E-book Usage Research Articles

Collections as a Service: A Research Library's Perspective

ACRL’s “2016 Top Trends in Academic Libraries” noted a “shift to the incorporation and integration of more continuous, ongoing, flexible, and sustainable review of collections,” and “an increasing need” to align collection development with “institutional research and curricular requirements.” This article describes these trends playing out at a top-ranked research library. Given the library’s long history of collecting print books, the article examines the monographic acquisitions program from multiple angles, including circulation, expenditures, approval plans, and e-book usage. There are also suggestions for additional metrics to evaluate collections as a service, as well as questions posed to frame an ongoing research and assessment agenda. The models described in this case study and the proposed research and assessment agenda can be adapted by other academic libraries, both to fit local institutional needs and as collection development and “collections as a service” are increasingly realized within interinstitutional collaborative networks.

When Librarians Hit the Books: Uses of and Attitudes Toward E-Books

Librarians offer a unique perspective on e-books: on one hand they collect these resources and train users as part of their jobs, while on the other hand, they may be users of e-books themselves. With recent increases in research expectations for Canadian academic librarians, this study aimed to discover: when librarians do research, do they use e-books and how often are they using them? This study examines the results of a survey of 392 academic librarians from across Canada. The survey generated data on librarians' use of, and attitudes towards, e-books. While a number of studies examine the use and opinions of e-books among other user groups, this study examines how librarians search for or use e-books differently than other user groups. Results will help librarians to improve their liaison work and make more informed collection development decisions at their own institutions.

Influence of usage of e-books, online educational materials, and other programming books and students’ profiles on adoption of printed programming textbooks

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the influence of students’ profiles and the usage of e-books, online educational materials, and other programming books on the adoption of printed programming textbooks for computing students. It was hypothesized that the predictor variable set could not explain any of the variance of the dependent variables.Design/methodology/approachThis descriptive study utilized a content-validated questionnaire. The study involved 190 student participants. Canonical correlation analysis was employed to determine whether students’ profiles and use, perceived usefulness, and preference of e-books, online educational materials, and other programming books explained any variance in printed programming textbook adoption.FindingsPrinted programming textbook adoption could be explained by two functions. The first function revealed that the use and the perceived usefulness of textbooks were positively influenced by the use of e-books and other programming books and by the perceived usefulness of e-books, fora/blogs, other programming books, and YouTube. The second function revealed that the use of printed programming textbooks alone was positively influenced by the use of e-books and other programming books but was negatively influenced by the perceived usefulness of programming websites and YouTube and by the preference of programming websites over textbooks.Originality/valueThe study provided empirical evidence that e-books, other programming books, and online educational materials provide additional resources to students. Thus, e-books, online educational materials, and other programming books complement, rather than threaten, the existence of printed programming textbooks.

Ebooks Versus Print Books: Format Preferences in an Academic Library

ABSTRACTWhen a scholarly monograph is made available in both print and electronic formats, which format will users prefer? This study analyzed monograph usage data from three university presses in the University of Toronto Libraries' collections, comparing print and ebook usage patterns of identical titles. The goal was to examine format preferences and determine whether there are differences in usage across subject disciplines or publishers. The study showed that although in many cases users preferred one format over another, they used books in both formats. If a subject was popular, usage tended to be high for both formats, and if unpopular, low for both formats. The data also indicated that there were some noticeable differences in ebook usage for particular subjects, and the authors concluded that format does matter and therefore it is desirable for libraries to provide both formats if possible. The study also highlighted how critical metadata are in promoting the use of electronic resources. If there were no ebook metadata within the library catalog, the ebook usage was low. This analysis adds to a growing body of literature in user preferences on book formats that can assist libraries in making better-informed decisions in collection building.

