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.     

Humanities E-Books: An Affective Faculty Survey

Subject specialists seek to understand humanists' perceptions of e-books. The investigator conducted an online survey of humanities faculty at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) to find out. The survey uncovered information about the e-book collections humanist scholars benefit from most. Respondents used and valued e-books but felt printed books were more important in their disciplines. The major disadvantages of e-books outnumbered the major advantages in scholars' estimation, but the desire for ready access to book content largely eclipsed their affinity for print and any perceived disadvantages of the e-book format. The investigator considers implications for local humanities collection development.     

From the ACRL 13th National Conference: E-Book Use Versus Users' Perspective

ABSTRACT

At the beginning of this decade, research on e-books clearly indicated that e-books were neither well received nor desired by students in higher education. However, in the past few years, academic institutions have begun reporting very good use rates for e-books. In this article, the change taking place in e-book use is explored. Faculty and student preference for reading print books, and not e-books, is the background for exploring the effects of forced adoption and user adaptation on e-book use in a small academic institution. In addition, the effect that relative advantage, current adoption rates, cultural norms, publishers' business models, and print book/e-book competition are having on current and future e-book use are discussed.     

E-books, the latest word: proceedings from the Acquisitions Institute at Timberline Lodge

A panel which included a librarian, publisher and e-book providers presented issues confronting the growth of e-books in the academic library marketplace. The e-book market projections are a small part of the higher education book market. Frontlist titles are demanded by libraries with suppliers eager to supply such titles. However, publishers are feeling their way through various rights and contract issues as well as business models as they determine which frontlist titles to provide in electronic form. The instability of business partners has contributed to publisher delays in releasing titles as e-books. No one, (librarians, suppliers, publishers) is throwing in the towel on e-books but the position this format takes in the publishing industry and therefore in library collections in the near future is unsettled.     

Do Off-Campus Students Use E-Books?

ABSTRACT

The number of electronic books (e-books) that are available is increasing rapidly. Libraries are acquiring them individually, in large groups, and as part of collections. Off-campus librarians perceive them to be the best solution to the problems and expenses related to loaning and shipping print books to off-campus students. This study looks at the usage of e-books by off-campus students at Central Michigan University (CMU) to see if usage patterns can assist librarians with e-book collection development to support off-campus programs.     

Academic e-Book Publishing in China: An Investigation of Current Status and Publishers' Attitudes

This study investigates the current status and attitudes towards academic e-book publishing by mainland Chinese academic publishers through an online survey. This study collected survey data from 49 authoritative academic publishers in China, focusing on their e-book sales profiles and their perceptions of how e-book sales affect publishers and libraries. The data reveals that China's academic e-book industry is still at an early development stage and has a relatively small market. The findings show significant differences in the willingness and attitudes towards e-book publishing between SSH publishers and STEM publishers, and also demonstrate that the enhancement of the demand for e-books by academic libraries promotes the process of the digital transformation of academic publishers. This study then argues that Chinese academic publishers need to further improve the quality of academic e-books, accelerate the transition from academic content providers to academic content service providers, and strengthen their cooperation with stakeholders.     

The use of electronic books in midwifery education: the student perspective

The objectives of this paper are: (i) to illustrate the use of e-books by health studies students at a college of higher education; (ii) to provide a demonstration of how e-books may be facilitated by library and information services staff working across the health and academic sectors; (iii) to comment upon the experiences of health studies students, in using e-books. A focus group of 10 student midwives was used to gain insight into how e-books may be used in an academic context for health professionals. The findings of the student midwives' focus group are reported and discussed. In this instance, the student midwives were encouraged to use e-books as part of a structured information skills programme. The paper concentrates on how the e-books were used within this context and addresses the potential benefits and disadvantages from a student perspective. The results provide evidence of a largely positive experience of using e-books as an electronic information resource. The focus group reveals many benefits and advantages in the facilitation and use of e-books, as well as addressing areas for development. It is concluded that e-books have a place in health library and information resources, but further development of e-books and e-book collections is required and subsequent investigation into their most effective use.     

Comparative Usage of Science E-book and Print Collections at Texas A&M University Libraries

This study compares usage figures between equivalent e-books and print books owned by the Texas A&M University Libraries in the physical sciences and technology. For NetLibrary, the top 10 science e-books were used over six times more than the print books, and the top 10 chemistry e-books were used over three times more than their print counterparts. For ebrary, the top 17 science e-books were used at least 17 times more than the same print books. In Safari, the top 10 computer science e-books were used 207 times more than their print counterparts. Usage statistics such as these can help librarians make informed e-book purchase decisions, especially in times of retrenchment.     

The California State University E-book Pilot Project: implications for cooperative collection development

The California State University conducted a year-long study of the use of a collection of NetLibrary e-books in its libraries. The purpose of the study was to introduce e-books, and develop a model for cooperative collection development of a shared electronic monograph collection. Title usage and subject usage statistics were examined, as well as a user survey. Challenges in analyzing e-book usage statistics are discussed, and positive user feedback is reported. Strategies are presented for cooperatively developing a shared collection of electronic monograph literature.     

Academic Libraries as Digital Gateways: Linking Students to the Burgeoning Wealth of Open Online Collections

ABSTRACT

Digital collections of full-text e-books are proliferating on the Web and provide a wealth of open content for students. To examine whether academic libraries are providing a digital gateway to these resources, ten e-book titles from open digital collections were searched in the online catalogs and Web pages of ten academic libraries serving distance learners. Only three of the digital collection e-books were available from any of the library catalogs, and none were found on library Web pages. Availability of the ten e-book titles through Google and other digital discovery tools also had mixed results. Continued projects for improved delivery of open online content are necessary. In order to fulfill their role as digital gateways for their academic communities, libraries must pursue metadata standards to support cross-searching, collaborative projects, and development of e-resource search software, which integrates with the library catalog.     

