Introduction

Information professionals have a long history of providing guidance, training and support to their users. In recent years, the growth of electronic resources such as online databases and electronic journals has meant that this support has become even more valuable, particularly as the users of these resources often expect simplicity of access and possess a limited awareness of how to search effectively.

The way that e-books should fit into library training and support strategies is an interesting area for discussion, although little has been written on this topic. Whether we view e-books as an extension of our printed collections or as unique and more complex electronic resources that can only be partly understood from within the constraints of the print legacy will inevitably impact on the way that we present them to readers. As Cox suggests:

This chapter will discuss how, at the University of Surrey, experience has shown that the present delivery and design of e-books mean that accessing them bears little relationship to reading the printed text.

As a result, support strategies are required to ensure that users understand how and when to access e-books. Interestingly, in their study Promoting the Uptake of E-books in Higher and Further Education JISC advises information professionals to ‘demand time’ for a dedicated range of training and support activities in order to effectively ‘promote and communicate [e-books] to users and patrons’ (JISC, 2003, 160).

This chapter will discuss the wide range of training and support activities in place at Surrey to promote e-books to users and to guide them through this learning process. Further, this chapter will analyse the role of effective liaison with academic staff, and consider how this can be another important means of providing guidance to both staff and students alike.

The means by which e-books are delivered, read and used are also developing and changing rapidly, and, as a result, this discussion will suggest some potential new strategies for training and guidance. Lastly, it will detail some wishes for improvements in the business models and technologies that underlie e-book provision.