Key Topics
Finding books can be a challenge in our naval environment. We are tasked to find the most inexpensive source for some highly technical and specialized items. Some books needed are new, some out-of-print, and some are of a unique subject or topic. The format for books has become more complex as some are available in digital or recorded (audio) format. The issue of copyright (see the Information Ethics section of the IL Toolkit) has made it increasingly difficult to use books and parts of books without proper payment and attention to the legal rights.
The following topics will help you find books from inexpensive and unusual sources, and in a variety of formats. This section has been arranged into the following areas:
There are many sources of new and used books. The following list includes some of the most readily accessible online bookstores. They provide a variety of services including shipping and wrapping, and a selection of modes of delivery with different speeds based on need. Almost all allow you to search for books by title, author, subject, or keyword.
Amazon
http://www.amazon.com
Also offers electronic books (ak, e-Books and e-Documents), textbooks, and used
books. Under e-Books, Amazon offers e-documents with research information on
a range of topics by research firms including: International Data Corporation
(IDC), Accenture, Zona Research, and Faulkner Information Services. International
offerings include sites featuring Japanese, French, and Spanish titles. Amazon
also offers a list of Navy "bestsellers" (found under Government Purchase
circles).
British books in print
http://www.amazon.co.uk
Books available in Germany
http://www.amazon.de
Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Barnes and Noble offers new, used and out of print books; college textbooks;
e-Books; articles for download; magazine subscriptions; and a selection of online
courses.
Borders
http://www.bordersstores.com
Borders has now teamed with Amazon.com to provide books. A special feature under
"Customer care"-Info Desk-provides a book search which is facilitated
by Borders' staff. Enter key words/description of book cover to initiate the
search.
Powells
http://www.powells.com
Powells is famous in the Northwest. It carries an inventory of several million
books in various bookstores in Portland. It also offers used books, rare books,
technical books, textbooks, and e-Books.
U.S. Government Online Bookstore
http://bookstore.gpo.gov
Lists publications available for purchase from the U.S. Government Printing
Office. It has a "Browse a topic" button with such topics as: Aviation,
Defense, Engineering, Military History, Naval History, Procurement, Safety,
Scientific Research, Specifications and Standards, and Telecommunications.
Many publishers control their own stock and are often the best source of their title list of books. They may be able to offer volume discounts, information on sources, information about authors, publicity, reviews, etc. Professional reviewers provide information in various sources to support book selection and collection development.
Books in Print (BIP)
http://www.bip.com
Books in Print offers a comprehensive and authoritative bibliographic database
with over 3.4 million titles; 165,000 records on publishers, distributors, wholesalers
and book agents; information on award winners, bestsellers; and over 500,000
full-text reviews. BIP provides information on British, forthcoming, out-of-print,
and technical books. It may be available for a fee at various libraries in different
formats.
Publisher's Catalogue's Home Pages
http://www.lights.com/publisher/
Publishers worldwide are listed by country with access to their catalog.
WorldCat
http://www.oclc.org/oclc/man/6928fsdb/worldcat.htm
The WorldCat database is accessible for a fee from OCLC. It includes citations
for books, computer files, films, journals, manuscripts, maps, musical scores,
sound recordings, computer files, newspapers, slides, videotapes, etc., in many
languages in the subjects of arts and humanities, social sciences, engineering
and technology, history, biological and medical sciences, physical sciences,
and interdisciplinary and ethnic studies. Coverage includes 1000 AD to the present.
WWW Virtual Library
http://archive.museophile.sbu.ac.uk/publishers/
This is a list of publishing companies with their Web and or Internet resources.
They are grouped by category into academic, scientific, etc.
