The Cataloging of E-Book Readers: A Service Model-Oriented Approach

The popularity of e-book readers has exploded over the past several years, and many libraries have begun purchasing and providing access to these devices for their patrons. A large body of academic literature addresses the popularity of e-book readers and the issues involved with purchasing them and licensing material for them, but there is a relatively slim body of literature regarding the cataloging of e-book readers. At present, there is no uniform approach to cataloging e-book readers and libraries are currently employing a number of different methods. This article will describe the approach to cataloging e-book readers adopted at the Z. Smith Reynolds Library of Wake Forest University, which is based on the local service model for e-readers that takes into account how patrons are expected to use the devices as well as licensing concerns about the use of titles on e-readers. In order to make the devices discoverable for patrons with a minimum of confusion, certain unusual cataloging practices are employed (such as coding e-readers as “realia” but giving them a general material designation (GMD) of “electronic resource”). This article argues that the RDA code should accommodate e-book readers by creating carrier types that accurately describe these devices in a way that patrons can understand.