{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T20:57:40Z","timestamp":1777928260439,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2008,9,1]],"date-time":"2008-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1220227200000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Journal of Librarianship and Information Science"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,9]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Over recent years there has been considerable confusion over the use of the term `e-book', and this article examines the variety of definitions used to date while proposing a definitive construct. Beginning by examining the definitions of `book', the paper moves on to consider the essential element of a book \u2014 the content, and to examine publishing and structural aspects of e-books, as well as their place in libraries, before arriving at a final definition. The definition and its derivation embrace all of the issues that affect the way in which e-books are understood and used today. In conclusion, the article looks at both the genesis of e-books, and the stage of acceptance and adoption that they have reached, with brief reference to 3rd-generation e-book readers available at the time of writing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/0961000608092554","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,8,18]],"date-time":"2008-08-18T10:58:36Z","timestamp":1219057116000},"page":"193-206","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":21,"title":["Books in a virtual world"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"40","author":[{"given":"Chris","family":"Armstrong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Information Automation Limited, Aberystwyth,"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2008,9,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"atypb1","volume-title":"Resources & Support: Glossary of Terms","author":"AlphaGraphics","year":"2006"},{"key":"atypb2","volume-title":"The Publishing of Electronic Scholarly Monographs and Textbooks. 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(2003) `Electronic Books', in                      John Feather                  and                      Paul Sturges                  (eds) International Encyclopedia of Information and Library                 Science , pp. 168-71.                     London:                 Routledge."},{"key":"atypb22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1108\/02640470010361169"},{"key":"atypb23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1108\/14684520110395227"},{"key":"atypb24","volume-title":"`Michael Hart: Changing the World through e-books'","author":"Lebert, M.","year":"2004"},{"issue":"17","key":"atypb25","first-page":"3","volume":"124","author":"Lynch, C.","year":"1999","journal-title":"Netconnect supplement"},{"key":"atypb26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5210\/fm.v6i6.864"},{"key":"atypb27","unstructured":"McCracken, R.                  (2004) `Agreements, User Licences and Codes of                 Practice' , in                      C. Armstrong                  and                      L.W. Bebbington                  (eds) Staying Legal: A Guide to Issues and Practice Affecting the                     Library, Information and Publishing Sectors , 2nd edn, pp.                     122-39. 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