Book Review Digest
http://www.hwwilson.com/print/brdigindex.htm
A monthly which features book reviews on all subject areas of books, for a fee.Choice
http://www.ala.org/acrl/choice/home.html
Choice provides reviews for academic books from the American Library Association.Library Journal
http://www.pw.com
Library Journal contains information about libraries and many book reviews. They also publish School Library Journal and provide special sections on Spanish language books, the Internet, children's books, etc.New York Times Book Review
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html
News and reviews. A "must" visit. Requires password--free in the United States. Includes first chapters of many books.Publishers Weekly
http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/
The primary international news source of book publishing and book selling which provides links to book reviews, authors, publishers, and other publication data.SciTech Book News
http://www.booknews.com/
Many academic level books on scientific and technical subjects are covered here.
Out of Print (OP), Rare and Antiquarian Books
It can be a challenge to locate out of print, rare and antiquarian book titles. Many new online services have made that task easier by combining multiple resources in a single location.
Advance Book Exchange (ABE)
http://www.abebooks.com
Provides access to over 29 million titles of used, rare, and out-of-print titles
from 8400 independent book dealers. Includes selection of titles on "War
and Military."
alibris
http://www.alibris.com/
A worldwide network of dealers for rare, out-of-print, used, foreign-language,
and collectible materials. If the "More Search Options" does not find
the title desired, submit a request to "Book Fetch" for more.
Bauman Rare Books
http://www.BaumanRarebooks.com
Thousands of books listed, with daily updates for additions.
Bibliofind
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/books/misc/bibliofind.html/103-0341952-9575041
Bibliofind combined with Amazon.com to provide millions of rare, used and out
of print books.
Bibliophile.net
http://www.bibliophile.net
Over three million antiquarian and out of print books are listed.
BookLovers
http://www.booklovers.co.uk/
Booklovers is a United Kingdom site which offers used and out of print books.
The "browse genre" search provides a list of military and military
history titles.
BookSaleFinder
http://www.BookSaleFinder.com
This is not a bookstore, but an online source to locate used book sales in the
U.S. and Canada.
harvestbooks
http://www.harvestbooks.com/
If you cannot find a book yourself anywhere, ask the experts. You type in the
information and send it to them. They have been helpful in pointing to the right
direction, or obtaining the book directly from them.
JustBooks UK
http://www.justbooks.co.uk/
Offers over 4 million titles of antiquarian, out-of-print, paperbacks, rare,
and used books, from over 1000 dealers worldwide.
Rare Books and Manuscripts
http://www.rbms.nd.edu
This is a section of the American Library Association (ALA) Web site.
The following sources of technical books provide books in specific categories, and also provide the usual services to send them to the requestor.
Artech House
http://www.artechhouse.com/
Provides books for engineers and managers in the following areas: mobile communications,
intelligent transportation systems, networking, software engineering, microwave
technology, sensors, radar, antennas.
Efunda Info Store
http://www.techstreet.com/BOOK.tmpl?tabName=BOOK
Buy technical books and industry standards online. Includes materials from ASTM,
ISO, ASME, McGraw-Hill, John Wiley, and many more.
Fatbrain
http://www.fatbrain.com/
Offers selection of titles in the following categories: computing and the Internet;
business; engineering and science; medicine and biotechnology; training and
certification.
Fatbrain GSA
http://www1.fatbrain.com/store.cl?p=GSAschedule&s=80518
Once set up with the company, the GSA store gives government discount prices,
with no tax. Good source for hard to find Physics and chemistry books.
IEEE
http://www.ieee.org/products/periodicals.html
Provides titles in electrical engineering and computer science in the following
categories: books; conference proceedings; journals and magazines; standards.
MIT Press
http://mitpress.mit.edu
Lists titles in computer science and intelligent systems; physical science;
and technology.
reiters.com
http://www.reiters.com/index.cgi?f=i
Offers titles in business, computers, engineering, and physical sciences.
SpieWeb
http://www.spie.org/app/Publications/
Access to optics research literature. View Tables of Contents for over 4,000
volumes and 150,000 journal and proceedings abstracts in SPIE's publications
database.