Best Practices for Integrating E-books in Academic Libraries: A Literature Review From 2005 to Present

Library Journal's 2011 Ebook Penetration and Use in U.S. Libraries Survey testifies to e-books’ increasing popularity in academic libraries. This review tracked literature published from 2005 that focused on academic librarians’ best practices for acquiring, cataloging, maintaining, and promoting e-books at their institutions. Some of these practices include implementing trial accesses, considering institutional requirements, providing an e-book presence in the library catalog, monitoring usage statistics, and utilizing the library Web site for promotional efforts.     

A Facebook Page for the Journal of Web Librarianship

E-books have yet to assume a significant place in academic library collections. This article focuses on extracting common themes from the literature that might help the reader better understand why e-books have not yet become the cornerstone of the academic library. Patrons do not use e-books because they find the experience of using e-books incongruous with their experience of using other electronic resources, and many of the unexpected limitations they encounter when using e-books are not inherent to the format. Most often, they are purposefully imposed limitations tied to digital rights management techniques. Librarians do not purchase e-books because the titles they want to acquire are often not available electronically, because they are priced or packaged in a way that makes them less appealing than their print counterparts, or because acquiring e-books does not easily integrate into their normal acquisitions workflow.     

E-Preferred Approval Plan at a Large Academic Library: Assessment and Collection Development Implications

Academic libraries acquiring e-books through approval plans and other acquisition methods might question whether their collections are properly balanced between e-books and print books since patron needs vary across subject areas. This study examines seven years of monograph purchases at Texas A&M University Libraries (TAMU) through the approval plan vendor. Acquisition and use data are analyzed across subject areas. Study results inform how to balance print and e-collections to effectively support academic programs. TAMU purchased 78% of the monographs in print despite adopting an e-preferred approval plan, though most subject areas had higher e-book use compared to print.     

寻求双赢:美英公共图书馆电子书借阅机制探索

电子书是基于现代出版技术的新型出版物,已成为公共图书馆借阅服务的重要组成部分。但出版商为保障自身利益对图书馆电子书借阅服务做出种种限制。为了弥合出版商和公共图书馆在电子书借阅方面的立场差距,双方都在寻找一个双赢的机制,本文通过考察国际图联、美国图书馆协会、英国政府的相关文献,总结了英美两国公共图书馆电子书借阅的共同点:公共图书馆向读者免费借阅电子书的权利应该得到保障;公共图书馆电子书的借阅模式包含三个组件,即一书一借,提供远程服务,限定借阅次数。图1。参考文献14。     

Demand for E-books in an Academic Library

ABSTRACT

Rather than create a collection solely to support distance learners, libraries should consider the needs of all customers when developing a digital library. The acceptance of digital libraries is dependant upon the conversion of resources to an electronic format that is easy to use and is fully searchable. While electronic journals are widely accepted by most academic library customers, the delivery of online books has had a very different acceptance rate. Rather than support the sequential reading of books, electronic books are commonly used to find information and can be particularly well-suited for reference purposes. This article will provide insight into the history of e-book models and evaluate the usage statistics of a large electronic book collection in an academic library.     

Demand-Driven E-book Program in Tallinn University of Technology Library: The First Two Years of Experience with the EBL Platform

ABSTRACT

The ease and effectiveness of patron-driven (demand-driven) acquisitions has helped to optimize many academic libraries’ acquisitions budgets. Libraries are increasingly turning to e-books as an alternative to purchasing multiple copies. Academic libraries have for years been forced to purchase large packages of e-books that are of questionable financial value because so much of the content is not used. The number of content units downloaded from large e-book packages by university patrons is not growing. At the same time, the number of checkouts of print books is declining. Advantages of e-books over print are discussed. Also mentioned are a few drawbacks, particularly the fact that European Union countries impose a higher level of value-added tax (VAT) on them than on print books. The author presents a case study analyzing the first two years of experience with the Ebook Library (EBL) platform at the Tallinn University of Technology Library, giving an overview of the advantages and successful measures of demand-driven acquisition in the form of short-term loans.     

Weeding nursing e-books in an academic library

Libraries supporting health sciences programs must periodically weed collections to remove outdated materials. Both print and e-book collections should be weeded. This article outlines the process Auburn Montgomery librarians followed to weed the NetLibrary e-book collection supporting the School of Nursing curriculum. The nursing courses are taught primarily online or as hybrid courses, increasing reliance on remotely accessible electronic resources. While this e-book weeding project is focused on a specific subject area and the number of e-books weeded is small, the basic method can be applied to larger e-book weeding projects in subject areas other than nursing.     

The UK market for travel E-books

Research was undertaken amongst publishers and potential users of e-book travel guides. In addition, a major UK consultant in electronic publishing was interviewed on the subject. The research demonstrated that, despite the considerable hype and enthusiasm about e-books, there is some way to go before a viable market is likely to be realised. In particular, issues of standardisation are holding up the launch of a realistic number of titles. Copyright is also a concern for the publishers. Publishers appear to be over-concerned with the book metaphor, and are not yet thinking ambitiously enough about multimedia and other added value possibilities. Unless these value added enhancements are supplied, users are unlikely to switch from print volumes.