Dive brief:
- Academic libraries are increasingly acquiring books through Amazon, according to one research firm, making the online retailer the second-biggest seller to these institutions. The acquisition management platform GOBI Library Solutions took the No. 1 spot, controlling about half the market, while Amazon had about 25%.
- While some experts have suggested academic libraries are struggling, Ithaka S+R reported that according to interviews with officials at 54 libraries of various sizes, they purchased about 178,000 books last year, 96% of them in print format. Officials said e-books were “significantly more expensive than print titles,” the firm said.
- The preliminary report is part of a larger study looking at how libraries are purchasing books and whether book-buying is declining. The results “lend credence to the idea that libraries are increasingly turning to non-traditional vendors to obtain their university press titles instead of making fewer acquisitions—or potentially, they are doing both,” one of the study authors reported in a blog post.
Dive Insight:
The authors of the report note that they are studying book acquisitions as the colleges involved exist on “a shifting playing field.”
Part of that uncertainty involves the future of libraries, an issue that has been debated widely. One article named academic libraries as the one of the nation’s 25 dying industries. That claim, however, was disputed in a recent article in Inside Higher Education, which suggested the original report was based on faulty data and quoted a several college library officials who say their institutions are strong.
The dispute also concerns an article published in October reporting that the job of librarian is one of the “8 Jobs That Won’t Exist in 2030,” prompting numerous angry responses. This month a writer in Forbes drew heavy criticism for suggesting that Amazon replace libraries.
Other experts have considered how libraries can make the transition to the online world, and recommend they consider the Amazon acquisition model. Some educators noted that the academic librarian serves a valuable purpose and should be valued and prioritized as libraries evolve, and will be difficult to replace with technology.
About four years ago, the then-head librarian for Columbia Gorge Community College in Oregon spelled out how he improved acquisitions at his library, where previously several vendors had been used. “The most prominent change we implemented at CGCC was to move virtually all of our ordering to Amazon,” said Brian Greene, now librarian at Columbia College in California.