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Abstract

This article reports on a study of the awareness, perceptions and use of e-books by academic staff in Further Education (FE) colleges throughout Northern Ireland (NI). It is the first comprehensive study of e-book use by FE faculty in NI and fills a significant gap in the research literature on e-books in education, which has tended to focus on Higher Education and the university setting. Data was collected through an online survey which was distributed to FE faculty across NI. The findings show that although FE academic staff are receptive to e-books and welcome them as a resource, poor reading experience and lack of awareness of relevant titles have had an impact. In particular, the research found that 40% of academic staff, in post less than five years, had not used e-books. Greater availability of titles, promotion, and better integration within teaching and learning emerge as key requisites for effective service delivery and enhancement of e-books within FE, as does the need for better targeted instruction and training aimed at academic staff. Understanding patrons' views, awareness, needs, habits and expectations in relation to e-books is crucial to help direct collection content while budgets remain tight and physical space limited.

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... • The demand for e-books usage in education is growing because e-books sales are rising while paper/print books sales are declining; traditional book stores are closing, and libraries' use of e-books are increasing (Embong, Noor, Rafek, Othman, & Khalid, 2014;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Raynard, 2017;Tang & Barnett-Ellis, 2017;Walton, 2014;Wang & Bai, 2016). ...
... The demand for e-book use in education is growing because e-books sales are rising while paper/print books sales are declining; traditional book stores are closing, and libraries' use of e-books are increasing (Embong et al., 2014;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Raynard, 2017;Tang & Barnett-Ellis, 2017;Walton, 2014;Wang & Bai, 2016). Although massive funds have been made readily available for the deployment of e-book initiatives/ programs worldwide, academic, and scientific research efforts are limited, particularly in developing countries (Maxim & Maxim, 2012;Roslina et al., 2012;Wang & Bai, 2016). ...
... An e-book is a book created or converted to the digital format that is designed to be displayed and read digitally on the screens of a variety of ICT tools such as a desktop personal computer (PC), laptop PC, or any dedicated handheld mobile device such as a tablet, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), and e-reader (Embong et al., 2012;Hua et al., 2011;Rockinson-Szapkiw, Courduff, Carter, & Bennett, 2013;Tang & Barnett-Ellis, 2017;Yalman, 2015). In general, e-books are similar to their print counterparts while retaining the distinctiveness of the electronic medium, containing the following helpful and easy-to-use features/ functions: multimedia objects (e.g., texts, graphics, audios, videos, animations, and simulations); hyperlinks, interactive dictionaries/thesauruses, navigation, adjustable text display that allows for altering font size or type, screen-reading (i.e., text-to-speech and speech synthesis), highlighting, notetaking and annotating using digital ink, bookmarking and text marking, tagging, zooming (i.e., magnification), searching and cross referencing, sharing, printing, downloading, copying, wireless (Wi-Fi) communications and 3G/4G/5G network connectivity, interactivity (e.g., interactive touch), reference materials, monographs, and 24/7 accessibility/ availability (Aharony, 2014;Cavanaugh, 2006;Embong et al., 2012;Kao, Tsai, Liu, & Yang, 2016;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Raynard, 2017;Schomisch, The Genesis and Development of E-Books E-books were first introduced as a tool in the beginning of the 1970s by Dr. Michael Hart at the University of Illinois with Project Gutenberg and the Oxford Test Archive. The project aimed to digitize public domain conventional printed books and distribute them for free to everyone worldwide (Embong et al., 2012;Kör, Aksoy, & Erbay, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Wikipedia, 2017). ...
Article
هدفت هذه الدراسة البحثية إلى تعرّف اتّجاهات طلبة جامعة الكويت ومستوى إلمامهم ومدى وكيفية استخدامهم ودرجة رضاهم نحو الكتب الإلكترونية. وبشكل خاص، ستساهم الدراسة في تطوير خدمة الكتب الإلكترونية التي تقدّمها جامعة الكويت، وستُساعد على ضمان توفير الجامعة لأفضل الخدمات الأكاديمية المُمكنة في المستقبل. اعتمدت الدراسة على منهج البحث الكمّي؛ وبالأخص المنهجية الوصفيّة الاستكشافية الرصدية (وبالتحديد، النموذج البحثي المقترح ICTAM). تمّ قياس آراء الطلبة واتّجاهاتهم نحو الكتب الإلكترونية باستخدام أداة الدراسة الرئيسة - الاستبانة الإلكترونية - التي تمّ بناؤها بكل دقّة وموضوعيّة، كما تمّ تحكيمها لقياس صدقها من قبل الأساتذة المُختصّين. وبعد ذلك تمّ تجربتها على عيّنة استطلاعية للتأكّد من ثباتها وذلك باستخدام معامل الاتساق الداخلي كرونباخ ألفا Cronbach`s alpha. أمّا بالنسبة لتوزيع أداة الدراسة فتمّ ذلك في الفصل الدراسي الثاني من العام الأكاديمي 2017-2018 بطريقةٍ آليّةٍ إلكترونيةٍ (باستخدام وسائل وأدوات وخدمات تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتّصالات). بعد تطبيق الدراسة وجمع البيانات، تمّ تفريغها في برنامج التحليل الإحصائي SPSS لمُعالجتها ومن ثمّ استخراج البيانات الإحصائية والتحليلات اللازمة للإجابة عن أسئلة الدراسة. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة ما يأتي: (1) إنّ نحو ثلاثة أرباع الطلبة كان لديهم إلمام ووعي بالكتب الإلكترونية واستخداماتها التربوية؛ ولكنْ في المقابل ربع عددهم كانوا على علم ودراية بخدمة الكتب الإلكترونية التي توفّرها الجامعة؛ (2) أكثر من ثلث الطلبة المشاركين لديهم قناعة بأنّ الكتب الإلكترونية شائعة الاستخدام في العملية التربوية - سواء كان ذلك بديلاً للكتب والمصادر التقليدية المطبوعة أو مواردَ وأدواتٍ مساعدةً في الفصول الدراسية - وإنَّ نحو أكثر من ثلاثة أرباعهم كانوا قد استخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية مُسبّقاً؛ ولكن وعلى الرغم من ذلك فإنّ نحو ما يقارب من ربع عدد الطلبة فقط أكّدوا استخدامهم لخدمة الكتب الإلكترونية الجامعية؛ (3) أكّد نحو ثلاثة أرباع الطلبة الذين استخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية في السابق، وثلث الطلبة الذين لم يستخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية قطّ - سهولةَ استخدامها؛ (4) شدّد ما يقارب من ثلاثة أرباع الطلبة الذين استخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية مسبّقاً، ونحو نصف عدد الطلبة الذين لم يستخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية قط - على مدى أهمية الكتب الإلكترونية في العملية التربوية وفوائدها التربوية المتعددة؛ (5) أكثر من نصف عدد الطلبة المشاركين ممّن استخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية آنفاً، وأكثر من ثلث الطلبة الذين لم يستخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية قط - أدركوا وأكّدوا مدى أهمية الكتب الإلكترونية للمنظومة التربوية وكذلك لقطاع العمل؛ (6) إنّ نحو ثلثي عدد الطلبة ممّن استخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية في السالف قد أعْربوا عن رضاهم حول خبرتهم في استخدام الكتب الإلكترونية؛ و(7) أكّد أكثر من ثلثي الطلبة المشاركين ممّن لديهم خبرة مسبّقة في استخدام الكتب الإلكترونية نيّتَهم بالاستمرار في استخدامها مستقبلاً، وكذلك شدّد نحو نصف الطلبة ممّن لم يستخدموا الكتب الإلكترونية قطّ على نيّتهم ورغبتهم في استخدامها بالمستقبل. ستُمكّنُنا نتائج الدراسة البحثية من تحديد ما إذا كان هناك أولوية وحاجة ضرورية وملحّة لتوظيف استخدام الكتب الإلكترونية في العملية التربوية - بشقّيها التعليمي والتعلّمي - في جامعة الكويت بشكل خاص، وفي بقية مؤسسات التعليم العالي في دولة الكويت بشكل عام؛ وهذا إضافةً إلى قطاع التعليم العام PK-12. الكلمات المفتاحية: الكتب الإلكترونية، الكتب الرقمية، النشر الإلكتروني، الإلمام/الوعي، الاستخدام، الاتّجاهات، الآراء/التصوّرات، سلوك المستخدم، درجة الرضا، قبول التكنولوجيا، نموذج قبول التكنولوجيا (TAM)، نموذج قبول تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتّصالات (ICTAM)، المكتبات الأكاديمية، التعليم العالي، طلبة الجامعة، دراسات المستخدم.