Electronic books are a relatively new concept, with possibilities for a wide variety of uses. One of the hottest topics in the library and book world today is e-books. One common use is for reference, as a book may be "used" briefly and then quickly returned. Another use is for short term reading assignments in academic settings, similar to "reserve" books used briefly to complete college classes. The portable aspect of electronic books means that several may be downloaded to a single device, usually the size of a pocketbook, which can be easily carried. Most e-book devices run off rechargeable batteries. Current e-book costs are comparable to paperback book prices for recently released best sellers. Prices for books no longer under a copyright may be free.
The links below provide some basic information about e-books, their publishers, and the devices required for reading them. A listserv, ebooks-l, has been established to discuss how e-books may be incorporated into traditional library collections. Some sites include e-books for free, and some charge a fee to download.
Bartleby
http://www.bartleby.com
Bartleby contains over 300 titles of classic books online, including reference,
verse, fiction, and nonfiction.
Bibliomania
http://www.bibliomania.com
Bibliomania provides access to the full text of fiction, non-fiction, reference,
and poetry works. The site also includes a growing collection of Shakespeare's
work.
Bibliofuture
http://www.geocities.com/bibliofuture/ebooks
Described as a place where librarians can get up to speed and share information
on electronic books, the site includes articles, discussions, news, and a list
of libraries with e-books.
Books24x7.com
http://books24x7.com
Offers full electronic version of top technical books from publishers including:
MIT Press, O'Reilly, Osborne/McGraw-Hill, Que, Sams, Sybex, and Wiley.
ClassicBookshelf.com
http://ClassicBookshelf.com
This site allows you to read the classics for free via Web browser with their
easy-to-use customizable program for great text display. Author pages include
links to their Web sites.
Cytale Cybook
Developed in Paris, the Cybook is a color-screen electronic reader, with ready-to-use
Internet connection.
http://12.108.175.91/ebookweb/stories/storyReader$84
eBookWeb
http://12.108.175.91/eBookWeb
eBookWeb is the eBook movement's community hub where one can learn about "the
latest developments in information displays, compare e-Book hardware and software
options, catch up on the best new content for e-reading, and see how digitization
is transforming the arts of writing, publishing, and book selling."
Free On-line Library
http://mercury.spaceports.com/~centre/
Not an e-book site, but a directory of over 9000 books available at no charge
via the Web in HTML or PDF format. Books are categorized, e.g., Naval Sciences,
for usefulness.
ipicturebooks.com
http://www.ipicturebooks.com
E-books for children in Adobe Acrobat format. Browse by age, make a free e-book,
search for free or fee titles, review titles, etc.
netLibrary
http://www.netlibrary.com/
A major provider of subscription services to libraries providing full text of
titles in topics including: information technology, finance, management, and
human resources.
Naval Postgraduate School - Military Interest E-Books
http://web.nps.navy.mil/~library/ebooks.htm
Links to thousands of e-resources on military and defense matters.
The Online Books Page
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/
Considered the most complete list of books freely available online, maintained
by the University of Pennsylvania. It includes an index, pointers to significant
directories and archives, and special exhibits.
Project Gutenberg
http://promo.net/pg/
Project Gutenberg makes information, books and other materials available to
the general public in forms that most computers, programs and people can easily
read, use, quote, and search. They include categories of light (Alice in Wonderland),
and serious literature (Shakespeare, The Bible), and reference books, in e-formats
for public use.
Rocket e-Books
http://www.rocket-ebook.com/
A major commercial vendor providing free and for-fee electronic books for their
Rocket product.
TeleRead: Bring the E-books Home
http://www.teleread.org
TeleRead is "a nonpartisan plan to get electronic books into American homes--through
a national digital library and small, sharp-screened computers--in an era of
declining literacy." Some information is available in Spanish.
University of Pennsylvania Digital Library Project
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/
This project, developed by Penn Library and Oxford University Press, is designed
to study digital book use and its impact on teaching, learning, and book sales.
Full access to the project is limited to the Penn community, but the public
can preview.
