For students dependent on the Undergraduate Library’s Textbook Reserve Project, the news that the pilot program is being dismantled may have been a cause for panic. Students previously accessed required textbooks from the reserve desk for up to two hours at a time, saving them the pain of the textbooks’ hefty price tags.

But the introduction of an expanded E-Reserve database should put thrifty minds at ease. The University Library is now working with a textbook publisher to develop a system for electronic textbooks, allowing students to access the texts via the Internet. The move will save librarians the headache of managing the reserve program, a logistical nightmare considering the number of classes the University offers and will free up space for more books on the Undergrad’s top floor. The expansion of electronic reserve books will also save students a trip to the library and give them access to the books around the clock, as opposed to the current system in which students are at the mercy of the library’s shortened hours.

Additionally, the use of electronic files for storing books means that the library will have virtually unlimited space to hold even more of them. In the Fall 2005 semester only 5.4 percent of all the University’s required textbooks were available from the Textbook Reserve Project. Expanding the program via online resources means that even more cash-strapped students would have access to their expensive books.

Still, there are concerns over the viability of the program that the library system will need to consider.

For instance, while librarians express displeasure with the current system because of its labor intensity, we have to wonder just how long it might take for them to scan all the new required texts at the start of each semester, particularly in the case of literature that rarely comes packaged in e-book formats.

And for some, the thought of reading whole books off a screen is unfathomable. If saving stress was a concern it should be noted that some students will still resort to printing out large pamphlets, either to relieve eye strain, or so that they can bring the text to class as reference.

We also have to wonder if the program will save the library money, due to the potentially high cost of licensing rights to distribute books via the Web.

Still, the expansion of E-Reserves will help students save money, and it would be nice to see more costly course packets incorporated into the system as well.

While the program may never be an end to textbook purchasing as we know it, having access to the books online is a welcome resource and one that we hope will have all the kinks worked out soon.