... • The demand for e-books usage in education is growing because e-books sales are rising while paper/print books sales are declining; traditional book stores are closing, and libraries' use of e-books are increasing (Embong, Noor, Rafek, Othman, & Khalid, 2014;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Raynard, 2017;Tang & Barnett-Ellis, 2017;Walton, 2014;Wang & Bai, 2016). ...
... The demand for e-book use in education is growing because e-books sales are rising while paper/print books sales are declining; traditional book stores are closing, and libraries' use of e-books are increasing (Embong et al., 2014;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Raynard, 2017;Tang & Barnett-Ellis, 2017;Walton, 2014;Wang & Bai, 2016). Although massive funds have been made readily available for the deployment of e-book initiatives/ programs worldwide, academic, and scientific research efforts are limited, particularly in developing countries (Maxim & Maxim, 2012;Roslina et al., 2012;Wang & Bai, 2016). ...
... An e-book is a book created or converted to the digital format that is designed to be displayed and read digitally on the screens of a variety of ICT tools such as a desktop personal computer (PC), laptop PC, or any dedicated handheld mobile device such as a tablet, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), and e-reader (Embong et al., 2012;Hua et al., 2011;Rockinson-Szapkiw, Courduff, Carter, & Bennett, 2013;Tang & Barnett-Ellis, 2017;Yalman, 2015). In general, e-books are similar to their print counterparts while retaining the distinctiveness of the electronic medium, containing the following helpful and easy-to-use features/ functions: multimedia objects (e.g., texts, graphics, audios, videos, animations, and simulations); hyperlinks, interactive dictionaries/thesauruses, navigation, adjustable text display that allows for altering font size or type, screen-reading (i.e., text-to-speech and speech synthesis), highlighting, notetaking and annotating using digital ink, bookmarking and text marking, tagging, zooming (i.e., magnification), searching and cross referencing, sharing, printing, downloading, copying, wireless (Wi-Fi) communications and 3G/4G/5G network connectivity, interactivity (e.g., interactive touch), reference materials, monographs, and 24/7 accessibility/ availability (Aharony, 2014;Cavanaugh, 2006;Embong et al., 2012;Kao, Tsai, Liu, & Yang, 2016;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Raynard, 2017;Schomisch, The Genesis and Development of E-Books E-books were first introduced as a tool in the beginning of the 1970s by Dr. Michael Hart at the University of Illinois with Project Gutenberg and the Oxford Test Archive. The project aimed to digitize public domain conventional printed books and distribute them for free to everyone worldwide (Embong et al., 2012;Kör, Aksoy, & Erbay, 2014;Rafiq & Warraich, 2016;Wikipedia, 2017). ...
Article
Full-text available
This study aims to analyze Kuwait University (KU) students’ awareness, use, attitudes, and satisfaction pertaining to e-books. Students’ views and perceptions were measured using an online survey questionnaire that was distributed in KU’s colleges during the spring semester of the 2017-2018 academic year. The research design that was newly proposed by this study—information and communication technology acceptance model (ICTAM)— revealed several interesting results such as the following: (1) almost three-fourths of the students were aware of e-books and their uses in education; however, only approximately one-fourth were aware of KU’s e-books service; (2) more than one-third of students believed that e-books are broadly adopted into education whether as an alternative/companion medium to printed textbooks/books or supplementary materials for the classroom, and more than three-fourths of them had used e-books earlier; yet, only approximately one-quarter had previously used KU’s e-books service; (3) almost three-fourths of students from among those who had used e-books earlier and one-third of students from among those who had not used e-books ever perceived its ease of use; (4) approximately three-fourths of students from among those who had experienced using e-books previously and almost one-half of students among those who had not used e-books at all perceived its usefulness and effectiveness for education; (5) more than one-half of students from among those who had used e-books earlier, and more than one-third of students from among those who had not used e-books ever perceived its importance/significance for education and work; (6) almost two-thirds of students from among those who had used e-books before reported being satisfied with their experience of using e-books; and (7) more than two-thirds of students from among those who have already used e-books have confirmed that they will continue to use e-books in the future, and almost one-half of students from among those who have not used e-books of any kind reported their intention and motivation to use e-books in the future.
... E-books are defined as any form of publication that exists in electronic format and is read on an electronic device, while a print book is text that is read on a paper [4]. It is said that, "in general, e-books are defined as digitised versions of the paper-based book that can be delivered on a variety of electronic platforms, ranging from personal computers to mobile devices" [5]. A print book on the other hand is, "a set of written, printed or blank sheets bound together between a front and back cover" [6]. ...
... They responded that using an e-reader helps them to connect ideas in new ways, aids them to take part in the course activity to enhance learning, and assists in application of course material to solve problems. Students also reported that e-books enable them to easily search and share information [5]. Majority of the respondents also regarded the 24/7 access and availability, remote access, a range of titles to choose from, search tools, speed and convenience as attributes of the positive perception that they had towards e-books. ...
... This is in line with findings by [22] that, when it came to comparing the three options, the option of reading both e-books and print books scored much higher than print or e-books alone. Similarly, [5] established that using both formats was the most popular response of those who were surveyed. Results by [29] show that the highest number of students preferred to have both formats, an electronic textbook and a printed textbook. ...
Article
Full-text available
p class="0abstract">Technology advent has been transforming students’ perceptions and preferences mostly on how they acquire information and learn. The way students perceive e-books and print books significantly influences the format they prefer to use for academic purposes. Recently, the accessibility of e-books on assorted mobile gadgets is substituting the conventional print based resources which are regarded costly in production, sharing and also heavy. Differing views on the format (e-book or print) that students prefer for academic purposes to improve their educational experience exist of which most studies have been done in developed countries. Therefore, a research that reveals students’ perceptions and preferences towards the two book formats in the nation of South Africa can afford a better understanding and conclusion on an African student. This study aimed to determine students’ preference on using e-books and print books in meeting academic information needs based on perceptions. The study adopted a cross-sectional research design and a questionnaire as a research instrument which was administered to students at the University of Fort Hare. Findings revealed that students preferred using both (e-books and print books) for their academic needs. Moreover, they perceived e-books to be as good as print books, easy and friendly to use and capable of providing sufficient information to meet educational needs. </p
... In a study of academic staff in further education colleges in Northern Ireland knowledge of E-books, more than half, 65%, learned about the format through email notifications from the college librarian. Additional sources of information regarding E-books at this institution included library tours, the library website, and the library staff (Mulholland & Bates, 2014). Moreover, half of students responding to the survey at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology at the University of Malaysia (2005) pointed to the library website as providing information on E-books (Ismail & Zainab, 2005). ...
