Preserving eBooks

 The production, distribution and consumption of books have been transformed in the last decade: the technologies that support the book trade have been revolutionised; new entrants into the market suddenly enjoy a dominant position; readers’ expectations of how and what they consume have altered; and the boundaries between books and other types of media are no longer clear. New formats, new expectations about ownership and rapid changes in the underlying economics of the industry each create significant preservation risks. The ‘facts on the ground’ already challenge the ways that memory institutions have historically cared for published content, while rapid innovation means that those who preserve eBooks need to respond adroitly to unseen processes largely outside their control. Although there is much to learn from eJournal preservation, the reality of eBook production is that of a much larger and much more diverse market where processes are less well understood and in which the potential for loss is considerably greater.