eReaders in the Academic Library

(1)

eReaders in the Academic Library

Richard Hayman Reference Librarian,

Grant MacEwan University Library Gordon Bertrand

Coordinator, Library Technology, Grant MacEwan University Library

Crystal Rose

Public Services Librarian,

Memorial University Libraries

(2)

Lending

eBook Readers at Memorial

University

Libraries

(3)

eBooks in Canadian Academic Libraries

ELECTRONIC MONOGRAPHS

12.7%

Data from 2006-2007 annual survey

Expenditures on Electronic Monographs as % of Total

Monographs

PRINT MONOGRAPHS

(4)

User Surveys on eBooks

Gregory, C. L. (2008). "But I want a real book": An investigation of undergraduates' usage and

attitudes toward electronic books. Reference &

User Services Quarterly, 47(3), 266-273.

• 66% prefer to use the physical book if given a choice between print and electronic formats

• “use not read” trend

(5)

User Surveys on eBooks

Jackson, M. (2008). What faculty think: A survey on electronic resources. Journal of Electronic

Resources Librarianship, 20(2), 110-116.

• 79.3% preferred print books for extensive research

• more difficult to manipulate than print

• use for quick information

(6)

User Surveys on eBooks

JISC. (2009, November). National e-books observatory project: Key findings and recommendations.

• “grazing and extracting information rather than for lengthy reading”

• only 5% spent more than 5 minutes viewing page

• “print version is still perceived as the preferred

format for continuous extended reading”

(7)

Memorial University Libraries 2009 eBook Poll

How would you improve access to the library's e-books?

19% commented that they simply preferred print books

11% suggested that the library provide

eBook readers

(8)

“Amazon.com is now selling more Kindle books than

paperback books.”

- Amazon News Release January 27, 2011

(9)

Common User Complaints about eBooks

• reading them using a computer is an unsatisfactory experience

• discomfort sitting in front of a computer

• eye-strain from reading a bright, backlit screen

• inability to print

• lack of portability

• reliance on an internet connection

• interface of some eBook platforms

• inability to highlight, underline, make notes

(10)

Can eBook readers assist

academic

library users?

(11)

(12)

Electronic Ink Microcapsules

(13)

(14)

Paperphone

(15)

(16)

• 2008-2009 Penn State University Libraries (Sony)

• 2008 Texas A&M University (Kindle)

• 2009 Cranfield University and Library Services at the Open University, jointly (Sony and iPod

Touch)

(17)

Research Questions

1. Would lending academic library users eBook readers increase their satisfaction with eTexts?

2. How well do eBook readers work with the library’s existing e-text collections?

3. Which type of eBook reader would work best for academic library users?

4. What issues do academic libraries need to

consider when lending eBook readers?

(18)

IREX DR-800

8 inch screen

• Largest screen size available in Canada

• Most expensive of the three ($667.63)

• 16 level grayscale

• Wacom tablet with stylus

• ePUB, PDF, TXT, HTML,

Mobipocket PRC, JPEG,

PNG, GIF, TIFF, BMP

(19)

Sony Reader Touch (PRS-600)

6 inch screen

• 1

^st

with touch screen

• $440.68

• 8 level grayscale

• ePUB, PDF, TEXT, BBeB

Book, RTF, MS Word, HTML

• highlight, underline, write

hand-written notes with

stylus

(20)

Bookeen Cybook Opus

5 inch screen

• smallest

• least expensive of the three ($271.95)

• 4 level grayscale

• ePUB, PDF, HTML, FB2,

TXT, JPG, GIF, PNG

(21)

Why not a Kindle?

(22)

Does lending academic library users eBook readers

increase their

satisfaction

with eTexts?

(23)

Overall, how satisfied were you with

your experience using an eBook reader?

ve ry sa tis fie d

so m ew ha t s ati sfi ed

so m ew ha t d iss ati sfi ed

ve ry d iss ati sfi ed

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

56%

25%

6%

13%

(24)

How would you rate your experience using an eBook reader compared to the following:

Liked eBook reader more

Liked eBook reader same amount

Liked eBook reader less

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90% Print (i.e. traditional book)

Computer

Laptop/Netbook

(25)

Did you experience any difficulties transferring content to the reader?

NO YES

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

94%

(26)

How likely are you to check out an eBook reader from the library again?

Ve ry lik ely

so m ew ha t l ike ly

no t v er y l ike ly

no t a t a ll l ike ly

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

25%

12.5% 12.5%

(27)

How well do eBook readers

work with the library’s existing

e-text

collections?