... The literature suggested users appreciated the numerous advantages of E-books. Some of the E-book features noted by research respondents included anytime access, search capability, translation options, text sharing, cutting and pasting, currency, space saving, portability, online referencing, and environmentally friendly (Abdullah & Gibb, 2008a;Ahmad & Brogan, 2016;Appleton, 2004;Borchert et al., 2009;Bozarth & Zhong, 2016;Briddon et al., 2009;Chu, 2003;Croft & Davis, 2010;Gilbert & Fister, 2015;Goertzen & Bakkalbasi, 2016;Hernon, Hopper, Leach, Saunders, & Zhang, 2007;Hoseth & McLure, 2012;Jacoby, 2016;Ismail & Zainab, 2005;Al Saadi et al., 2017;Letchumanan & Tarmizi, 2010;Li, Poe, Potter, Quigley, & Wilson, 2011;Levine-Clark, 2006;Lopatovska et al., 2014;Ongoz & Baki, 2010;Rod-Welch et al., 2013;Lopatovska, Pattuelli, Lange, & Orlofsky, 2013;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Rojeski, 2012;Rowlands, Nicholas, Jamali, & Huntington, 2007;Shelburne, 2009;Smyth & Carlin, 2012;Vasileiou et al., 2012;Waters, Roach, Emde, McEathron, & Russell, 2014;Wu & Chen, 2011;Yalman, 2015;Zhang & Beckman, 2011). A survey of university students in 36 academic institutions in Turkey identified the biggest advantage of E-books as accessibility (68%) and ease of archiving the format (58%) (Cumaoglu, Sacici, & Torun, 2013). ...
... Survey respondents identified personal computers, laptops, smart phones, tablets, and E-readers as the devices they utilized to access E-books (Ahmad & Brogan, 2016;Bozarth & Zhong, 2016;Carroll et al., 2016;Chong et al., 2008;Gregory, 2008;Hwang et al., 2014;Jacoby & Flinchbaugh, 2016;Levine-Clark, 2006;Wang & Bai, 2016). Desktops and laptops remained especially popular among research participants for accessing E-books (Bozarth & Zhong, 2016;Carroll et al., 2016;Hwang et al., 2014;Lenares, Smith, & Boissy, 2012;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Waters et al., 2014). However, research at Pepperdine University suggested more than half of survey respondents preferred to use an iPad or similar tablet to access E-books (Brahme & Gabriel, 2012). ...
Article
This article presents a systematic review of ebook user studies from 2001 to 2017. It focused on qualitative and quantitative studies that examined academic user groups’ attitudes and interactions with ebooks. The review aimed to reveal users’ knowledge of the ebook format, their ability to define an ebook, their awareness of ebooks’ availabilities from the institutions’ libraries, as well as their appreciation of ebooks’ advantages. The authors also considered respondents’ usage of ebooks such as the devices that fostered ebook access, internet avenues individuals’ utilized to locate the materials, printing and downloading of ebooks and the time individuals’ spent reading ebooks online and the frequency of their access. The literature illustrated the importance of ebooks to all members of the academic community for research and coursework. Still, studies pointed to a lack of awareness or familiarity among students, faculty, and staff of their institution’s ebooks especially with the format’s features and the various collections owned by the university. To that end, it is especially critical that librarians promote ebooks to all potential users.
... Se o avanço da popularidade dos livros em formato digital (Herrero, 2020;Porto, 2020) faz com que este nicho de mercado esteja em expansão, por outro lado, esse crescimento está ainda abaixo das expectativas (Mota, 2019). Assim, se o quadro apresentado mostra a inadequação do antigo modelo de negócio, mostra também um vasto espaço para a inovação nesse setor (Reis e Rozados, 2016), e em particular no contexto educacional (Mulholland e Bates, 2014;Gomes, 2014). Muito tem-se discutido sobre o livro digital, sua usabilidade, legitimidade e a maneira que as livrarias e editoras têm conduzido suas atividades mercadológicas (Virginio e Nicolau, 2015;Coutinho e Pestana, 2015;Ribeiro, 2012). ...
... Sua forma mais simples é uma versão eletrônica do livro impresso, mas pode incorporar, além de texto, recursos como diversos tipos de mídias, ferramentas de navegação e de anotação. Porém, os livros físicos ainda têm a preferência dos consumidores, e alguns estudos apontam para a coexistência e complementaridade dos dois formatos, não havendo efetivamente a substituição de um por outro (Mulholland e Bates, 2014;Zhang e Kudva, 2014). ...
Article
Full-text available
O avanço das Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação faz com que os mundos real e digital se aproximem cada vez mais. Artefatos antes disponíveis fisicamente, agora são oferecidos também em formato digital. Livros, cuja produção tradicional demanda quantidades consideráveis de recursos naturais, podem agora ser encontrados na forma digital, com recursos multimídia e formas inovadoras de organização do conhecimento, particularmente interessantes no contexto educacional. Porém, poucas iniciativas servem-se adequadamente desses recursos. Este trabalho investiga o uso de ontologias para a organização de conteúdos de livros digitais. As soluções propostas foram analisadas segundo normas de qualidade e proposto um modelo para a produção de e-books, com novos recursos para suporte à leitura, como roteiro de estudo, mapa de conhecimento, recomendação de leitura internas ou externas, criação automática de perguntas e glossário.
... Digital writing is becoming increasingly popular and well accepted in the educational setting (Embong et al., 2012;Fojtika, 2015;Huang et al., 2012;Lebert, 2009;Marshall, 2010;Mulholland & Bates, 2014). A piece of digital writing resembles a print book, only with pixels instead of toner (Marshall, 2010). ...
... Cassidy et al. (2012) state that when displaying e-book on a digital screen, user will find value in the numerous displaying tools (e.g., ability to zoom in closer, adjust font face, and adjust color, size, brightness, and contrast). Mulholland and Bates (2014) claim that when teachers realize the usefulness of e-books in the teaching and learning process, e-books will be used more to improve their students' performance. ...
... According to Cavanaugh [9], Atrakul and Hu [10] e-book reader software is often pre-installed on handheld devices, hence making it easily accessible to users. The cost of e-reader devices, poor navigation, available of titles, poor screen presentation digital right unavailability of texts, Internet access and lack of an industry standard are factors which have contributed to the slow adoption rate of e-books [11,12]. Some of the features (such as online availability and search availability) which e-books possess are regarded as an advantage for some users and a disadvantage for others [12]. ...
... The cost of e-reader devices, poor navigation, available of titles, poor screen presentation digital right unavailability of texts, Internet access and lack of an industry standard are factors which have contributed to the slow adoption rate of e-books [11,12]. Some of the features (such as online availability and search availability) which e-books possess are regarded as an advantage for some users and a disadvantage for others [12]. The spread and popularity of mobile phones and digital devices such as tablets and smartphones, have greatly influenced the adoption of e-books as these devices are more versatile than dedicated e-readers, which can only be used to view e-books [13,14]. ...
Conference Paper
The invention of the web and evolution of mobile technology has brought about changes in today's teaching and learning styles. They have also changed the dynamics of how resources such as study materials for students learning, are being disseminated. With these invention and evolution, study materials are now increasingly being disseminated in electronic format popularly referred to as eBook. E-books are gradually becoming the popular means of sharing learning information with students, and hence, they are becoming easy to access within most educational institutions. However, in spite of its benefits, studies have shown that students are facing challenges with regards to its adoption. This study was conducted to identify the challenges faced by students in the adoption of e-books. A quantitative research design was employed in the study; hence 250 questionnaires were distributed to students. The findings of the study show that poor screen presentation and resolution, digital rights and page navigation are some of the challenge's students face, in the adoption of e-books. The findings, however, also shows that students prefer e-books due to their accessibility, cost effectiveness and ease of use. The study concludes by proposing some possible means of managing the identified challenges.
... However, students who preferred electronic textbooks were inclined by their low cost, portability, and ease of access. In the same line of thought, Millar and Schrier [36] reported that the primary reason students preferred print to electronic textbooks was that "printed textbooks were more convenient than electronic textbooks" (p. 182). ...
... According to the findings, the top "strong" reasons for preferring print over electronic textbooks are ease of use, readability, portability, and ease of highlighting and taking notes. These reasons are similar to those found by Khalid [27] and Millar and Schrier [36]. It's worth to mention that these reasons came as no surprise to the researchers since they are the most cited advantages of the print format in literature. ...
