Open Access to All, and to All a Goodnight

Cordero, Brandon

Oladokun, B. D., Sambo, A. S., Bassey, M. M., & Enakrire, R. T. (2024). The open access effect:    Transforming collection development using open repositories. International Journal of Librarianship,        9(4), 36–51. https://doi-org.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/10.23974/ijol.2024.vol9.4.395

Summary:

This paper employs a systematic literature review to look at the effect of increased open access (OA) articles on academic libraries. The study finds OA articles and journals have facilitated libraries to reallocate their funds from subscription-based journals to to support OA initiatives and improve digital infrastructure. OA supports collaboration, innovation, and equitable information between libraries and their audiences. However, challenges like sustainability, quality control, copyright compliance, and digital preservation are factors that can inhibit OA from expanding. 

Review:

This topic is important in addressing the rise of digital age materials. While digital age media has become more accessible than ever before, subscriptions and their rates are also rising. Open access looks to solve these problems by creating a source of free resources. Resources and collections will no longer depend on which college you attend, open access incentivizes academic institutions to work together in creating equitable access. Oladokun and crew have done a great job at laying out the benefits, the most effected groups (such as STEM majors having the most expensive journal subscriptions), challenges, and future outlook if we keep investing in open access materials.

Public libraries more popular & more digital than ever

Kristin Proctor

This article includes a ton of data about how public libraries' collections have changed. My summary focuses on the overall shift from print to digital use, but the article also includes information about the changes in costs and costs per use of digital versus print collections as well as information about the wages of public library staff toward the end. Definitely worth a read.

Rizzo, N. (2022). State of US public libraries - More popular and digital than ever. WordsRated. https://wordsrated.com/state-of-us-public-libraries/

Using data from 1992 through 2019 (i.e. right before the Covid-19 pandemic shut down many libraries for in-person visits) and a series of informative graphs and charts, Rizzo describes why some people mistakenly believe "libraries are dead" because overall visits to public libraries and checkouts of physical books have declined.

However, libraries have increased numbers of borrowers, programs, program attendance, and use of digital collections. Total checkouts (digital plus physical) have increased as libraries have shifted their collections to more ebooks, audiobooks, and digital audiobooks. In addition, more people visit the library specifically to attend the increasing number of library programs, which in turn correlates with increased circulation numbers.

Overall, the data illustrate a story that library staff and visitors are already keenly aware of: libraries are very much alive and thriving. Public libraries are clearly shifting their collections in response to the needs of their patrons. They are providing more information and collections in digital format which serves the needs of those who don't visit the library in person as often while they are also providing community connection through library programming attracting visitors to the library.

The future of books in an academic library

The article Books and ebooks in an academic library discusses the perdictions the authors had about eBooks popularity in the future. The authors suggested that eBooks will become more popular by 2020 and will increase the number of academic libraries transitioning their collections to have more online materials than physical books. eBook purchases from academic libraries are increasing. The article also discusses the future of journal articles. Print articles are still continuing to be produced, however libraries and scholars are using a lot more electronic resources (Wells & Sallenbach, 2015). This has cause academic librarians to allocate their resources and use their budget to purchase more electronic resources and less physical materials.

I believe that electronic resources are becoming more popular, but they're are still a lot of people that prefer the physical copy of a book. Right now the academic library I work for is focusing their budget on electronic resources.

References

Wells, D. & Sallenbach, A. (2015) Books and ebooks in an academic library. 64:3, 168-179, DOI: 10.1080/00049670.2015.1041216

-Daly, Briana

E-Books as a Collection and a Service

Lamb, Amanda

O’Connell, B. & Haven, D. (2013). eBooks as a collection and a service: Developing a public library instruction program to support eBook use. Journal of Library Innovation. 4(1), 53-66. 

Much discussion has centered around the challenges of negotiating ebook collection development. But, other than a clear increase in digital circulation, we do not know much about specific user preferences in this format. This study looks at digital ebooks from a user-centric perspective. The study finds that as use of a library’s collection of eBooks expands, so does patron use of services, especially instructional sessions and individual reference consultations. One patron even commented, “This is a great way to learn how to use eBooks – much easier than simply going to the library website.” 

Those responsible for collection management may want to consider an instructional element with topical collections or new formats. Should libraries commit to supporting 21st century collection development with digital literacy and technology help? If so, then those in charge of collections may want to factor in programming, instruction, and even reference desk support at the time of purchase. 

