The ubiquity of the internet led inevitably to the rapid adoption of ebooks, ejournals, informational websites, and e-resources of every description. No longer tethered to shelves, or even hard drives, electronic information's widespread availability creates a new level of perception about the chronic library debates of ownership versus access. Take ebooks for example, which David Stern discusses from the perspective of institutional and consortial purchasing starting on page 29. When I purchase a printed book, I can lend it, give it away, copy a few pages, or sell it at my discretion. But if I buy an ebook with DRM (digital rights management) insinuated into it, I am limited in what I can do. Ownership doesn't necessarily equate to full access.
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