Article
Full-text available
Although print textbooks have been central for schooling for more than two centuries, electronic textbooks (e-textbooks) are steadily growing in popu-larity among students at all levels of education. This sharp growth has esca-lated the need for further research to enable a better understanding of the changing patterns of students’ usage of print and electronic media. The study explores college students’ usage of and preference for print and elec-tronic textbooks in Bahrain Teachers’ College, in Bahrain. The sample of the study consisted of 271 undergraduate students selected from courses that utilized both formats of textbook as clearly indicated in their syllabi. De-scriptive analyses were used to analyze data collected. Results indicate that regardless of textbook format, the highest percentage of students use their textbooks only when their instructors require them to do so. For print text-books, results show that the highest percentage of students spend between 1 to 3 hours a week on reading. However, for e-textbooks, the highest per-centage of students spend only less than 1 hour per week on reading. An in-teresting finding for this study is that compared to print textbooks, e-textbooks gain a higher percentage of students’ usage when it comes to spending higher numbers of hours of reading per week. The study affirms that students are in general positive to the use of electronic format but still show a preference for print format as the best medium for academic study. Lastly, the study uncovers reasonable findings as to why students prefer one textbook format over the other.
... According to Bhkuham et al. (2012), the lack of effective information retrieval skills is a factor affecting users' access to electronic information. Mulholland and Bates (2014) recommended better-targeted instruction and training aimed at academic staff and students. Information literacy training at UNAM is at its initial stage, there is no formal program and the training is not integrated in the curriculum. ...
... Greater availability of titles, promotion and better integration within teaching and learning emerge as key requisites for effective service delivery and enhancement of e-books use in academic libraries (Mulholland and Bates, 2014). Due to the multidisciplinary nature of UNAM and the fact that most programmes are offered at satellite campuses that are not geographically close to each other, an investment in e-books instead of buying multiple copies for each campus will be cost effective. ...
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Purpose The purpose of the paper is to determine how undergraduate students at the University of Namibia perceive and use e-books. This paper aims to report on the result of a study that investigated the adoption of, views about and use of e-books at the University of Namibia. Design/methodology/approach The study used a mixed-method approach. It used three methods, namely, focus group interviews, observation combined with the think aloud and a survey to investigate how undergraduate students use e-books. Findings Major findings of the study indicated that students use and prefer e-books for course and research purposes. But they mainly use non-library search engines such as Google, Yahoo and commercial sites. Lack of searching skills, slow/unreliable internet and limited or lack of relevant content of e-book collections were the major hindrances affecting e-book use. Originality/value The findings of the study could be used to understand the use of e-books at the University of Namibia and at academic institutions with similar context to Namibia. The study contributes to the knowledge base of library and information science (LIS) by providing a detailed analysis on the views and use of e-books at the University of Namibia. The recommendations of this study can be adopted by libraries in other countries with similar socio-economic conditions like Namibia.
... thus, it is easily approachable and flexible for self-directed learning and can be used in clinical settings. like electronic books, they are preferred for searches, information retrieval, and convenience [39]. therefore, attending physicians can make an initial critical decision for their patients whenever they face the problem of caDRs in real practice. ...
Article
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Background Cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) remain a challenge for non-dermatologists. Medical-related applications to assist in learning about and managing patients with CADRs are scarce. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a web application for non-dermatologists in managing CADRs by comparing the knowledge scores of users and non-users. Materials and Methods A multicenter randomized controlled trial was conducted between January 2023 and May 2023. Clinician participants were randomized (1:1) into the application and control groups using a simple randomization method. Knowledge scores between the groups were compared to evaluate the efficacy of the web application, and participants’ perspectives on the application were also collected. Results A total of 44 clinician participants were included in the final analysis. The median age was 33.0 years (95% confidence interval (CI) 27.5–35.0) and predominantly female (56.8%). The score in the application group (median, 27.0; 95% CI, 25.0–28.0) was significantly higher than that in the control group (median, 14.0; 95% CI 13.0–17.0) (p < 0.001). There were no differences in scores between the sex groups (p = 0.695), between general practitioners (GPs) and non-GPs (p = 0.93), or among groups with different frequencies of evaluation of patients with CADRs (p = 0.266). In addition, the participants in the application group rated a high level of overall satisfaction. Conclusion The web application for CADRs is an effective and convenient tool for assisting non-dermatologist physicians in learning and providing initial management with a high level of satisfaction. However, prospective long-term randomized controlled studies are required to confirm the efficacy of this tool.
... Another study developed a mind-mapping-based handbook for an introductory Economics course, which was found to be highly suitable and effective in terms of content, language, and presentation (Bintoro et al., 2022). Furthermore, handbooks have been utilized to enhance early reading skills in elementary school students, yielding positive results in terms of suitability and effectiveness (Mulholland & Bates, 2014). These findings highlight the potential of handbooks as practical and effective learning resources in higher education. ...
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Background: the religious values play a crucial role in shaping the character and morals of students, and understanding the views of lecturers regarding this matter can provide profound insights to enhance higher education. Aim: Analyzing lecturers' perceptions regarding Islamic values entails focusing on their awareness levels, integration of religious values into the curriculum, the role of lecturers in shaping character, institutional support, and the influence of understanding Islamic values on students' morality. Method: This research employed a survey method involving 60 lecturers as respondents. The survey comprised structured questions covering the importance level of Islamic values, their integration into the curriculum, the role of lecturers, institutional support, and perspectives regarding the influence of understanding Islamic values on students. Results and Dıscussion: The survey results indicate that a majority of the lecturers are aware of the significance of Islamic values (91.6%), and most of them (80%) feel that these values are sufficiently integrated into the curriculum. There is substantial support for the role of lecturers in shaping Islamic character (88.4%), and a significant portion of the lecturers (78.3%) feel they receive adequate institutional support. Overall, the results reflect a positive outlook from the lecturers regarding Islamic values. Conclusion This research highlights the importance of supporting lecturers in strengthening their role as character-forming agents and emphasizes the necessity of integrating religious values into higher education curricula. The implications of these findings can assist in designing policies and more holistic educational strategies, fostering an educational environment focused on the development of student character and morality.
... (Hoffman & Paciga,2014;Mulholland & Bates, 2014 ;Wang & Bai ,2016;Raynard, 2017 ;Wu,2002;Wu&Chen, 2014) (Jeske et al., 2013;Maatta & Bonnici, 2014 ;Jovanovic et al., 2017;Yin & Hwang, 2018;Susanto et al., 2022;Sari et al., 2022;Wen et al., 2022). (Hassan et al., 2009;D'Ambra et al., 2012;Cuddihy et al., 2012;Fernardes, et al.,2013;Madhavi, &Vanaja , 2013;Hsiao & Chen, 2015;Dias & Wives, 2018;Asrowi et al.,2019;Mufit et al., 2022;Suprapto et al., 2022) (Mor et al., 2006;Wecker et al., 2007;Eyuboglu & Orhan, 2009;Huang & Liang, 2014 ---------------------------------------------------- ==================== ================= 1 Model ------------------------------------- *** (0.56) 27.41 (Intercept) ‫مجمىعةالنمط‬ ‫الشبكً‬ * (0.79) 1.83 ‫مقارنةالشبكً‬ ‫والتقلٍدي‬ *** (0.94) 20.44 - ------------------------------------- 0.===================================== 2 Model ------------------------------------- *** (1.08) 69.70 (Intercept) ‫الشبكً‬ 53) (1. ...
... Las organizaciones profesionales no han sido ajenas a estas dificultades (European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations, 2013; Federación Española de Sociedades de Archivística, Biblioteconomía, Documentación y Museística; 2021; International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, 2021, etc.) y los informes anuales del Grupo de Trabajo de Seguimiento del Servicio de Préstamo Digital (2015-2023) del Consejo de Cooperación Bibliotecaria (CCB), integrado por personal bibliotecario en representación de las CCAA y del Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte, reflejan las necesidades y carencias de eBiblio detectadas por estos profesionales, así como las acciones llevadas a cabo para dar solución a estos problemas. Así mismo, han proliferado los estudios de usuarios, especialmente en el entorno académico (Mulholland y Bates, 2014;Romano, 2015;Martindale y otros, 2015;Ahmad y Brogan, 2016;Bozarth y Zhong, 2016;Mangan, 2017, etc.). ...