Hatcher, Rachel

Winter, J. (2019). Equity through diversity: Their importance of LGBTQ titles in our elementary school libraries. California School Library Association Journal, 43(1), p. 5-8. Retrieved from: http://csla.net/publications/journal/

Winter stresses the importance of a diverse collection, including adding LGBTQ titles to the collection. She makes an insightful recommendation: libraries should have plenty of LGBTQ titles as ebooks for checkout. In a school library setting, students may not want to advertise what they are reading to other students. Having both fiction and nonfiction titles available as ebooks allows for a level of privacy students may appreciate.

Winter also suggest using Teachingbooks.net. I like to use their “Find Resources For” buttons to learn more about LGBTQIA+ books. This site offers the ability to narrow your results based on grade level, curricular area, genre, cultural area, award-winning books, and more.

Digital Weeding

Weeding. [Fine Art]. Retrieved from Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. 

https://quest.eb.com/search/163_2961979/1/163_2961979/cite

DiBello, Amy

Moroni, A.E. (2012).WEEDING IN A DIGITAL AGE. Library Journal, 137(15), 26-28

Permalink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=80445399&site=eds-live

Ebooks may not require shelf space, but librarians are not exempt from weeding their digital collections. Alene Moroni's article about weeding in a digital age encourages librarians to retain useful materials, strive to keep the most accurate information, and consider whether or not what they keep is meaningful to patrons.

Removing an ebook from a collection requires several steps, such as contacting a vendor and manually removing the bibliographic record from the catalog. Collection maintenance tools can reveal which titles are in demand and as platforms become more sophisticated, developers are proving themselves to be receptive to librarians' needs for collection management tools.

Building and Managing E-book Collections: A How-To-Do-It Manual For Librarians by Richard Kaplan

DiBello, Amy 

Kaplan, R. (2012). Building and managing e-book collections: A how-to-do-it manual for librarians (A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians). Chicago, Ill.: Neal-Schuman.

This one goes out to all the library paraprofessionals who felt like they were thrown into the deep end of helping library patrons with their eReaders. Until this class, I didn't give much thought to the history of eBooks or how to build or manage an eBook collection. However, Richard Kaplan's book Building and Managing E-Book Collections: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians (which is part of our additional recommended reading) is a real treat. 

I had no idea about the complexities of digital license agreements, purchasing options, and how to coordinate print and digital titles while abiding by a budget. As a library patron, I enjoy books returning themselves and being able to download and read whatever I want from the comfort of my home. But the flip side for librarians is keeping up with high maintenance conditions of user agreements, selecting the best ebook platform, and negotiating with publishers.

This books addresses various scenarios about maintaining digital collections and staying in touch with patron wishes. Kaplan includes the experiences of librarians working in academic, public, and medical librarians to show why they made specific choices to sacrifice shelving spaces, participate in pilot programs, and lend out devices to patrons.

Learning From Rising Sixth Grade Readers: How Nooks Shaped Students’ Reading Behaviors During a Summer Independent Reading Initiative

Chapman, Sherry

Mitchell, C. (2015). Learning from rising sixth grade readers: How nooks shaped students’ reading behaviors during a summer independent reading initiative. Literacy Research and Instruction, 1-24.

https://www-tandfonline-com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.1080/19388071.2015.1061623?needAccess=true

Summary: This article is on a small study using Nooks loaded with 75 titles in a summer reading program for struggling sixth grade readers. The implications suggest that although this is a limited study, there is a perception that the electronic device providing access to a variety of ebook titles promotes reading for pleasure and has the potential to support and even promote literacy. Evaluation: I am struggling to get ebook access for my middle school students, and this article makes a good argument for student access to ebooks in spite of cost. Although it focuses on a project to prevent summer slide, the outcome can apply to all digital forms of reading and particularly access to ebooks all year. The responses from students show that a student will take a Nook loaded with 75 books everywhere with them all summer. They would not carry around 75 hard copy books. When they finish a book, they can easily access the next. Since they don’t know how long each book is, the result is sometimes reading a 400 page book they would not otherwise have read. I like the idea of this project and wish that my school district would let students keep their devices over the summer or create a reader device checkout system with an array of titles for those who want to read. This will be one of my quests in the coming year. I would love to develop a program like this

E-books: Are We on the Same Page?

Ogden, Kaylene

Bozarth, S., & Zhong, Y. (2016). E-books: Are we on the same page?. Journal Of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 28(4), 232-253

Summary:

EBooks are increasingly popular throughout all types of libraries. In order to effectively include eBooks in an academic library's collection, it is important that the library first determine students wants and needs so that the library does not spend its budget frivolously.  

