For more than a decade, libraries have had to manually add ebook records to their library catalog--a process that typically involved downloading MARC records from the vendor’s website, customizing them in some minor ways, and then uploading them into the catalog. With the advent of discovery services that let a library tick off from a list of electronic resources they subscribe to--databases, journal packages, etc.--so that that records for them can be found in the discovery service, it would seem that libraries might be able to get out of the time-consuming business of moving MARC records around. But how ready are discovery services to take on ebooks?
Drawing on our experience with Primo, we will discuss to what extent discovery services are ready for libraries to treat ebook packages in the same manner they treat journal packages. We will explore issues relating to the breadth and depth of ebook indexing; the frequency of indexing; the different ways some reference book platforms are treated by discovery systems; and the problem of ebooks that are purchased individually. Given that many libraries are still trying to bridge parallel systems for the discovery of ebooks--the catalog and the discovery service--this presentation should provide attendees with a deeper understanding of the challenges and a map for charting the way ahead.