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La integración de los servicios de préstamo de libro electrónico en los procesos y tareas que desarrollan los trabajadores en las bibliotecas públicas es un elemento clave para la consolidación de la lectura digital entre sus usuarios. Se analiza si los factores sociodemográficos y laborales, los conocimientos, la autopercepción, las opiniones y los hábitos relativos a la lectura y al préstamo electrónico de los profesionales de las bibliotecas públicas gallegas influyen en la integración que éstos hacen de GaliciaLe en el contexto laboral. Los resultados obtenidos a través del cuestionario dirigido al personal de la Red de Bibliotecas Públicas de Galicia permiten concluir que los conocimientos, la autopercepción y los hábitos de los trabajadores en su tiempo libre inciden en el empleo de GaliciaLe en el entorno de trabajo y ponen de relieve la necesidad de una mayor capacitación y autopercepción de estos profesionales con el fin de integrar el manejo de estos servicios en su labor diaria y de mejorar la atención a sus usuarios.
... It is crucial for the library staff to promote e-books and offer guidance regarding the enhancement of e-books, as the research shows librarians play a very important role in promoting e-books within colleges (Mulholland & Bates, 2014 Although, some publishers are more inclined to, instead of the term e-book, use the term interactive storybooks, interactive e-books, books in app, etc. for referring to a medium of e-book containing some sort of enhancement (Aptara, 2013;codeMantra, 2013;Florjanič, 2015). ...
Article
Purpose: The aim of this paper is to present the results of a survey on the usage of e-books and enhanced e-books among students in Slovenia. The main research objective was to determine factors influencing students’ perception of e-books and enhanced e-books. Methodology/approach: Quantitative methods were used to explore the e-book usage among students. The units of analysis were Slovenian students of graphic arts technology (N = 230, 18 % men, 82 % women) at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering aged between 18 and 30. The research was conducted during the first semester of the 2014/2015 academic year. ANOVA and t-tests were used to determine statistically significant differences. Results: The analysis showed that printed books were preferred for learning, even by e-book users. E-book users are more familiar with enhanced e-books and have higher intentions to use them in the future. Practicality of e-books positively influences the frequency of e-book usage, while problems with focus and concentration when reading on the screen affect it negatively. Research restrictions: The research explores students’ attitude to e-books in general. No particular field of e-books is emphasized. The originality: This research is one of the first to study the e-books usage in relation to students’ attitude towards enhanced e-books. Contribution: This paper gives an insight on the receptiveness of students to e-books and enhanced e-books and can serve as the basis for future researches.
... Ebook mungkin hanya versi digital dari buku cetak, atau mungkin terlahir digital (Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Mishra, 2017) yang kini semakin dikembangkan terkait berbagai fitur yang disediakan dalam E-Book untuk memaksimalkan kepuasan pengguna (Nadhifah, 2022). Sesuai dengan pendapat Lowdermilk, et al., (2019) terkait manfaat E-Book yaitu mampu mengatasi keberagaman pola belajar dan memberikan layanan bagi generasi pelajar yang lebih digital dari pendahulunya. ...
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This article discusses an innovation of facilities and infrastructure to support the quality of education in Indonesia. Difficulties in the distribution and outreach of facilities and infrastructure such as textbooks to schools that are far from the center of government are also an obstacle. This causes the problem of uneven distribution of education in Indonesia. For this reason, innovation is needed so that students access the information they should get easily and affordable throughout the archipelago. The purpose of writing this article is to explain the effect of using technology media, namely electronic books or ebooks for schools. This research is a literature study. This article discusses the use of electronic books or ebooks as supporting educational facilities and infrastructure after the Covid-19 pandemic.
... According to Mulholland et al. [7], students who use digital books for studying had stronger affective and psychomotor learning than students who utilize textbooks. The mobile learning management system, as a novel platform in the educational environment, is thought to be extremely adaptable to student learning styles [8]. ...
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The Covid-19 pandemic turned educational institutions from face-to-face to modular learning modality. Through the implementation of distance learning scheme in the Philippines, Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) also adapted this new normal learning strategy through development of mobile-based course modules for distance learning as an alternative to its present modular distance learning approach. Paper-based modules seemed to be expensive and sometimes texts are not clear and readable. Thus, students get bored and perform low at school. As a response, a mobile-based course learning module is developed for offline learners. This study employs Waterfall model in the development of the application. This model follows several phases from designing, developing and testing the application to ensure its quality. The findings of the study show that the application is highly usable and functional after series of tests conducted. Moreover, it gained 88.75 overall score in the System Usability test conducted. This implies that the application is usable, user-friendly, functional, and portable. A further study may be conducted on the effectiveness of the mobile application in the instruction.
... Proponents of the "print are dead" mainly emphasized the benefits of using digital textbooks and referred to studies that confirmed the positive effects of the use of digital textbooks. Some of the most often mentioned benefits from the use of digital textbooks confirmed reported in studies are improved usability and functionality (Mulholland, E., and Bates, J., 2014), catering equally to all students with different learning abilities (Hukill et al., 2017); ubiquitous items, interactive, provided multi-media, enabled printing on-demand, thus saving paper, and could cater to individual learning styles (Davy, 2007); greater flexibility and accessibility (Woody et al., 2010); increased portability, increased visual appeal and more convenience and interactivity (Wang and Bai, 2016). Rao (2001) found them to be convenient, less expensive than printed copies, portable, and instantly available. ...
Conference Paper
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The Covid-19 pandemic is seen by many in the world as a "booster dose" for more rapid digitalization in schools and universities. Research in the past mainly reported inconclusive results about students' preferences for digital textbooks, although there are significant advances in information technology development and the availability of digital textbooks. We think that preferences have many contextual underlying causes, and they cannot be simply detached and measured only through the behavioral choice (print vs. digital textbook) neglecting the broader context. Hence, we propose conducting a thorough systematic literature review (SLR) on studies that investigated the preferences of three key stakeholders' students, teachers, and parents to better understand the potential contextual circumstances that trigger certain preferences. This short paper forms the first step towards creating a deeper understanding of preferences for digital textbooks as a phenomenon and research area among IS researchers.
... E-books are considered lightweight and convenient to bring along. Therefore, it is very convenient for students to get access to the learning material without the constraint of time and location Broadhurst, 2017;Hendrix et al., 2016;Millar & Schrier, 2015;Muir & Hawes, 2013;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Shelburne, 2009;Tang & Barnett-Ellis, 2016). ...
Article
With the development of educational technologies, electronic books (e-books) have been improved and adapted to cater to new teaching models, as well as to overcome several challenges reported by printed book portability. The literature about the benefits of e-books in education is still fragmented as several studies have reported distinct disadvantages in addition to advantageous of using them. Currently, no prior study has systematically reviewed the research on the ways e-books have been employed in education and the associated benefits and challenges. To address this gap, this study conducts a systematic review of 123 empirical studies on e-books in education. The findings show that the development and adoption of e-books by countries vary, calling for more international collaborations to facilitate the adoption of e-books worldwide. Additionally, several challenges of e-books were identified, such as eye fatigue and lack of knowledge on using e-books in education by both students and teachers. Therefore, it is suggested that more design strategies and training about using e-books can be conducted to enhance both teaching and learning experiences. Finally, it is argued that future research may focus on designing intelligent and open e-books to expand their use in different contexts and provide more personalized learning.
... In an attempt to address these issues, this study explores the level of address and involvement promoted by images in e-books about COVID-19 for young children. The term "e-book" may refer to either noninteractive digital books (Kucirkova, 2019), containing simple on-screen text and illustrations (Etta & Kirkorian, 2019), such as a digitized version of a print book (Chiong, Ree, Takeuchi, & Erickson, 2012;Mulholland & Bates, 2014 ), or to enhanced, highly interactive tools involving features like music, spoken narration, links, sound effects, motion etc. (Kucirkova, 2019). The current study focuses on simple informational e-books about COVID-19 without interactive features. ...
