Use of E- Commerce in Libraries: An Overview

Libraries were perhaps early entrants in the field of e- business by making their online catalogues available via the Internet in the late 1980s. This was among the first instances of organizations promoting their products and services through the Internet. Now, many libraries provide most of their services electronically, pursuing a knowledge management strategy and managing the latest information contents. This article examines trends in ebusiness, and suggests how libraries can utilize these in enhancing their services. This article discusses the issues and challenges which the present day libraries are confronting in their adoption of e- commerce including ecommerce charging models. It also explores prospects of application of ecommerce in libraries. Keywords: e- Commerce, Academic Libraries, e- Business, Internet, Online Customer Service, User Satisfaction.