Hiperkitap: A Turkish E-book Database

The purpose of this paper is to describe Hiperkitap, the first and only Turkish e-book database in Turkey. The paper starts with a brief overview of the developmental stages of the e-book database under the local market conditions in Turkey. This developmental period includes the establishment of relationships with publishers, authors, the publishers’ association of Turkey, computer companies, information designers and librarians. Content provision under Turkish and E.U. copyright laws is a much debated issue in Turkey. Some 7500 books in Turkish from 220 Turkish publishing houses make this database attractive for local customers and also for foreign competitors. Rich content and up-to-date technology are long term strategic targets for this database. Mobile applications, mostly smart telephone applications, are determining the development policy of Hiperkitap today. This paper aims to be useful for understanding the social history of digital publishing and the e-book market in Turkey.