The politics of ebooks

Abstract Ebooks have emerged as one of the popular means of reading, but little is known about how ebook usage by the general public and the ability of public lending libraries to serve their patrons are being constrained by various sociocultural factors such as restrictive licensing agreements that publishers demand. This study identifies the various constraints through the lens of Lessig’s four modalities to better understand how the ecosystem of ebooks that includes legal and economic conditions is affected by the modalities. In doing so, this study examines the shift towards the licensing of ebooks and the proprietary schemes of digital rights management with a particular focus on the diminishing capability of public lending libraries to advance the public interest in a democratic society. In the age of licensing, the mission of public libraries as ‘equalizing institutions’ should be upheld to the fullest.

E-book usage: counting the challenges and opportunities

Academic libraries are spending a growing proportion of their increasingly stretched budgets on e-books each year. Within this context, demonstrating a return on investment is imperative, but gathering data about e-resource usage is not always easy. This article summarizes how libraries and library consortia are acquiring and evaluating e-books, how usage statistics feature within library workflows, the issues faced in doing so and the resulting impact of these issues on understanding usage and informing purchasing of new titles. Discussions with publishers indicate how usage data are being used within the organization, the requirements of customers and the challenges involved in providing usage data for e-books. Assessing and evaluating e-book usage is a complex and challenging task with processes and workflows in development. A transition from print to e-books represents a significant change for libraries, and the availability of reliable usage statistics to support purchase decisions is vital. The article is based on a series of case study interviews with representatives from a small cross-section of academic libraries, library consortia, publishers and aggregators. This work is of interest to anyone with responsibility for creating, managing, developing, delivering and supporting usage statistics and standards for e-books.

E-Preferred Approval Books at the University of Manitoba: A Comparison of Print and Ebook Usage

Abstract
 
 Objective – To compare the usage of print and ebooks received on University of Manitoba’s e-preferred YBP approval plan as well as to examine cost per use for the approval print books and ebooks.
 
 Methods – Usage data was compiled for books received on approval in 2012/2013 to December 31, 2014. Counter reports were used to determine use and non-use of ebooks, while vendor reports from EBL and ebrary were used for the cost per use analysis. Print usage information was drawn from SIRSI and then ALMA when UML switched systems at the beginning of 2014.
 
 Results – Ebooks received more use than p-books overall, but when examined by subject discipline, significant differences could not be found for the “STM” and “Other” categories. With ebooks, university press books tended to be used more than those from other publishers, but the same result was not found for print books. Ebrary ebooks tended to be used more often than EBL, EBSCO, and Wiley ebooks, and single-licence books tended to be somewhat more used than multi-user ones. Cost-per-use data was much lower for print books, though the comparison did not look at staffing costs for each medium.
 
 Conclusions – This study finds that of approval books matching the same profile, ebooks are used more, but print books receive more substantial use. Both formats are needed in a library’s collection. Future comparisons of cost per use should take into account hidden labour costs associated with each medium. Usage studies provide evidence for librarians refining approval plan profiles and for budget managers considering changes to monographic acquisition methods and allocations.

E-Preferred Approval Books at the University of Manitoba: A Comparison of Print and Ebook Usage

Abstract
 
 Objective – To compare the usage of print and ebooks received on University of Manitoba’s e-preferred YBP approval plan as well as to examine cost per use for the approval print books and ebooks.
 
 Methods – Usage data was compiled for books received on approval in 2012/2013 to December 31, 2014. Counter reports were used to determine use and non-use of ebooks, while vendor reports from EBL and ebrary were used for the cost per use analysis. Print usage information was drawn from SIRSI and then ALMA when UML switched systems at the beginning of 2014.
 
 Results – Ebooks received more use than p-books overall, but when examined by subject discipline, significant differences could not be found for the “STM” and “Other” categories. With ebooks, university press books tended to be used more than those from other publishers, but the same result was not found for print books. Ebrary ebooks tended to be used more often than EBL, EBSCO, and Wiley ebooks, and single-licence books tended to be somewhat more used than multi-user ones. Cost-per-use data was much lower for print books, though the comparison did not look at staffing costs for each medium.
 