Xlibris
http://www2.xlibris.com/bookstore/index.asp
Provides books in Adobe Acrobat e-book reader format as well as books in print
format.
Library of Congress Country Studies
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
This Web site contains the on-line versions of books previously published in
hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress under
the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program. At present, 101 countries and regions
are covered. The original intent of the Series' sponsor was to focus primarily
on lesser known areas of the world or regions in which U.S. forces might be
deployed. Notable omissions include Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and
other Western and some African nations.
National Library Service for the Blind & Physically Handicapped (NLS)
http://www.loc.gov/nls/
With the goal that all may read, the National Library Service for the Blind
and Physically Handicapped (NLS), a unit of the Library of Congress, provides
free books and magazines in Braille or audio format. Certification by an authorized
health professional permits the individual to enroll in the program and receive
materials through their public library. If they are not near a public library,
they may have the machine and the books or magazines sent directly to them.
Commercial sources for best selling and popular titles are found in audio books for purchase or rental. The following vendors will supply them for a fee.
Books on Tape - http://www.booksontape.com
RecordedBooks.com - http://www.recordedbooks.com
Audio Editions -- http://www.audioeditions.com/
If a book is not available via a local library and the purchase of the book is not desired or possible, an interlibrary loan (ILL) may be indicated. When you need a book, paper, or periodical article that is not in your library's collection, ask for an ILL. ILL is a cooperative arrangement to share resources physically and electronically among many libraries throughout the country. There are many different types of materials available through Interlibrary Loan including dissertations, books, periodical and newspaper articles, and some microforms. Traditionally loans are arranged library-to-library via an ILL network. There are two primary Interlibrary Loan online sources, The Online Computer Library Center, Inc. (OCLC) and The Research Libraries Group, Inc. (RLIN). These databases give us access to a large number of libraries nationwide.
It is best to contact your library in order to determine which ILL options
are offered and what you can expect in the way of fees, the length of the borrowing
time, and the amount of time it will take to process an ILL and receive the
item after it has been ordered. You can often submit a request by telephone
or e-mail, as well as by fax or in person.
There are also user-activated ILL options. As an example the Maryland State
Library System has a user-activated ILL system (MARINA) which allow patrons
to order a book from another state library and have that book delivered to the
local library. The local library must not have the title in their collection
for the process to proceed.
The Virginia Tech University Library offers the ILLiad Interlibrary Loan system for user-activated ILL's. See the following for information: http://ill.vt.edu/
When a book is not the goal of the interlibrary loan, but a copy of an article is, that is usually handled via document delivery. It may be part of an ILL system or it may be handled separately. This also may involve fees. Your library will be able to provide the most accurate information for your particular need.
AddALL
http://www.addall.com/
Searches and compares book prices and availability among 40+ sites, 20,000 sellers,
and millions of books.
Bargain Book Warehouse
http://www.sodacreekpress.com/BBW.html
As advertised, this site provides books at good prices.
BestWebBuys
http://www.bestwebbuys.com
This site searches dozens of online stores to retrieve the lowest price. The
stores are rated by customers for delivery time and customer service, with comments
provided.
BookFinder
http://www.bookfinder.com
BookFinder provides online access to over 15 million new, used, rare, and out
of print books. There is search engine with access to 30,000 booksellers and
30 million titles of new, used, rare, and out of print.
Daedalus Books
http://www.daedalus-books.com
Offers browse search for titles on military history.
DealTime
http://www1.dealtime.com/dealtime2000/Pages/Media_MainPage/1,5375,36718-63715-1-books,00.html
DealTime is another competitor in the bargain sector willing to work to sell
you books.
