There are some encouraging signs for eBooks adoption. For example, eBook aggregators like Netlibrary, ebrary and MyiLibrary now allow libraries to order printed books and eBooks using the same interface.
The Internet and electronic publishing for scientific journals has already changed the way research is conducted, collected, published, sorted and used.
Last year, in July 2006, Springer took that revolution one step further with the launch of its eBook Collection, allowing researchers to access book chapters in the same way they access journal articles. Since then, Springer has placed more than 17,000 eBooks online, with plans to add approximately 4,000 more titles each year to the platform, along with more than 1,500 peer-reviewed Springer journals.
SpringerLink, Springer’s electronic platform, allows a researcher to get an almost instant overview of all material available on a particular subject, whether in a journal or book. Springer’s eBooks do not differ from their hardcopy version: the content, style, and ‘look’ are the same, supplemented by added-value features within the electronic environment. Some of these features include high resolution illustrations, exceptional search capabilities and bookmarks.
SpringerLink has made obtaining data as fast and easy as just a few mouse clicks. Content is accessible via the PDF or HTML formats and is fully search-able even on the book chapter level.
Search-ability is not the eBook’s only feature; the content is completely linked to