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COVID-19 e-books have emerged as means for communicating information about coronavirus and the resulting disease to children during the pandemic. This material is multimodal, with images forming the most prevalent and crucial semiotic mode. Except for representational and compositional meaning, an image realises interpersonal meanings. The degree to which the reader is activated (address) and prompted to become engaged with what is represented (involvement) constitute interpersonal meaning dimensions that reflect crucial pedagogical perceptions about children’s learning. This study explored how address and involvement are visually realized in young children’s e-books about COVID-19. The sample consisted of 100 randomly selected images of living or anthropomorphic entities included in 18 COVID-19 e-books for young children. The framework of analysis was based on the Grammar of Visual Design. Results indicate that the analysed images mostly assign children both roles of information receivers and active learners, while encouraging their engagement with what is represented. These interpersonal meanings largely align with the socio-cognitive perspective on young children’s learning. The study could support teachers in the selection, design, and use of multimodal learning materials to promote children’s visual literacy, especially in emergency conditions as those imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
... The term 'e-book' refers to 'digitized versions of paper-based books that can be delivered on a variety of electronic platforms, ranging from PCs to mobile devices' (Mulholland & Bates, 2014). The use of e-books in education has attracted the attention of researchers from all over the world, especially due to the technological effects of information. ...
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Lay Description What is already known about this topic The e‐books have begun to be utilized in schools and homes all around the world for the last two decades. The literature suggested that the e‐book use support students' learning performance. There is little knowledge about the effects of the interactive e‐books based on effective educational theories. What this paper adds We investigated the impacts of the e‐book technology and type of feedback on the learning, motivation, and cognitive load of students within a multimedia‐learning environment Lecture videos, question solution videos, and interactive problem‐solving applications were designed and imported into the e‐book. Video feedback applications were designed and imported into the e‐book Implications for practice and/or policy The students generally believe that video feedback is more beneficial and more useful for their understanding of the topic The results suggest that students believe that interactive e‐book activities are valuable for them. The findings will contribute to understanding the cognitive and motivational influences of incorporating the interactive e‐book and video feedback into lessons, individually or together. What are the 1 or 2 major takeaways from the study? According to these results, it can be said that the interactive e‐book, when combined with video feedback, is an effective way both supporting learning achievement and also fostering students' intrinsic motivation. In addition, such a combination can contribute to the creation of one's own knowledge by reducing the load on the limited cognitive capacity of the individual. The implications of the educational practice are discussed, and the direction of future studies in this field are also addressed.
... E-textbooks have the uniqueness of catering equally to all students with different learning abilities [11]. E-textbooks have improved usability and functionality and offer a better experience than print textbooks [12]. Because of this, there is a perception that e-textbooks in the future may replace print textbooks because of interaction embedded in them, which helps provide enhanced learning. ...
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The increasing price of textbooks impacts students of higher education in the world. E-textbooks are becoming popular among students at all levels of education, especially at the university level. There is a shift in students reading habits and preferences towards e-textbooks. This growing trend has encouraged researchers to gather information about students' experiences, attitudes, and perceptions regarding using e-textbooks and their impact on the learning process. This study surveys undergraduate students in a small mid-western university in the USA. Data is collected from students studying four different colleges. A total of 346 questionnaires were collected. The findings revealed that 34.39% of the current users in the total sample do not want to use e-textbooks in the future. The predominant factors influencing the adoption of e-textbooks over print textbooks are cost, learning and engagement in interactive exercises, convenience, and flexibility. The study suggests some initiatives that educators, technology experts, designers, and universities can take for more students to adopt a digital version of textbooks to solve the problem of affordability.
... Furthermore, display is better, cheaper and save space deviation. Mulholland et al. (2014), defined an E-book as a digitized version of a paper based book than can be read on compatible devices. Wexelbaoum et al. (2011), also said that an e book is a type of electronic text that is available in digitally encoded format that can be read on computer or other electronic devices. ...
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The purpose of this study was to find out the students perceptions on the use of e-book as learning sources at the sixth semester students of English Education Study Program of Baturaja University.The population of the research was 22 students majoring in English study program. The writer took 22 students by using total sampling.This study used descriptive qualitative method and the data was collected by using questionaire. The questionnaire consists of 20 items in the form of five likert scale. The result of the study showed that 92.90% students had positive response and support e book as learning sources. It indicated that e book was easy to use. By using e book the both students and lecturers can improve their creativity.
... In some studies carried out, similarly to the research findings, unfamiliarity to ebooks was also mentioned. For example, according to the questionnaires of Jisc Collections (2009) and The Ebrary (2007), alienation and unfamiliarity to ebooks, and inadequacy in understanding the interfaces of complex ebooks are the reasons why printed books are more preferred than ebooks for reading (Mulholland & Bates, 2014). Although some researchers have believed that ebooks are effective tools, they have argued that interactive features in ebooks distract students from the story line (Dündar & Akçayır, 2012;Korat & Shamir, 2007;Sehn & Fragoso, 2015). ...
Article
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The aim of this study was to determine the metaphorical perceptions of preservice Turkish teachers (PTTs) regarding the concept of ebook. In accordance with this aim, answers to the questions of “What are the metaphors used by PTTs for the concept of e-book?” and “Under which categories could the metaphors used by PTTs for the concept of e-book be collected?” were sought. A total of 150 preservice teachers studying in the Faculty of Education, Turkish Education Department at Çukurova University, constituted the participants of the research designed according to the phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research methods. A semi-structured interview form was used as data collection tool. Data were analyzed using the content analysis technique. As a result of the study, it was determined that eight categories emerged from the metaphors produced by PTTs for ebook and that they mostly had positive meanings. These categories are, namely, facilitating, information source, accessible, portable, requirement, inadequate, attractive, and harmful. PTTs mostly produced metaphors for ebook in the facilitating category. It was followed by the information source and accessible categories. It was determined that some PTTs produced negative metaphors for ebooks, and these negative metaphors were collected under the inadequate and harmful categories.
... The flipped classroom system is normally complemented by the blended class model which involves a combination of learning in the form of watching video lectures, listening to podcasts, perusing enhanced e-book contents or online collaboration with peers and face-to-face classroom lectures. Mulholland and Bates (2014) noted that the adoption of digital models of teaching and learning empowers students with skills such as collaborative teamwork, problem solving, communication building, connections and innovation. The emergence of modern technologies has revolutionized teaching and learning hence the Nigerian university system must embrace the changes to meet the demands of the present generation. ...
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The indispensability and vast career possibilities associated with Chemistry notwithstanding, there is a palpable growing decline enrollment in Chemistry in Nigerian universities, particularly the private universities. The paper interrogated the teaching and learning of Chemistry in Nigerian private universities with a view to re-awakening the students’ interest for effective mastery of the subject. It relied on secondary sources and critical analysis and found out that major inhibiting factors include: Students’ faulty foundation in Chemistry, syndrome of area of concentration, absence of competitiveness in the admission process, poor attitude of students and lecturers as well as the ambience for effective scholarship. The paper concluded that the current downturn in the students enrolment in Chemistry and the seemingly poor interest in the subject portend sufficient threat to the future of Chemistry, chemical-related industries and the replacement of ageing Chemistry lecturers in Nigeria. It recommended the following strategies to mitigate the vicious cycle: targeted tutorial system, adoption of digital modes of teaching and learning, problem-based learning, capacity building initiatives for Chemistry lecturers, quality assurance mechanism, overhauling science education at the primary and secondary school levels, need-based assessment and provision of quality materials as well as adequate funding.
... In fact, evidence confirmed that electronic resources are able to meet most academics' requirements [4]; however, many instructors do not know how to generally use technology efficiently in their teaching [5]. Likewise, they do not read e-books [6], even though cloud-based bookstores provide rich teaching resources that are fully able to assist school teachers obtain convenient teaching materials. ...
Article
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In an effort to help organizations understand consumers, our study deconstructs task–technology fit into two segments: ideal task–technology fit and individual use context–technology fit. Users’ continuous use of cloud-based bookstores is studied through survey methodology to collect consumer experience data related to the use of such cloud-based bookstores. In total, 185 samples were collected. Analytical results demonstrated that both ideal task–technology fit and individual use context–technology fit were significantly associated with the confirmation of users’ expectations as related to cloud-based bookstores. Expectation confirmation and ideal task–technology fit also have a significant link to users’ perceived usefulness and satisfaction, respectively. Furthermore, perceived usefulness significantly predicts satisfaction. Finally, perceived usefulness and satisfaction are also significantly associated with a users’ continuous use of cloud-based bookstores. As a result of this study’s findings, system administrators may foster suitable strategies for an improvement of users’ continuous use of cloud-based bookstores.
