eBooked!: Integrating Free Online Book Sites into Your Library Collection

As libraries continue to face challenges with budgets and funding, the need and demand for ebooks also continues to grow. Bandy offers practical solutions to this problem by providing an in-depth look at four online ebook sites: Google Books Project, Hathi Trust, the Internet Archive, and the Open Library. He describes in great detail how libraries can use each free service in place of subscription-based resources. Individual chapters provide information on each website's history and how the service would be useful in library scenarios. At the end of each chapter, a recap is provided for quick referral. The book encourages readers to integrate these sites into their own library's services and collections. Libraries struggling to support ebook services for their patrons may find this guide useful. Most of the free services, however, work best as a supplement to paid digital content. Bandy also discusses the need for staff training to properly assist customers in the navigation of these sites. Customers would need to be reminded that the offered ebooks are not downloadable to devices and must be read online. Overall, the information provided offers a viable ebook solution for cash-strapped libraries.—Allison Santos, Princeton Public Library, NJ