For this study, a survey of students, staff and faculty was sent out, with a response of 630, the majority of which were student responses.  Demographic data was also gathered.  The study found that 62% of students had read an eBook compared to 84% of faculty, with the most common use of eBooks for students being personal, class assignment, and required text.  48% of students found eBooks through and internet search, compared to only 23% who used the library catalog.  Across all three categories, most respondents learned about the eBook collection from the survey itself, followed secondly by an instructor or librarian.  Use of eBooks was overwhelmingly done through Amazon.  The most common reasons for using eBooks were 24/7 access, extra features such as highlighting, price, and ability to search within the books.  In comparison to print, students were more likely to prefer print for required texts and digital for research.  While many respondents were not aware of the eBook collection, faculty said they were more likely to recommend eBooks to be purchased.  A major takeaway from this study is that the library's eBook collection needs better marketing.

Evaluation:

This article is a great example of how important it is to do research on current and potential users when trying to develop a collection.  A huge part of collection development is marketing, that means both knowing your market (the students, faculty, and staff) and promoting to them as well.  The findings about what kind of eBooks students and staff are most interested in will be useful for this particular library's collection.  It may have been more prudent to start this kind of "market research" before purchasing eBooks, in order to use the library's budget more effectively.  This research can't be generalized, but the idea is a great one that can be used by school, public, and academic libraries alike when deciding what sort of eBook collection to develop (or if they are going to develop one).  

Comparing print and ebooks for collection development purposes

Kathy Faubion

Haugh, D. (2016). How do you like your books: Print or digital? An analysis on print and e-book usage at the graduate school of education. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 28, 254-268. doi:10.1080/1941126X.2016.1243868

Descriptive Summary: This study was done to evaluate digital resources in a graduate academic library. As the amount of print materials purchased are decreasing and access to digital subscriptions is increasing, it is important to know what users want and will use. The study finds that both print and digital are still relevant. Libraries don’t need to have physical materials on all topics anymore, but they do need to make sure that access to electronic materials is reliable and accurate. Ebook use is also increasing in academic settings, though more slowly than database use. However, the study seeks to find how much and how well the growing digital collection is used. For budgetary purposes, it is important that no resource is superfluous. The study compares print and digital ebooks: How often they check out and how much they cost. The study notes that the user wants information on-demand, and electronic materials are always accessible and easily searched. However, drawbacks to ebooks include how many copy licenses can be purchased and how many concurrent users are allowed. The question to be answered is not how much digital access is offered in a purchased package, but how much digital access is being used by the patrons? The study concludes that digital additions should be patron-driven. If a resource is not used often by patrons, then it will be cheaper to keep a print copy over paying for digital access. If the resource is used frequently and concurrently, then it may be more cost-effective to purchase digital copies so long as the turn away rate isn’t too high. The study says a careful comparison of patron usage of print vs. digital is needed to be sure that budgets are being allocated efficiently for each format.

Evaluation: After reading this study, I would like to see something similar done in my public library.  We have the usage statistics, but a direct comparison of how much print and digital are used would help with efficient materials budget allocation.

Keywords: collection development, ebooks, books in print, digital acquisitions, materials budgeting

On eBooks in the Elementary School

Christopher Fluetsch

Hendricks, F. (2013). Ebooks in the elementary. Arkansas Libraries, 70 (1), 17.

Sun, T. (2014). Ebooks take hold - slowly. School Library Journal, 60 (12), 12.

Taylor, M. (2012). Digital reading: a look at a second grade class. School Library Monthly, 29 (2), 11-14.

Ebooks are a growing part of nearly every school library collection. Even libraries that do not intentionally invest in ebooks may find that physical copies come bundled with free e-versions of the text. There is as yet no widespread consensus on best practice uses for ebooks, but the literature on the subject is growing.

These three articles all address different aspects of ebook use. Sun’s article is a general overview. Hendricks provides us with a case study of her elementary school library. Taylor’s academic article addresses some of the literature on the subject to date before reporting on a specific second grade class.

According to Sun, ebook collection sizes are trending upwards. More than two-thirds of schools now offer ebooks of various kinds. Interestingly, such books are most often read on desktop computers, not on dedicated ebook readers or smart phones. In fact, school library collections tend to be directed towards classroom use and direct instruction, instead of pleasure reading or “flipped classroom” instructional models (Sun, 2014).

This corresponds to how Henricks describes ebooks in her school library. She reports a slow introduction of ebooks, along with parent and teacher directed training on accessing and using the books. At her school, students read ebooks using classroom devices like desktop computers and iPads. She has not yet seen much use of ebooks outside the classroom environment, but hopes to encourage such use in the future (Hendricks, 2013).