... Thanks to the technological advancements, there has been an evolution and in course of time the upgraded electronic textbooks have gained momentum owing to features namely, "still and moving graphics, and video clips, as well as the potential to add supportive materials such as audio collections, links to activities and websites etc.," as studied by Woody, Daniel, and Baker [25] acknowledging the opinion of Heider, Laverick, and Bennett [26] that electronic textbooks have the potential to "offer students a more personalized, interactive multimedia experience." As defined by Rockinson-Szapkiw et al. [27], these interactive electronic books supported student engagement not only inside the classroom but also outside the classroom which confirmed the idea of Mulholland & Bates [28] that the electronic textbooks are in an atmosphere that is "rapidly and constantly evolving." This was further acknowledged by Sung et al. [29] thus, "the interactive ebook learning mode can trigger learners' deep motive, and hence promote their learning achievement." ...
Article
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Technology has become an indispensable phenomenon in the contemporary era which has its impact in every walk of life and education is not an exception to this. The tech-savvy students of today have easily adopted the electronic textbooks as a replacement of printed textbooks owing to its ease of use, cost effectiveness and accessibility. Varied views on the students’ preference of the specified format of textbooks have laid the platform for more formal and fo-cused research pursuits these days globally. Therefore, a research to differenti-ate the advantages and disadvantages of both the formats and the reasons that are primary to opt for the one over the other at a regional level is very much the need of the hour. The study aimed to find out the interest and preference that prevailed in the minds of students of Gulf University, Kingdom of Bah-rain, with respect to the adopting of electronic textbooks over the printed text-books as this kind of study has been carried out much limited in this region. A list of questions was made in order to find out the pros and cons of the printed textbooks and electronic textbooks so that the valid reasons for the preference could be identified. The study adopted a quantitative research design and the questionnaire as a research tool to collect the data. The result affirms that most of the students are familiar with both the formats of textbooks and are more comfortable using electronic textbooks and have expressed their willingness to a complete shift from printed textbooks to electronic textbooks. Nevertheless, the findings make it clear that the students opt for electronic textbooks depend-ing upon the nature of the subject or academic discipline.
... In the same way, McLure and Hoseth (2012) examined students and staff attitudes towards e-books, in which the majority of respondents prefer e-books over printed books for their convenience, ease of searching for content and skimming, ease of constant access, lack of due dates, and availability of simultaneous user access. Mulholland and Bates (2014) suggest some recommendations based on their study. Their findings show that although academic staff is in favor of e-books, they are affected by inadequate reading practices and unfamiliar related titles. ...
Article
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This study aims to investigate students' attitudes towards e-book use, and its relationship to self-efficacy and academic motivation in Omani higher education institutions. The sample of the study, which was chosen based on the stratification random method, consisted of 200 students from both genders and different colleges and academic years. To achieve the aims of the study, a descriptive correlational approach was adopted using attitudes, academic motivation and self-efficacy scales developed by the researchers, and administered to the study sample after assessing their psychometric properties. Findings show generally a positive significant correlation between students' attitudes towards e-book use, self-efficacy, and academic motivation.
... Due to these changes in librarians' professional identity, O'Connor (2009) argues that while librarianship's main function was formerly to maintain the "physical custody of cultural capital" (Abbott 1988, p. 217) by adopting professional expertise centering on the selection of intellectual materials, librarians nowadays have to justify their professional status in the face of digital information literacy. Mulholland and Bates (2014) reinforce this view by arguing that the status of librarians as virtually the sole experts in navigating information sources has been redefined due to the present accessibility/openness of information. Rowley (1994) believes that since librarians (and even universities) no longer have a monopoly on knowledge, and since the neoliberal service orientation contradicts the elitist concept of professionalism that was traditionally associated with librarianship, their status has gradually been eroded. ...
Article
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The present study examines how changes in higher education systems ― caused mostly by neoliberal ideologies and the knowledge revolution ― affect non-faculty professionals such as academic librarians, and how they cope with these changes. Specifically, relying on Bourdieu’s theory of distinction, we show how Israeli academic librarians adopt three types of distinctions ― cultural, aesthetic, and professional ― and construct occupational capital that bestows on them power and renewed legitimacy in the face of threats to their professional identity and to their role in academic studies. The study in based on interviews with librarians working in the leading universities in Israel, and it examines the librarians' experiences and attempts to adjust their professional identities to the emergence of neoliberal “new public management” (NPM) culture within academia.
... In South Korea, Jeong (2012) found that students were satisfied with e-books and found them useful. And in Northern Ireland, Mulholland and Bates (2014) found strong satisfaction with e-books, too. Gunter (2005) noted that the most popular categories of ebooks included novels, technical manuals, novels, dictionaries, encyclopedia, and academic textbooks. ...
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... The findings of the study showed that undergraduate students generally use eBooks for the purpose of leisure, while graduate students tend to use eBooks for academic purposes. Another research [16], which was carried out in 2014, focuses on the awareness, perceptions and the use of eBooks by the academic staff rather than students. The results of the study show that academic staff are open-minded about eBooks and see them as a source. ...
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... Toda mão de obra para converter e produzir é muito mais cara. Enquanto o desenvolvimento de conteúdo permanece fundamental ao processo criação de valor, a produção e a distribuição física cederam lugar ao marketing e à distribuição digital nesse processo, quando se trata de e-books (Clarke, 2017 (Cassidy, Martinez, & Shen, 2012;Muir & Hawes, 2013;Mulholland & Bates, 2014;Walton, 2014;Wang & Bai, 2016). ...
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As the world moves towards a knowledge-based economy, knowledge is being considered as the main driver of this new economy. The ability to manage knowledge is becoming increasingly more crucial in today’s knowledge economy. The importance of knowledge management (KM) has been widely recognized as the foundations of industrialized economies shifted from natural resources to intellectual assets. KM is a new immerging field in the academic environment. This paper reviews literature in the area of knowledge management to bring out its importance in organizations particularly Education institutions to survive competitive advantage and attain the global best practice in academic activities. The major aim of knowledge management in an organization is to either create new knowledge or exploit and manage existing knowledge that is important for an organization. This paper contributes to effective knowledge management practice which includes knowledge creation, processing, organizing, storage, use, sharing and dissemination is the major responsibilities of academics. Institutions of higher learning are knowledge production organizations where the management and sharing of knowledge are viewed as a natural activity to meet their objectives that are teaching, learning and research. It can only be successful by connecting people, processes and technology as an enabler for leveraging knowledge. Keywords: Knowledge, Knowledge Management, Institutions of Higher Education, Research
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Ebooks have enthusiastically been adopted by academic libraries, viewed as a golden bullet by library professionals, resulting in efficient resource use, space saving, student satisfaction, and accommodating millennial generation study habits. A small scale online survey undertaken at Northumbria and Durham Universities investigated students’ ebook use, examining; aspects of learning ebooks support, searching strategies, devices used for ebook access, and reading and use strategies. Ninety-two responses were analysed using a mixed methods approach. Despite many advantages of ebooks including portability, availability, functionality, and searching, results demonstrated sentiment regarding ebooks was not wholly positive. There were frustrations regarding the complexity of ebook provision, publisher’s restrictions, and the lack of compatibility with reading devices. A key finding related to ebook interrogation which involved greater targeted searching of content, and a ‘bite-size’ approach to reading. Caution must be observed to ensure that library collections facilitate a complexity of learning styles, and provide opportunities for students to better digest content.
