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The goal of this study was to examine the collections of eBooks in Spanish provided by vendors of library resources to school libraries to determine if there are equitable offerings of eBooks in Spanish relative to the Spanish-speaking school population in the United States. The results of the study indicated that the top vendors do provide eBooks in Spanish, but the titles comprised a small percentage of their total collections and do not mirror national demographics.

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If school library collections must meet the needs of the communities they serve, the native languages of the student population must be an important consideration when making purchasing decisions about eBooks. Many professionals in the library community believe that materials in electronic format have the potential to enrich library collections with linguistic diversity. To ensure that school library collections reflect the linguistic diversity of the community, as school library professionals we need to gain a better understanding of what resources are available for our students in digital format. Recent studies indicate that eBooks available from vendors to schools libraries do not meet the linguistic needs of children whose native language is not English. Several international organizations have recognized this issue and are developing initiatives to resolve the growing digital and linguistic divide.

This chapter will examine the theoretical uses of blockchain technologies in research libraries. Technology has enhanced the services and operations of research libraries since the early implementation of computerized cataloging systems. Blockchain technology provides research libraries with the opportunity to decentralize services, while also maintaining and strengthening digital rights management. Research libraries will be able locate services that can be decentralized to provide patrons with a more effective and efficient service. The blockchain technology has the potential to expand library collections through distributed verifiable sovereign identity, which would allow patrons to securely access information from multiple libraries while maintaining their privacy. Libraries will be able to evaluate services and programs to determine best uses for blockchain technology.