 Conclusions – This study finds that of approval books matching the same profile, ebooks are used more, but print books receive more substantial use. Both formats are needed in a library’s collection. Future comparisons of cost per use should take into account hidden labour costs associated with each medium. Usage studies provide evidence for librarians refining approval plan profiles and for budget managers considering changes to monographic acquisition methods and allocations.

What factors satisfy e-book store customers? Development of a model to evaluate e-book user behavior and satisfaction

PurposeAlthough the use of e-book readers has become increasingly widespread, there are few studies to evaluate e-book user behavior and satisfaction with commercial e-book stores, and even fewer approaches from the perspective of task-technology fit (TTF). In order to fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to adopt the TTF theory to explore the factors that affect the behavior satisfaction of users of commercial e-book stores.Design/methodology/approachA survey was conducted to collect data from 183 e-book users. Data were collected from an online survey. The results were analyzed via the structural equation model.FindingsThe results show that functional service, mobility, convenience, and searching task are the important factors that influence users’ TTF behavior. Moreover, TTF may improve user satisfaction, flow, and scanpath. Finally, satisfaction was affected by TTF, scanpath, and flow factors. An analysis of the research explained 46 percent of the variance for the users’ TTF, and 59 percent of the variance for satisfaction of using the e-book store.Originality/valueThe research model modifies utility and performance from TTF theory in order to focus on individual flow, scanpath, and user satisfaction measurement because general e-book store users are not typically concerned about work performance issues for their leisure activities. These results provide a new perspective to e-book researchers and can help e-book store managers and designers in making policies and designing platforms.

Biz of Acq-Deep Dive: Differentiated eBook Usage Between Collection Types Across Disciplines

Biz of Acq-Deep Dive: Differentiated eBook Usage Between Collection Types Across Disciplines

Assessing the User Experience of E-Books in Academic Libraries

We report findings from an assessment of e-book user experience (search and information seeking) from usage data and user tests. The usage data showed that most reading sessions were brief and focused on certain pages, suggesting that users mainly use e-books to find specific information. The user tests found that participants tended to use default keyword search and browse the search results. Experience levels with e-books and features of e-book platforms influenced users’ information seeking in e-books. The assessment results have significant implications for designing e-book features to support users’ reading strategies and help libraries create a consistent user experience.

Understanding E-Book Continuance Intention: Empirical Evidence from E-Book Users in a Developing Country.

The book publishing industry is going through radical transformations that are driven by recent developments in information systems (IS). E-books are merely one of these developments. Notwithstanding the projections in the growth of e-book use, producers of these products contend with the issue of building user retention and loyalty through continued use. Extending the technology acceptance model (TAM), this study examined the impact of factors of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, social influence, and facilitating conditions on e-book continuance intention among users. The subjects of this study were 317 students from five higher institutions of learning in South Africa. Empirical testing of the research model was carried out using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that 42 percent of the variance in e-book users' continuance intention is explained by perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and social influence. Interestingly, facilitating conditions have an influence, although indirectly, through perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and social influence. The study not only contributes to the existing IS literature by extending the TAM to explain continuance intention in the e-book IS domain in a developing country but also makes recommendations to practitioners who attempt to foster continuous use of this technology.

E-Book user behaviour in academic libraries: The role of user agents in perception and satisfaction

Based on technology adoption theories and allied frameworks, this paper aims to explore e-book user behaviour around multiple dimensions of the role of user agents in formation of patterns, attitudes, perception and satisfaction with electronic resources in an academic and research library context. A convenience sample of academics, staff, and students at Edith Cowan University (ECU) voluntarily self-reported their e-book information behaviour via online survey. In terms of agent/platform satisfaction, desktop computer and laptop/netbook had the most satisfied users. Significant factors in e-resource use and agents/platforms were found to include familiarity (collection awareness and differentiation between resource types), usability (discovery, information retrieval and readability, and library interface ease of use), utility (collection sufficiency), hedonic attributes (attractiveness), culture of use and habituation. Users satisfied with laptops/netbooks as user agents also expressed overall satisfaction with library e-books. E-book users’ information behaviour was found to be consistent with major technology adoption theories and frameworks in terms of e-resources and their use platforms.

