Media industry and forecast analysis firm Simba Information, US, has released a new report titled ‘Professional Publishing in the Digital Age: E-Books in Libraries.’ Although consumer trade books get a majority of the attention, professional and scholarly books, which include the legal, scientific/technical, medical and business segments, hold 75.9 percent of the $1.76 billion US e-book market, says the report. Further, the report predicts library collection managers will set aside more of their budget for E-books over the next few years.
The clear advantages E-books offer librarians, including archiving and long term access, enhancements and features, usage statistics and cost savings, are pushing professional publishers to continue to work with the library community to fully develop this market. According to the report, surveyed library collection managers are expecting e-books to become a more significant share of publishers' and distributors' offering, with 60 percent indicating that in five years e-books will represent 11 percent or more of their library's acquisition budget.
The current mindset of professional publishers is to replicate the print version of a book, which is creating challenges in the adoption of e-books, including the use of format standards like EPUB and establishing acceptable digital rights management, the report noted.
Professional Publishing in the Digital Age: E-Books in Libraries provides an overview and financial outlook for e-books in the professional market defined by four key segments - legal, scientific/technical, medical and business. The report also discusses advantages, challenges, pricing models, usage, and platform providers, and analyses e-book categories, major e-book publishers and e-book technologies.
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