Electronic collection studies as the key component of library e-science: The challenges in the transforming book market

   The authors speculate on the essence of electronic collection studies as the key component of library e-science. They offer and substantiate the definitions of electronic document and electronic document in library collection. The ways to acquire e-documents to the libraries are discussed. One of the goals of e-collection studies is to adapt traditional concepts for electronic documents acquired by modern libraries; to describe key processes of e-collection development and use, namely cataloguing, systematization, efficient arrangement in the library virtual space, e-document relegation from the collections, etc. The book market (including the market of audio books) transformations in the context of digitalization and corresponding provisions of e-collection studies are characterized, with the special attention given to the COVID-19 experiences. The role of e-documents within the mixed library and information infrastructure is reviewed: the need for theoretical insights into the problem is emphasized. The authors conclude that e-documents should be studied within the framework of electronic collection studies, the component of library e-science.