Forty-eight university libraries in Taiwan and Hong Kong have purchased more than 50,000 OCLC NetLibrary eBooks under an extraordinary cooperative agreement that crosses geographical boundaries.
Under the agreement, the English-language NetLibrary eBooks in Biology and Life Sciences; Business, Economics and Management; History; Literature; Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing; and many other subject areas will be available electronically anytime, anywhere through the NetLibrary eBook platform. The eBook collection is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.
"This agreement goes beyond territorial borders and brings together people and institutions interested in providing electronic resources to meet the needs of all libraries in the region. Together, we have created a comprehensive program of innovation and service to libraries—for all library users," said Prof. Hsianghoo Steve Ching, University Librarian at the City University of Hong Kong...."The Super eBook Collection demonstrates the power of cooperation among university administrators and library directors," said Jay Jordan, OCLC President and CEO. "Working together, leaders at these 48 institutions are changing the ways that libraries support research, teaching and learning. We at OCLC are proud to be part of this exciting collaborative effort."
"Sharing information in an electronic world offers increased relevancy and increased access to more content," said Rich Rosy, Vice President, OCLC Content Management. "eBook resources can be searched more quickly and efficiently than printed materials. High-demand titles can be viewed more frequently. And eBooks can be accessed and read online instantaneously, with no need to house or ship borrowed print materials. This commitment to NetLibrary eBooks is an excellent example of how libraries can extend their investments in monograph collections."
(PS: Access to NetLibrary books is free for users who have library privileges at participating libraries, but providing access is not free of charge for the libraries.)
Posted by
Peter Suber at 1/28/2006 10:05:00 AM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
