Lending eBook Readers at
Academic Libraries
Crystal Rose Grenfell Campus
MUN Libraries
eBooks in Canadian Academic Libraries
Expenditures on Electronic Monographs as % of Total
Monographs
PRINT MONOGRAPHS
What Do Users Think About eBooks?
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
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
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”
MUN 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
“Amazon.com is now selling more Kindle books than
paperback books.”
-Amazon News Release January 27, 2011
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
Can eBook readers assist
academic
library users?
Electronic Ink Microcapsules
eBooks & eReaders are Greener!
VS
4 X the
greenhouse gas
emissions
3 X raw
materials
78 X water
consumption
Other eBook Reader Loan Studies
• Penn State University Libraries (Sony)
• Texas A&M University (Kindle)
• Cranfield University and Library Services at the
Open University, jointly (Sony and iPod Touch)
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
Sony Reader Touch (PRS-600)
6 inch screen
• 1
stwith touch screen
• $440.68
• 8 level grayscale
• ePUB, PDF, TEXT, BBeB
Book, RTF, MS Word, HTML
• highlight, underline, write
hand-written notes with
stylus
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
Why not a Kindle?
Does lending academic library users eBook readers
increase their
satisfaction
with eTexts?
Overall, how satisfied were you with
your experience using an eBook reader?
56%
25%
6%
13%
How would you rate your experience using an eBook reader compared to the following:
Print (i.e. traditional book) Computer
Laptop/Netbook
Did you experience any difficulties transferring content to the reader?
94%
How likely are you to check out an eBook reader from the library again?
50%
25%
12.5% 12.5%
How well do eBook readers
work with the library’s existing
e-text
collections?
What did you read on the eBook reader/s? (Choose all that apply)
25%
38%
56%
69%
19%
http://calibre-ebook.com
Which type of eBook reader works best for
academic
library users?
Which device was most popular?
How important is it for you that an eBook reader allows you to high-light text and make notes?
44%
31%
19%
6%
What issues do academic
libraries need
to consider
when lending
eBook readers?
Conclusions…
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
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
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.
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/