multiple ways to improve accessibility to its e-book collection, including federated search engines, WorldCat Local QuickStart, an Electronic Resource Management system, the online catalog, and alphabetical/subject lists. Despite exploring numerous tools and approaches, biomedical librarians have yet to discover a single process to effectively and efficiently manage their e-book collection. Therefore, multiple methods are employed, including enabling title searches by uploading the e-book collection to Serials Solutions, listing e-books by subject and alphabetically, using WebFeat for cross-platform content searching, and employing location limits for e-books in the online catalog. Although requiring disparate tools and methods, a multiple access points approach has currently proven the best e-book management system for the Biomedical Library\u27s patrons