E-books usage by agricultural, engineering and social science students in selected universities of Pakistan

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare the usage patterns of e-books among the students of social, agricultural, and engineering sciences; demonstrate how e-books are used by students for various purposes; explore the main reasons for using e-books; and uncover the major issues being encountered by students while using e-books in Pakistani Universities. Design/methodology/approach During May to July 2014, a convenient sample technique was adopted, and a close-ended questionnaire was used as a survey tool for 300 graduates (BSc honor) and postgraduate (masters and MS) students in the age group of 21-60 years. In this study, the respondents’ gender, age, educational level and major disciplines were individual contextual variables. The data collection process was successfully completed with a 100 per cent response rate. SPSS-19 was utilized for testing the reliability of the instrument, as well as descriptive and inferential statistics (Chi-square test). Findings The results show that the adoption of e-books has reached a level where they have become an integral component of academic library services. The results of this study verify the previous findings that the students are relying on e-book adoption for various academic and research purposes. Comparatively, male students, postgraduate students and those between the ages of 21 and 40 years are more frequently e-book users. In addition, the percentage of e-book readership among engineering students on a “daily basis” is greater than the students of agricultural and social sciences. They prefer reading e-books because of the following reasons: to support research endeavors and improve academic performance; and the e-format is quick to read and easy to manage. Insufficient e-contents, lack of personal computers and the variety of e-book formats are the major constraints in the effective utilization of e-books for learning, education and research needs. The study has concluded that e-books have a key role in the set-up of academic libraries and information resources in Pakistan, though further development of e-book readership capabilities and building of e-book collections are required to support users’ needs, and a parallel investigation into their most effective usage is also required. Originality/value This empirical research is a first and unique study that systematically and quantitatively compares the relationship between respondents’ e-books usage with their individual contextual variables in the perspective of academic libraries in Pakistan.

Importance of e-Books in improving access to scholarly materials by university students in Kenya

Purpose The purpose of this research is to investigate the significance of e-Books in universities, by looking for critical issues and practices which contribute enormously to enhancing its effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a descriptive research study design. The use of survey was efficient for this study because it was possible to obtain answers to different variables such as attitudes, personal characteristics and behaviors on usage of e-Books. Survey questionnaires were used on a student sample population at United States International University-A. The study was guided by three independent variables: technological factors, individual factors and institutional support factors. The dependent variable was the usage of e-Books. Findings The findings established that a majority of the student are computer literate as a whole and have a clear understanding of e-Books. The results further established that students encounter problems when carrying out searches in e-Books and that there is lack of knowledge of the e-Books subscribed by the university library. Support from the university management on the introduction of e-Books by financing its subscription was one of the factors enhancing the access and use of e-Books. Originality/value Knowledge of the significance of e-Books can assist libraries restructure their e-Books policies and hence hasten the adoption and implementation of e-Books usage in academic libraries in Kenya.

How do you like your books: Print or digital? An analysis on print and e-book usage at the Graduate School of Education

ABSTRACTThe shift from physical materials to digital holdings has slowly infiltrated libraries across the globe, and librarians are struggling to make sense of these intangible, and sometimes fleeting, resources. Materials budgets have shifted to accommodate large journal and database subscriptions, single-title article access, and, most recently, e-book holdings. This analysis measures the impact of digital acquisitions in an academic setting during a highly transformative period of library practices. The study finds that both electronic and print books are valuable to the academic research community at the Graduate School of Education (GSE).

