EBSCO Unveils New Subject Sets To Its e-Book Collection

EBSCO Information Services has unveiled 12 new e-book subject sets to its complete library that now numbers more than 200 sets.

EBSCO's e-book subject sets are pre-packaged collections of titles in specific, high-interest subject areas designed to make it easier for a library's end user to search for information they need and, at the same time, make the library's job of developing a collection of e-books less complicated.

For instance, a library patron or a student using a college library who is looking for information on diseases or pharmaceutical science (two of the new subject sets now being offered by EBSCO) can go to one of these subject sets to search for e-books that would be most helpful to him or her.

Once the end user has identified the e-book, and if it is already one that the library has purchased from EBSCO, he or she can download it immediately. If the library has not already purchased the e-book, it may make the decision to purchase it immediately and, if not, at least be aware of the e-books its end users are looking for.

The new subject sets EBSCO is adding to its collection are:

  • Diseases and conditions;
  • Pharmaceutical science;
  • Doody’s core titles essential purchases;
  • Dentistry and oral science;
  • Robotics;
  • Mobile technology;
  • Self help;
  • Poetry;
  • American history;
  • Biography;
  • Anthropology and archaeology; and
  • Urban studies.

EBSCO currently has more than 600,000 e-books and audiobooks in all of its collections and is constantly acquiring new content, based on the dynamic needs of libraries.

Some of the clearly most popular subject sets — like American history, health and wellness and personal growth — have as many as 600 titles each. Others, in more specific scientific or technical fields, have fewer but are targeted at the niche audience that would be interested in them. None of the titles appear in more than one subject set — meaning there is no overlap between them. Likewise, although EBSCO releases new subject sets each year in some very popular subject areas, there is no year-to-year overlap either.

Offering end users access to EBSCO's database in this way increases the amount and range of information libraries can provide them with. At the same time, it lowers costs for libraries by making the e-book and audiobook collections its users most want available to them.

About the Author

Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.

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