All booked out? Try an e-book

World leaders in Europe, children in Vietnam and senior citizens in Albany will all be able to access some of the world’s best research for free as a result of an initiative launched at ANU recently.

ANU E Press allows Internet users to read books in a range of formats online, download an entire book onto a pocket PC or mobile phone, or order a hardcopy that will be professionally printed and delivered to their door.

Nine books have already been published on the E Press website.

Books and other materials can be viewed online and downloaded free of charge, while a traditional hardcopy can be obtained through a print-on-demand service at cost.

“ANU research leads the scientific, economic, social and cultural agenda of the nation — but the decline in traditional publishing houses has meant that our work is not being shared widely enough with the nation or the world,” ANU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ian Chubb, said.

“We want to change that. The E Press system is a great step forward, not just for researchers and students, but for all Australians.”

ANU E Press will have a special role in publishing works by ANU academics, including both new texts and sought-after volumes that are no longer readily available. 

The establishment of the E Press system is the latest development in a strategic program at ANU focused on making the wealth of knowledge created within the University available to the public, as well as to other academic communities, at the lowest possible cost.

The ANU program was launched in 2001 with an E Print repository for research papers, an initiative that has been strengthened this year with digital repositories for digital objects, including multimedia learning materials. 
For more information:

http://epress.anu.edu.au

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