Young Adult Use of Ebooks

Gray, R. & Howard, V. (2017, May 11). Young adults use of ebooks: An analysis of public library services and resources. Public Library Quarterly 36(3). Retreived from https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.1080/01616846.2017.1316149

In their survey of teen / young adult librarians across North America, Robyn Gray and Vivian Howard found that most librarians believe there is little to no interest in ebooks among the teen patrons they service at their libraries. However, these authors believe that the programming and promotion of ebooks is being done all wrong. Instead of focusing on advertising the titles and procedures for using the ebooks, libraries should be informing teenagers of the benefits of reading an ebook. Many teenagers are self-conscious about the types of books they read, or their reading level. By reading ebooks they can have more privacy, since their peers are not able to see the books they are reading. There are many advantages, and many disadvantages, to reading ebooks discussed in the books. However, one advantage that I can think of is the ability for students to immediately search for the definition of a word they do not understand, assisting in their vocabulary development and reading comprehension. There are many reasons that teenagers should have the option of ebooks in their accessible library collections.

Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviors, Shifting Priorities

Megan Pinheiro da Silva

Connaway, Lynn Silipigni, and Ixchel M. Faniel. 2014. Reordering Ranganathan: Shifting User Behaviors, Shifting Priorities. Dublin, OH: OCLC Research.  http://www.oclc.org/content/dam/research/publications/library/2014/oclcresearch-reordering-ranganathan-2014.pdf

Summary

Connaway and Faniel’s OCLC Research Report is written for academic librarians who face unique challenges and opportunities in working with university researchers—faculty and students—who need different kinds of library services, particularly in the area of data collection and management. The authors devote a chapter to each of S. R. Ranganathan’s 5 Laws of Library Science. The introduction, “Same Laws, New Lens.” gives the historical context of the laws and posit that the laws are still very much relevant today. Each proceeding chapter focuses on one law giving its background context, their interpretation of the law, and its application in today’s information services. Connaway and Faniel place the 4^th law—save the time of the reader—1^st as they argue that time is the most precious commodity for the user today. Connaway and Faniel interpret save time of the reader to mean, “embed library systems and services into users’ existing workflows” (p. 105). The reason given for this interpretation is that users have relocated their information activity to the Internet. Convenience is included in saving time. The 2^nd law--every person his or her book the authors reinterpret as to be “know your community and its needs”. The 2^nd law is about accessing the content; if you cannot find what you need, saving time is useless. The 3^rd and 4^th laws-–books are for use and every book its reader—are about developing the infrastructure to deliver the materials and increasing the discoverability/use of those resources within the users’ workflow. The 5^th law—a library is a growing organism—is the only law that is not reinterpreted, as it remains true in a literal and figurative sense. The ultimate goal of this resource is to help libraries and librarians “as they think about making changes in practice and developing an agenda for future research” (p. 105).

Evaluation

This report is well worth the time it takes to read it. It has helped me to understand collection/connection development in the context of the current shift in user behavior to Web-based information services. It also confirms my belief that librarians who acknowledge users’ information preferences, reach out to patrons to better understand their needs and frustrations, and who are willing to bring resources to where it is most convenient for the user, are needed more than ever. Librarianship is growing more and more complex and time continues to become scarcer and scarcer it seems. Connaway and Faniel address complexities in the field that I had never imagined—such as library systems that are complicated even for researchers to use—with an authority and compassion that comes from understanding library systems, research, and user needs. But the icing on the cake is their reinterpretation of Ranganathan’s 5 Laws of Library Science (1931) which bring all the complexity back to the basics: all our services, systems, collections, should facilitate the access and use of information for our patrons.