Internet Book Shop
http://www.bookshop.co.uk/hme/hmepge.asp
Additional Price Comparison Resources for Books
everybookstore.com
http://www.everybookstore.com/
isbn.nu
http://isbn.nu/
Plussearch
http://www.plussearch.com/
Pricemole
http://www.pricemole.com/
Pricegrabber
http://www.pricegrabber.com/
Pricescan
http://www.pricescan.com/books/BookDetail.asp?isbn=0140188592
Smartshop.com
http://smartshop.mybravenet.com/contact.html
Virtuallyshopping
http://www.virtuallyshopping.com/
Additional Resources for Technical Books
All Textbooks 4 Less
http://www.alltextbooks4less.com/
More than 600,000 titles - new & used textbooks, reference books, study
guides and more. Online order tracking, no tax.
Booksamillion.com
http://www.booksamillion.com/
A favorite book store which often gives the best prices. If you join their club
you get more discounts. The customer service people are wonderful and there
is a fast turn around time and no tax.
ecampus.com
http://www.ecampus.com/
Good source for textbooks both new and used. This store always gives some of
the cheapest prices on price comparison URLs. The online ordering is not as
fancy as a lot of the other online book stores, but the turn around time is
fast.
Page1One
http://www.page1book.com/
Good source for textbooks, reference books, new & used books on Middle East
history and fighting terrorism. Good discount prices.
Textbooksource
http://www.textbooksource.net/
Good source for textbooks and other reference books. Discount prices.
Textbookx
http://www.textbookx.com/
Formerly known as Texbooksatcos.com. Sells new and used textbooks. This is a
good source for reference materials. Discounted prices.
Varsitybooks
http://www.varsitybooks.com/
Additional Resources for E-Books
Barnes & Noble
http://ebooks.barnesandnoble.com/
Includes "Guide to eBooks" with information page on comparing eBook
readers. Offers titles in 3 formats: MS Reader eBook; Gemstar eBook (RCA Reb
1100); Adobe Acrobat eBook.
E-Book Primer
http://www.ebookweb.org/basics/ebook.primer.htm
Discusses topics such as what is an e-book, technology options, what are the
issues involved, etc.
Lynch, Clifford. The Battle to Control the Future of the Digital Book
http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_6/lynch/index.html
This paper examines competing visions for the future of the book in the digital
environment, with particular attention to questions about the social implications
of controls over intellectual property, such as continuity of cultural memory.
Powells.com
http://www.powells.com/ebook/ebookeditions.html
Provides titles for the Gemstar e-Book, a commercial product of Radio Corporation
of America (RCA).
Additional Resources for Inter-Library Loan
Interlibrary Loan Application Standards Maintenance Agency
http://bubl1.lib.strath.ac.uk/ns-search/archive/journals/jillddais/v10n0300.htm?NS-search-set=\3ef22\sau.f224f5&NS-doc-offset=0&
Home site for the ILL Protocol Standard (ISO 10160/10161). From the National
Library of Canada, it includes a directory.
Information Policies - National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyright
Works (CONTU)
http://www.cni.org/docs/infopols/CONTU.html
The CONTU Guidelines on Photocopying were developed to assist librarians and
copyright proprietors in understanding photocopying under Interlibrary Loan
Arrangements.
Interlibrary Loan Services (Library of Congress)
http://www.loc.gov/rr/loan/
Information on ILL via the Library of Congress, contacts, forms, etc.
Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery
http://bubl.ac.uk/journals/lis/fj/jillddais/
The BUBL Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery and Information Supply.
ISSN: 1072-303X. From the United Kingdom.
Library & Information Science: Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery
http://www.ifla.org/II/ill.htm
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) ILL,
document delivery and resource sharing. IFLA's "principal aim is to inform
librarians and policy-makers on IFLA's international efforts in the field of
universal bibliographic control, universal availability of publications, preservation
and conservation of library materials and on universal electronic dataflow and
telecommunications."
National Interlibrary Loan Code
http://www.ala.org/rusa/stnd_lnc.html
The American Library Association provides the Voluntary American Library Association
code that governs and guides the document delivery process. It includes forms,
references, and packaging and wrapping information.
OCLC Interlibrary Loan Site
http://www.oclc.org/oclc/menu/ill.htm
This OCLC site provides basic information on the ILL process.
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