Fall E-reference Update, 2010 Part 2: E-books

Abstract

Four years ago, RBB featured its first article comparing electronic reference aggregator and publisher interfaces, and a second article followed in the November 1, 2007, issue. Three years later, we are taking another detailed look at the e-book interfaces and offerings from reference publishers. Much has changed in three years, particularly with the interface features and access to content. Audio, video, Flash animations, Web 2.0 tools like bookmarking and note taking, access to content through the open web, and mobile devices and applications have all appeared, and continue to grow. A new word, discoverability, emerged as well: the ability for users to find and use scholarly reference content hidden behind firewalls and passwords. Discoverability will continue to drive the future of electronic reference product development. But for the here and now, we offer this matrix to describe and compare the e-book services and features of six reference publishers: ABC-CLIO, Credo Reference, Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL), Infobase, Oxford Reference Online, and Sage Reference Online. Referring to this chart, reviewers can focus upon what is distinctive about the content and features of an electronic reference platform.