How e-readers have changed personal connections with books

Purpose Although the functional benefits of e-books have been discussed in the emerging literature on the e-reader platform, the hedonic/emotional aspects of e-book usage have not been explored. This study aims to explore the impact that e-readers have on consumers’ connections with books. Relying on self-concept theory and possessions as the extended self, the authors address the following two questions: What are the hedonic differences between e-books and printed books, and, if the functional benefits of e-books are so compelling, then why do some people still use printed books? Design/methodology/approach The researchers pursue a qualitative design through the use of semi-structured interviews, with a combination of base questions and follow-up questions tailored to the individual respondent. Findings The results reveal six primary themes: convenience, change, community, collection, connection and children. Within each, functional benefits are identified, confirming prior literature on these benefits, and hedonic/emotional themes emerge, revealing that e-readers are capable of changing consumers’ connections with books. Namely, while e-books offer functional benefits over printed books, consumers feel less connected to books read using an e-reader platform and prefer to purchase the printed versions of books that hold special meanings for them. These findings align with self-concept theory and indicate that printed books are an extension of the self, one that cannot be completely replaced by e-books. Originality/value This research adds to the emerging literature on e-books by demonstrating that e-readers have emotional implications for consumers as components of the self-concept/extended self. Prior literature has focused solely on the functional benefits associated with e-books but has not directly addressed the role of books in the self-concept.

Understanding Academic E-books Through the Diffusion of Innovations Theory as a Basis for Developing Effective Marketing and Educational Strategies

Academic libraries are choosing to purchase electronic books (e-books) rather than print more frequently for multiple reasons. Unfortunately, e-books are not being used as much as they should be. With increasing academic e-book collections, many studies have examined student and faculty use of and attitudes towards this innovation. This paper will analyze the results in this area of research and align them with the Diffusion of Innovations Theory that includes the Rogers Diffusion of Innovations Curve, innovation categories, and the factors affecting the diffusion process of an innovation. This analysis will give libraries a better understanding of who is using academic e-books, why academic e-books are being used, and how to influence the behaviour of the academic libraries' patrons to increase their use of academic e-books. An analysis of these three areas will help libraries to develop effective marketing and education strategies aimed at increasing e-book usage.

EBL ebook use compared to the use of equivalent print books and other eresources

Purpose – This paper, a case study with research implications, analyzes ebook use and users, focusing on ProQuest’s Electronic Book Library (EBL) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The purpose of this paper is to understand ebook user attributes and behaviors in the context of print books and other eresources; to examine usage of EBL ebooks and print materials; and to explore differences between users of ebooks and print books. Design/methodology/approach – The methodologies of the study are MINES for Libraries® implemented through EZproxy and an analysis of users and usage of EBL ebooks compared to print books based in part on the set of books available to the UMass community in both formats. Findings – Undergraduates use print more often compared to graduate and faculty users. Among all uses of overlap materials in which materials are available in both formats, EBL and print, we find more print use. In all, 40 percent of EBL users did not check out any print library books, which would indicate that EBL created new users and new circulation that would not have otherwise occurred in print. Further, the findings show little difference by gender and ethnicity in the use of ebooks and print books and little evidence of lagging adoption of ebooks by faculty. When compared to campus-wide demographics, women and students of color use both print and ebooks in higher than expected rates. Originality/value – Subject analysis of ebooks and print book usage and users by school or college are explored, highlighting differences between the two formats in certain subjects.

Comparing Digital Apples and Oranges: A Comparative Analysis of e-Books Across Multiple Platforms

This session reported the findings of a comparative analysis of how e-books are represented across multiple platforms. In this session, the presenters shared the results of a study that examined how a sample of academic e-books are represented across different platforms. Topics of analysis included: the inclusion of various metadata, the visual presentation of e-book content, and variations in search results. This presentation also focused on the similarities and differences between e-book representation and what impact these various representations might have on users of academic e-books.