(28)

(29)

(30)

(31)

What did you read on the eBook reader/s? (Choose all that apply)

Library eBook

Library e-journal artcle

Personal document

Free eBook

Purchased eBook

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

25%

38%

56%

69%

19%

(32)

Which type of eBook reader works best for

academic

library users?

(33)

Which device was most popular?

Sony Touch IREX Opus

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

(34)

How important is it for you that an eBook reader allows you to high-light text and make notes?

Ve ry im po rta nt

so m ew ha t i m po rta nt

no t v er y i m po rta nt

no t a t a ll i m po rta nt

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

44%

31%

19%

6%

(35)

(36)

What issues do academic

libraries need

to consider

when lending

eBook readers?

(37)

(38)

Did you visit the library’s ebook reader webpages

for information?

yes no

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

very useful

somewhat useful

not very useful

not at all useful

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

How useful did

you find the library’s ebook reader

webpages?

62.5%

37.5%

70%

30%

(39)

(40)

Conclusions…

(41)

References

Behler, A., & Lush, B. (2011). Are you ready for e-readers? Reference Librarian, 52(1), 75-87.

CACUL Task Force on Standards in Higher Education. (2010, March 9). Canadian university library benchmarks. Retrieved from

http://www.cla.ca/Content/NavigationMenu/CLAatWork/Divisions/CACUL/Organization/CACULSta ndardsTaskForce/StandardsCommitteeToolbox/BenchmarksGuide_E_Revised.pdf

Clark, D. T. (2009). Lending Kindle e-book readers: First results from the Texas A&M University project. Collection Building, 28(4), 146-149.

Coyle, Karen. (2008). E-reading. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34(2), 160-162.

Dowdy, J., Parente, S., & Vesper, V. (2001). Ebooks in the academic library. In

proceedings from 2001 Instructional Technology Conference. Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN. Retrieved from

http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/proceed01/21.html

(42)

E-Ink Corporation. (2010). E-Ink electronic paper displays. Retrieved from www.eink.com/products/matrix/High_Res.html

Erb, R., Lapsley, D. & Dierks, B. (2009, July 30). Everything we know about

implementing a Kindle loan program. Handheld Librarian Online Conference.

Gregory, C. L. (2008). "But I want a real book": An investigation of undergraduates' usage and attitudes toward electronic books. Reference & User Services

Quarterly, 47(3), 266-273.

Jackson, M. (2008). What faculty think: A survey on electronic resources. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 20(2), 110-116.

JISC. (2009, November). National e-books observatory project: Key findings and recommendations. Retrieved from

http://www.jiscebooksproject.org/wp-content/JISC-e-books-observatory-final- report-Nov-09.pdf

(43)

Kiriakova, M., Okamoto, K. S., Zubarev, M., & Gross, G. (2010). Aiming at a moving target: Pilot testing ebook readers in an urban academic library. Computers in Libraries, 30(2), 20-24.

Kosak, G. (2003). Printed scholarly books and e-book reading devices: A comparative life cycle assessment of two book options (Masters thesis).

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Retrieved from http://css.snre.umich.edu

Mallett, E. (2010). A screen too far? Findings from an e-book reader pilot. Serials, 23(2), 140-144.

Oder, N., Albanese, A., & Hadro, J. (2009). Is it ok to lend a Kindle? Library Journal, 134(8), 14.

Patton, S. (2009). The Kindle and more: The impact of e-paper on libraries.

Mississippi Libraries, 73(1), 8-10.

(44)

Penn State University Libraries. (2009). Sony Reader project. In Penn State University. Retrieved from

http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/lls/sony_reader.html

Rodzvilla, J. (2009). The portable e-book: Issues with e-book reading devices in the library. Serials, 22(3), S6-S10.

Snowhill, L. (2001). E-books and their future in academic libraries: An overview. D- Lib Magazine, 7(7/8), n.p. Retrieved from

http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july01/snowhill/07snowhill.html

Sony pitches its e-book tent. (2009). Bookseller, (5397), 19.

Tees, T. (2010). Ereaders in academic libraries: A literature review. Australian Library Journal, 59(4), 180-186.

Van Dyk, G. (2009). Our Kindle ILL model. Retrieved from

http://shapinglibraries.wordpress.com/2009/06/05/our-kindle-ill-model/

eReaders in the Academic Library