Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly


	Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly

The delicate balance of loans and sales
At the beginning of 2011 the online retailer, Amazon, announced that its sale of e-book titles for the first time had surpassed the sale of paperback titles. The company also proclaimed that its e-book reader, Kindle, is the best selling product in the history of the company. After more than ten years with predictions of the imminent breakthrough of e-books it is now safe to say that the e-book is no longer just a niche product but is being accepted by the general public.

A way to create contextE-books at Swedish libraries Interview with Inga Lundén
In connection with the National Library ofSweden’s (Kungliga biblioteket) e-book assessment, the SPLQ chairman of the Swedish Library Association (Svensk biblioteksförening) met Inga Lundén, who is also head of the Stockholm public library, in order to hear what her vision is regarding public libraries and e-books.

		E-books are coming - what will change? The FinELib consortium of the National Libraryof Finland has negotiated an agreement with Ellibs Ltd, which will enable Finnish public libraries to purchase e-books from the company’s selection offered to libraries. This gives all public libraries the opportunity to offer electronic books to their patrons.

	The e-boom – when is it coming? When is the e-book boom coming to Sweden,and how does it affect the ability of libraries to make e-books available? That is the question that the National Library of Sweden’s (Kungliga biblioteket) e-book investigation set out to answer when it started its work in the spring of 2011. The question, however, is not so easy to answer. In some areas, the boom has already started, but, in others, it might never happen. The subject of e-books and libraries is multifaceted and difficult to define.