New Research Article: “Cost Differentials between E-Books and Print in Academic Libraries” (Preprint)
The following research article (preprint) was made available today on the College and Research Libraries web site. It was accepted for publication on October 14, 2013 and is scheduled for publication in the January 2015 issue of C&RL.
Title
Cost Differentials between E-Books and Print in Academic Libraries
Authors
Timothy P. Bailey, Systems Librarian
Auburn University at Montgomery
Amanda L. Scott, Cataloging Librarian
Auburn University at Montgomery
Rickey D. Best, Collection Development Librarian
Auburn University at Montgomery
Source
College and Research Libraries (C&RL)
Abstract
Academic libraries continue to face funding pressures compounded by the need to provide students with access to electronic resources, both in journal and book formats. With space constraints and the need to repurpose library space to other purposes, libraries must carefully examine the move to e-only formats for books to determine if the format makes reasonable economic sense.
A survey conducted at Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) has confirmed for academic libraries the work of Gray and Copeland on e-books being more expensive than print for public libraries. For AUM, the mean cost for e-books are significantly higher than for the print counterpart of those titles. The cost differentials between the two formats show e-books as being consistently higher than print in initial price. This consistency holds true across all LC classifications, regardless of whether or not the title is published by a university press or a commercial press.
Direct to Full Text (24 pages; PDF)
Filed under: Academic Libraries, Funding, Libraries, News, Public Libraries

About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.