E-books from ebrary at Staffordshire University: a case study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of ebrary's e-books at Staffordshire University. Design/methodology/approach - Details are provided of the history of Staffordshire's involvement with ebrary as a supplier of e-books as well as methods of searching for information in the ebrary collection as well as other e-book collections used by Staffordshire University. Findings - In a split-site university such as Staffordshire, and with many students never visiting campus libraries, the provision of course material and readings in e-format is essential. ebrary provides an "instant library" solution, and the possibility of adding individual texts to this core collection strengthens this provision. The ability for students and researchers to search across the full content of 30,000 e-books in one "go" and then capture that information quickly and easily is also very valuable. Originality/value - The paper provides information based on some years of practical experience in providing access to e-book collections.