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 ELECTRONIC MONOGRAPHS 12.7% PRINT MONOGRAPHS Data from 2006-2007 annual survey 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! 3 X raw 4 X the materials greenhouse gas 78 X water emissions consumption VS 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 • 1st 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 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? 60% 50% 56% 40% 30% 25% 20% 13% 10% 6% 0% very satisfied somewhat somewhat very satisfied dissatisfied dissatisfied How would you rate your experience using an eBook reader compared to the following: 90% Print (i.e. traditional book) 80% Computer 70% Laptop/Netbook 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Liked eBook reader more Liked eBook reader same amount Liked eBook reader less Did you experience any difficulties transferring content to the reader? 100% 90% 94% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% NO YES How likely are you to check out an eBook reader from the library again? 50% 50% 45% 40% 35% 30% 25% 25% 20% 15% 12.5% 10% 12.5% 5% 0% Very likely somewhat likely not very likely not at all likely 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) 12 69% 10 56% 8 6 4 38% 25% 19% 2 0 Library eBook Library ejournal article Personal document Free eBook Purchased eBook http://calibre-ebook.com Which type of eBook reader works best for academic library users? Which device was most popular? 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Sony Touch IREX Opus How important is it for you that an eBook reader allows you to high-light text and make notes? 45% 44% 40% 35% 30% 31% 25% 20% 19% 15% 10% 5% 6% 0% Very somewhat not very not at all important important important important 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/wpcontent/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. DLib 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/