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).  

Surprising Results About Americans and Our Libraries

Brandes-Miesner, Marta

Raine, Lee (2014). 7 Surprises about our libraries in our surveys.
Retrieved from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/06/30/7-surprises-about-libraries-in-our-surveys/

Summary:

This is an article written by Lee Raine, director of internet, science and technology research at Pew Research Center. From surveys taken in 2013, it states that older Americans (65+) are the smallest age group likely to have used a library in the past year. Younger Americans (16-29) are the largest group, on par with all of the ages in between ages 30 through 64. The survey identifies a group referred to as “Distant Admirers” who make up nearly 15% of the population (16+) who have never been to a library but have very positive views of the library. These views are based on another family member being a library user, the belief that libraries promote literacy which can result in the improvement of communities and the quality of lives. Next is that although e-book reading is on the rise, only 4% of those 29% of Americans who have ever read an e-book have become “e-book only” readers. Of Americans who read both, their preferences are pretty evenly split depending upon circumstances. The survey also revealed that library users prefer to own books (purchase them) rather than to borrow them from the library. That is they are not necessarily purchasing them but they would prefer to, rather than borrow.  Additionally, despite librarians’ staunch support of patrons’ privacy, 64% of library users said they would be willing to use a Reader’s Advisory Service that would recommend reading materials to patrons based upon their previously checked out materials. The remainder said they would be “”very likely” to use it. Finally, library patrons were fairly evenly divided into thirds (yes, no and maybe) when asked about the future physical arrangement of library materials and whether or not they should be removed to make way for tech centers, reading rooms and spaces for cultural programs.

Evaluation:

This 2013 poll taken by the Pew Research Center turned out to be more surprising than not. Some results were expected for logical reasons, for example the impression of libraries in general, even by “Distant Admirers”. The first question about actual library usage did surprise me. I would have thought that there would have been more library use among older Americans. Traditionally (as the question about the impressions of libraries by non-users revealed) libraries are seen as an embodiment of our nation’s founding principles. They are institutions that symbolize life-long learning, knowledge, wisdom-ideas that are customarily associated with societies’ elders. However, the discomfort that many older Americans feel in regards to technology may be one reason among many for the lower percentage. The fact that young adults were among the largest groups would not be surprising given the number of people in school among this age group. However, one might expect more alternative resources given the availability of internet sources today. The question about library users preferring to own books rather than to borrow them may seem surprising at first, but upon reflection it makes sense-book lovers are book lovers. Lovers of knowledge are lovers of knowledge. One may not always have the ability to purchase their own reading material but that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t like own it in whatever format. Even as students, it would make sense that it is easier to study materials when one have the liberty to highlight, notate, etc. Over all, the results of the survey and article are interesting and worth consideration.

Urban Decay: A Survey Report of Urban School Libraries

Laudato, Maricar

AASL urban schools task force survey report. (2011). American Association of School Librarians Survey. (Survey). Chicago, IL.

Summary

A task force was created to gather information from urban librarians and library administrators about their current work situations and specific needs. Urban schools were determined to be those districts that served 40,000 or more students. Profile of urban students from the survey show that a significant majority of the students qualify for the free or reduced lunch program and are of minority ethnic/racial background. About a quarter of students are identified as being English Language Learners. While libraries should be positioned as the “equalizers” of society for the disenfranchised, many urban school libraries have print collections whose average age is 11 years or older. In addition, many urban school libraries face the challenge of being unable to provide sufficient access to computers and the internet in their libraries. In addition, the survey recounts how urban librarians feel that the level of online subscription database access is not as comprehensive in content as they would like it to be. In regards to staffing, roughly 1/3 of urban libraries are staffed by a full-time credentialed librarian. Most librarians are staffed by part-time credentialed librarians, non-credentialed teachers, or non-credentialed library aides. Furthermore, the great majority of libraries have seen a decrease in their budget over the past 2-5 years, despite already being underfunded in the first place. When the urban librarians were asked as to what were the top three needs that were necessary to support their libraries, the top three responses were: increased funding for books/programs, additional technology/hardware/tech support, and improved staffing.

When the urban library administrators’ answers were collected, they were more concerned with issues related to advocacy on behalf of the school librarian. For example, the administrators wanted to shed light on the contributions of school librarians to student achievement. In addition, they wanted to make professional development available to district librarians at minimal or no cost.

Evaluation

 

I’ve seen the gamut of school libraries. I currently work for a private high school library in an affluent neighborhood that has amazing resources: 32 shiny new PCs with large, flat touchscreen monitors, a Tech Service Center staffed by 2 full-time technicians, 4 lounge areas, 2 full-time librarians and 1 part-time librarian (all with either a MLIS or earning a MLIS) where the library is open 11 hours on Mondays-Thursdays, and for 9 hours on Friday. And I’ve been a student teacher in Downtown Los Angeles where students must make do with subpar computers with slow internet connectivity, which is staffed by one harried part-time non-credentialed staff member. And I’ve taught for a high school in Lawndale, CA where they didn’t even have a library at all. Usually the word “survey” bores me, but the fact that this was a survey conducted by AASL on urban schools is the reason this caught my eye, and I’m glad it did.