Dawkins, & Gaivgan, K. W. (2019). E-book Collections in High School Libraries: Factors Influencing Circulation and Usage. School Library Research, 22.

Summary: Purchasing e-books has recently received a huge push due to Covid-19 and school closures. This article was written just before this global event and gives an excellent overview for the reasons that e-books may or may not be effective in schools. Seven high schools were chosen from rural, urban, and suburban areas. The data was collected from a combination of circulation statistics and interviews with the librarians. Accessibility issues were noted, especially in the rural areas as not all students have data plans on their cell phones or high speed internet access at home. Common across the schools was the preference for students to read a physical book over an e-book. A few schools reported that students associate e-books with research which is non-fiction. If they were reading for pleasure and not for school, a physical book was their preferred choice. Overall, e-books represented a significantly low total circulation for most of the high school libraries. It was also noted that purchasing habits as well as how the level of marketing can have considerable impact on how these e-books are used.

Evaluation/Opinion:  I chose this article as I am dealing with low circulation amongst our e-books. This is my first year as the librarian. We only just got the e-book app last school year. Circulation is non-existent. I am examining the potential reasons for this and found this article helpful in narrowing in what could be the issue. First is marketing of the app. None has been done since I have started this school year apart from my English 9 library orientation classes in which I briefly mention the app. Second is the selection of books available to the students. I am still learning about my community and what types of books they like to read. I have a small budget from last year remaining to be spent with this digital app but I am currently at a loss for what to purchase. It is a difficult decision to promote an app where you believe there are not enough options for students yet are still unsure what those options should be. This article was helpful and gave me insight on my next steps to increasing the circulation stats of our e-books.