Dispelling Five Myths about E-books

Abstract

Some considered 2000 the year of the e-book, and due tothe dot-com bust, that could have been the format’s highwater mark. However, the first quarter of 2004 saw thegreatest number of e-book purchases ever with more than$3 million in sales. A 2002 consumer survey found that67 percent of respondents wanted to read e-books; 62 percent wanted access to e-books through a library.Unfortunately, the large amount of information writtenon e-books has begun to develop myths around their use,functionality, and cost. The author suggests that thesemyths may interfere with the role of libraries in helpingto determine the future of the medium and access to it.Rather than fixate on the pros and cons of current versions of e-book technology, it is important for librarians tostay engaged and help clarify the role of digital documents in the modern library.