Taylor’s qualitative study looked specifically at how second grade students responded to ebooks. The study found that ebooks were about as popular as print texts with her subjects. They did not report much difference in preference, though ebooks read on computers were associated with positive feelings based on other computer activities. For instance, students who read an ebook on a computer on which they had previously played games felt more positively about the book than those who did not play the unrelated game (Taylor, 2013, 12).

Taylor specifically points out ways in which ebooks can be considered superior to print texts. Among these are the ability of students to share copies of the book more easily, the ability of ebooks to include audio components for second language and reluctant readers, and the ability of ebooks to be accessed from a variety of locations (Taylor, 2013, 13).

All three writers advocated for an expanded role for ebooks in the elementary school library, but from different points of view. All three article a useful starting points for a school librarian considering an ebooks collection.

Ebooks and the school library

Christopher Fluetsch

Lamb, A. & Johnson, L. (2014). EBooks and the school library. Teacher Librarian, 41 (3), 58-61.

The issue of whether to invest in a large ebook catalog is an important one for school libraries. Most school libraries function under severe funding constraints, and every purchase is an exercise in opportunity cost. The authors of this article offer some advice for making best practice ebook purchase decisions.

First, the authors strongly state that ebooks will not replace traditional print materials in most libraries. Instead, ebooks serve to supplement in those cases where it is more convenient or cost conscious to provide ebooks.

One case where ebooks work is in libraries with significant space and size restrictions. Useful, comprehensive  print collections can take up a lot of space, but ebook collections take up almost none. A school looking to turn the library into a learning commons might be attracted to the opportunity to eliminate the shelving needed to store a traditional collection.

Another case where ebooks make sense is when the desired book is out of print. There are a number of cases where ebook editions are still readily available, but actual print editions are only available through third party sellers.

Ebooks can be cheaper than print books, another major selling point for budget conscious school libraries. If a school library can buy twice as many ebooks as print books, it behoves the teacher librarian to strongly consider the benefits.

The authors encourage school libraries to partner with their local public libraries. The school librarian should think very carefully before duplicating the public library ebook collection. Instead, the school library should buy more specialized ebooks that are useful for the curriculum at that school, while leaving the best sellers to the public library.

Unfortunately, the article does not discuss any ethical issues with regard to access that ebooks can cause. Ebooks require an investment in ebook readers, and privileged students are more likely to have that kind of access. It would have been useful for the authors to discuss ways to make sure all student have equal access to the ebook collection.

Overall, this article is a useful introduction to the use of ebooks in school libraries.

Open eBooks app: Free access to hundreds of books for low-income students

Schlatter, Rebecca
INFO 266, Fall 2016

Vercelletto, C.(2016). Educators On the Open eBooks App:  Needs Work. School Library Journal.  Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2016/03/industry-news/educators-on-the-open-ebooks-app-needs-work/#_

Summary:

This article explains what the Open eBooks app is, who qualifies and how it works.  It then proceeds to discuss issues with the app and how it is being administered, recognizing that this is a brand new program and there are certainly bugs to work out.  It ends with an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the program.

Comment:

I chose this article because I thought some people might not be aware of the recently released app for low-income students.  I knew it was available for Title 1 schools, but did not realize libraries with high-poverty rates among patrons can also get codes for their patrons.  There are certainly problems with the roll out of this app, as addressed in the article, but every librarian, whether in schools or elsewhere, should be aware of the program as a possible connection for his or her library.

Smaller Libraries & Ebooks

Tracy, Anna

INFO 266, Fall 2016

Lukes, R., Markgren, S., & Thorpe, A. (2016). E-Book Collection Development: Formalizing a Policy for Smaller Libraries. Serials Librarian, 70(1-4), 106-115.

This article delves into research of whether or not collection development policies are necessary in regards to Ebooks and why.

There is much discussion of policies and the work that goes into policy decisions regarding the difference in Ebook acquisitions and book acquisitions. What a dense read, unless you’re into that sort of thing. I did find the section on patron driven acquisitions interesting, though the conclusion of this article would contradict my statements. It is nice to see collection development that is based upon patrons wants and needs. I so often have run into beautiful and amazing collections that never circulate, because though they are wonderful titles, it is of the interest of the purchaser and not that of the community in which they serve. At the end the article discusses a need for librarian roles to morph and merge and suggests a balance that I think we should all be striving to achieve throughout our careers in librarianship.