I read with great interest the recent article by Will Pearson on the growing shift at Bata Library to e-books and commend him for a timely and thoughtful article.
Quite apart from the high risk of disposing of printed material in favour of electronic resources, Mr. Wilson points out a significant drawback to this shift – the growing inability of alumni to access this electronic material. As a regular user of the resources at Bata for my ongoing research and writing to support community projects, I am concerned that I will no longer have full access to the library’s collection. This, at a time when alumni are called upon to provide greater support for the many university initiatives.
I would urge library administrators to work with the alumni to devise a plan that would permit access to the growing body of electronic resources for former students who have and continue to contribute to the success and reputation of Trent.
Dennis Carter-Edwards (Trent 1967-1971)