Book collections: Charting 20 years of innovation and evolution

Author: Sacha Billett

To mark the 20th anniversary of Springer Nature’s eBook collections, we’re taking a closer look at the transition from print to digital and the people who helped shape it. They are behind every workflow change, metadata breakthrough, and new access model, and they’ve experimented, adapted, and built the foundations of the digital library experience we know today.

Today we speak with Springer Nature’s Wouter van der Velde, Global Director Books Solutions Portfolio, and Itsco van der Linden, Head of Test Engineering. They were there from the beginning and saw firsthand how technology, teamwork, and library partnerships transformed the way books are created and discovered.

When eBooks first emerged in scholarly communication, van der Velde was worked in epublishing and van der Linden managed ereference content. At that stage, their work focused on converting print books into digital versions. The major shift came later, when eBooks were born digital rather than simply converted from print.

Their stories offer an insightful look into digital transformation, highlighting a journey of experimentation, problem-solving, and a commitment to improving discovery and access worldwide.

From print shelves to online platforms: The beginning of Springer Nature eBooks

When eBooks first appeared around the 1990s, they looked very different from today’s digital resources. Only select titles were digitalised, and reference works, often spanning ten or more volumes, were converted into HTML or XML-based online encyclopaedias rather than full eBooks in a PDF format. As van der Linden recalls, “They weren’t really eBooks yet. You browsed them online, almost like a website. That was the starting point.”  

Meanwhile, usage data was still a mystery, COUNTER standards for books didn’t yet exist, and the technology to track digital engagement was still emerging. For van der Velde, who worked on early usage statistics, those first years were about learning how readers interacted with digital content and identifying the patterns we are now accustomed to.

The shift to digital-first publishing

Around the early 2000s, the newly merged Kluwer-Springer publisher decided to prioritise digital access for book publishing, as was already the case for journals.   

The decision to digitise all books, publishing them electronically by default, expanded the reach of books, paving the way for today’s globally accessible eBook collections. It flipped traditional workflows, shifting from print-first to digital-first production. Rethinking old formats also meant that PDF-only workflows gave way to XML-based production, enabling EPUB formats and multi-device reading that libraries and users rely on today. 

Technology challenges and breakthroughs in digitising books 

The early days of publishing digital books posed significant challenges, as technology struggled to keep pace with the demands of publishing full-book PDFs. Two decades ago, bandwidth limitations meant that a 20‑MB file could slow or even crash servers. To keep platforms stable, full book downloads had to be removed, offering chapter-based access instead.   

Many reference works were built in XML with style sheets to enable browsing and keyword search, rather than static PDFs. “Little did we know that, 20 years later, users would still ask, ‘Where is the PDF?’ because they want to see page numbers,” van der Linden remarks.  

Metadata also required development in the beginning, as MARC records were extracted manually and stored in local databases. Packages and subject classifications were sometimes transferred unexpectedly, causing confusion for libraries. Over time, processes were streamlined and standardised, laying the foundation for a reliable metadata ecosystem.

Early experiments and innovation  

One of the earliest digital experiments meant to challenge traditional editorial standards was a “custom book” tool that allowed users to select chapters from various books and compile them into a single printed volume. Innovative at the time, it didn’t gain adoption due to the limited content pool, making the initiative impractical.   

Although ahead of its time, this early concept anticipated what, more than two decades later, would become highly adopted, thanks to algorithms. “With AI, we’re doing something very similar now, creating topic‑based literature reviews using content across books and journals. The difference today is scale and technology,” van der Velde explains.  

“Back then, we built things that people weren’t ready for or didn’t need yet,” van der Linden adds. “Today we have a better sense of what users find useful, and the technology to support it properly.”  

New skills for a digital future

The rise of eBooks brought to life the e-publishing department. This new department focused on innovation across disciplines and teams, similar to van der Linden’s current role in production technology. It encompassed technical skills, metadata expertise, product development, and working in close collaboration with editorial and production teams.   

This multidisciplinary approach was still emerging two decades ago, opening doors for new possibilities. Authors and editors progressively embraced the new standards and workflows, and the growing reality that digital access would soon become essential for both researchers and libraries. 

Scaling up: Orchestrating the publication of over 12,000 eBooks a year  

Today, Springer Nature publishes over 12,000 eBooks per year, nearly two books every hour. They are available on Springer Nature Link, where libraries have uninterrupted access to reliable content, even at such a large scale.  

But high‑quality digital publishing is more than hosting files. It requires consistent metadata, format quality control, integrity screening, and more. Van der Velde notes: “People think hosting eBooks is easy. But when you publish this much content, every process, from metadata to rights delivery, must work perfectly.”

The future of eBooks: Trends and predictions  

Looking ahead, both van der Velde and van der Linden agree that AI will change how content is discovered, but not the value of books themselves. While the fundamentals of scholarly publishing are here to stay, the way content is accessed and consumed will continue to evolve. Van der Velde and van der Linden highlight three trends they foresee:  

• Books will remain essential for deep, structured, authoritative knowledge  
• PDFs may eventually decline, as flexible, multi-platform formats become standard  
• DOI‑based citations will increasingly replace page numbers  

Two decades of eBooks evolution, shaped together with libraries  

For many academic libraries, the past two decades have been defined by the shift from print collections to digital ecosystems that support discovery, access, and long‑term preservation. Close collaboration between librarians and publishing teams shapes the continuous process of development.  

Springer Nature’s journey of eBooks development mirrors the evolution of library services themselves, from managing print collections to navigating complex digital ecosystems. The shift to digital‑first publishing, the maturation of metadata standards, and the rise of multi‑format reading have all been shaped not only by technological progress but by the needs and feedback of libraries working to support diverse research communities.  

The journey has been one of experimentation, infrastructure building, and continuous refinement. Every improvement in platform stability, every enhancement in discoverability, every refinement in research integrity workflows ultimately supports the mission librarians champion every day: enabling equitable, reliable access to knowledge.  

Continuing the partnership with libraries in the next era of eBooks

Looking ahead, the next phase of digital books will bring new opportunities and questions for libraries. AI‑driven discovery tools, evolving citation practices, and the gradual shift away from static PDFs will influence how collections are built, taught, and preserved. Yet the core value of books as structured, authoritative sources remains unchanged. And the partnership and collaboration between publishers and libraries will continue to shape how these resources are delivered, accessed, and sustained.  

As Springer Nature marks two decades of eBook collections, this milestone is as much a library story as a publishing one. The foundation built so far, through shared challenges, learning, and commitment, sets the stage for deeper collaboration in the years to come. And as the landscape evolves, librarians will remain essential voices in defining what meaningful, future‑ready digital access looks like.

What has it been like, working closely with librarians through the eBooks transition? In the companion blog we speak with Senior Licensing Manager Amber Farmer, who shares from her experience and how this evolving relationship shaped both her role and the fabric of the modern academic library. 

When the shelf went digital: Explore memorable moments and key milestones from two decades of eBooks. And stay tuned for more stories from early-adopter librarians who have been part of this journey, views of authors, and Springer Nature colleagues who are bringing these milestones to your screens.

Related content

• From evangelist to essential: A librarian’s eBook journey 
• Twenty years of eBooks: How libraries turned a quiet shift into a global revolution in digital access 
• Eight proven steps to improve eBook collection development in libraries

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