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div class="page" title="Page 1"> This study examined the perception and usage pattern of e-book among LIS undergraduate students from selected five universities. Questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. Five research questions were developed and answered. The findings demonstrate that LIS undergraduate students still use e-books more compare to print books. The results also reveal that LIS undergraduate students have positive perception of e-book as it enhance learning effectiveness, assist to finish course content/outline; makes reading faster; easy to use and with clear graphical illustrations. The usage pattern of e-books among LIS undergraduate students is majorly for research purpose and the majority is highly satisfied with reading e-books. The major problem encountered by the students with e-books is the difficulties reading on the computers or internet, followed by the cost of e-book reader. The study recommended based on these findings that university authority and library of the participating institutions should make e-books readers available in large quantity. Doing so is assumed will increase the use of e-books and further arouse the interest of the students . </div
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This paper investigates how electronic books (e-books) are used for scholarly activity. It focuses on the end-users of e-books in a case study which aimed to establish how scholars use and learn from e-books and the limitations of academic e-books. There have been a number of calls for more user-focussed research on e-books to understand how they are used rather than how often they are used. In-depth case studies of end user behaviour are, by design, very labour and resource intensive and generally limited in terms of the numbers of participants and the ability to generalise from analysis of the results. However, this type of research provides a valuable insight into how scholars interact with e-books to attempt to fulfil their information needs. These studies produce a very rich data set which enables the researcher to understand how scholars use, and wish to use, e-books. Analysis of our empirical results, together with those obtained from previous research examining user needs and experiences of e-books, has enabled us to draw general conclusions about what is required in future e-book design and development. More specifically, we present a typology of e-book interactions relevant to the design of e-books (content and features) and to library/academic instruction in the effective use of e-books (‘e-book literacy’).
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This bibliographic essay examines the difficulties associated with the selection, licensing, acquisition, and management of e-books in academic libraries. The potential advantages of e-book technology are likely to be realized only to the extent that they advance the economic goals of e-book suppliers and are consistent with the legal framework that has been negotiated by publishers, vendors, libraries, and readers. Many difficulties can be traced to a lack of uniformity in license terms, access restrictions, and librarians’ expectations. Likewise, sustainable access to e-books is hindered by impermanent physical media, proprietary file formats and software, and restrictive license provisions. Although the goals of e-book providers are sometimes inconsistent with those of universities, librarians are well-positioned to guide vendors in the development of e-book licenses and platforms.
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This paper examines the recent literature on the presentation of e-books in college and university libraries, focusing on three mechanisms for discovery and access: e-book vendors' interfaces, library catalogs (OPACs), and resource discovery tools (RDTs). If libraries rely on vendors' interfaces, patrons must search on multiple platforms, many of which have limited and idiosyncratic search mechanisms. The most common strategy for discovery and access—including e-books in the library catalog—brings its own set of challenges, including limited availability of records, lack of standardization, difficulties managing the addition and removal of titles, and the generally low quality of vendor-supplied records. Likewise, libraries that use resource discovery tools face another set of difficulties: incomplete coverage, reliance on metadata from external sources, problems with subject headings and authority control, difficulties with guest-user access, and continuing dependence on vendors' platforms for access to full text.
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Purpose This JISC funded UK National E‐Books Observatory study is a benchmarking survey of e‐book usage and perceptions in more than 120 participating universities. The paper aims to present the results that investigated: use of e‐books in general (methods of obtaining e‐books, reasons for using, viewing/reading behaviour in connection with e‐books); use of e‐books provided by the library; use of JISC collection texts (use and awareness); use of the library and print material in general. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on an online survey which was conducted between 18 January and 1 March 2008, over which period 22,437 full or partial responses were received. Findings The study shows that e‐book penetration is very strong (61.8 per cent of all students are already using them in connection with their scholarly work, as teachers or students), so the e‐book revolution has already happened but clearly it has some way to go. Originality/value The paper presents the results of the biggest survey of its kind ever conducted, which represents a huge advance in one's knowledge of e‐book use on a national scale.
Article
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This exploratory study focuses on identifying the usage pattern of e-books especially on how, when, where and why undergraduates at the Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology (FCSIT), University of Malaya (UM), Kuala Lumpur use or do not use the e-books service provided by the University of Malaya library. A total of 206 (82%) useable questionnaires form the basis of analysis. The results indicate even though the students are heavy users of the Internet, rate themselves as skilled in Internet use and have positive attitude towards the e-book service, the level of e-book use is still low (39%). The students become aware of the e-book service mainly while visiting the University of Malaya Library Website, or are referred to it by their lecturers, friends or the librarians. About 70% rate positively on the e-book service. Those who are users of e-books find e-books easy to use and their usages are mainly for writing assignment or project work. Most respondents prefer to use e-versions of textbooks and reference sources. Generally, both users and non-users of e-books prefer to use the printed version of textbooks especially if the text is continuously used. There are significant difference between the frequency of e-book use and gender; between past usage of e-book and preference for electronic textbooks and reference books. The possible factors which may be related to e-book use are categorized into 4 groups and presented in a model, which comprises the ICT competencies of the students, their cognitive makeup, the degree of user access to the e-books and the functional or use factors.
Article
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Purpose This study, a part of JISC‐funded UK National E‐Books Observatory, aims to find out about the perspective of students and academics, the main e‐book users, on e‐books. Design/methodology/approach The paper provides an analysis of two open‐ended questions about e‐books, contained in a UK national survey conducted between 18 January and 1 March 2008. The survey obtained a response from more than 20,000 academic staff and students; 16,000 free‐text responses were obtained to these two questions. Findings The study discloses that convenience associated with online access along with searchability was the biggest advantage of e‐books. The study shows a potential market for e‐textbooks; however, e‐books have yet to become more student‐friendly by improving features such as printing and screenreading. Originality/value This is the biggest survey of its kind ever conducted and it improves one's knowledge of what the academic community thinks of e‐books.
Article
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The availability of e-textbooks is increasing along with the variety of electronic readers. According to the “2010 Horizon Report,” adoption of this technology will be widespread in academia in two to three years as it will “… reduce costs, save students from carrying pounds of textbooks and contribute to the environmental efforts…” (Johnson, Levine, Smith, & Stone, 2010, p.6). Will e-textbooks become favored by faculty in higher education? This paper will examine the benefits and limitations of e-textbooks and the attitudes of faculty and students towards using this radical alternative to the centuries-old standard of education. An exploratory case study of faculty attitudes and usages of e-textbooks at a small liberal arts university was performed.
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Purpose – This paper describes the findings from the qualitative strand of the JISC National e-Book Observatory (2007-2009), relating to the promotion of e-textbooks in UK universities by the library, academics and publishers. A complementary article on the ways in which students and academics locate e-books provided by their library will appear in a future issue. Design/methodology/approach – Following the provision by the JISC of collections of e-textbooks, the project used deep log analysis, benchmark surveys and focus groups to develop a rich picture of library e-collection management and use by students and academics. Focus groups were undertaken with library staff, academics and students; the dialogues were transcribed and analysed using NVivo7 software. Findings – The qualitative studies found that libraries were using a range of promotional tools although these were not always finding their targets. Often libraries had no formal promotion strategy for e-resources. Although little in evidence, the value of academic commitment and promotion was emphasised. Promotion by publishers and aggregators is both to libraries and directly to academic staff. Students felt that they were largely unaware of promotion beyond the presence of e-books in the catalogue, and in some cases stated explicitly that they thought more should be done to promote library e-resources to them. Practical implications – The paper offers pragmatic guidance on promotional methodologies. Originality/value – The project describes the first major, national usage study of e-books in higher education. This paper contributes significantly to the literature in discussing the importance of promoting e-books to students and staff.
Article
This article outlines research carried out with students and academic staff at a large UK university library on how e-books are being used for learning, teaching and research. It was discovered that e-books are meeting many of users' needs, especially in terms of accessibility, but there are still concerns about subject coverage and the impact on students' learning. There are various reasons why e-books are beneficial in developing an academic library collection, most particularly for reference materials and essential readings, but librarians need to work closely with academic staff to integrate use of e-books effectively into learning and teaching, taking care that licence and access implications are better understood. The drivers to the use of e-books appear to be outweighing the barriers, although the latter will require considerable effort on the part of librarians within their institutions and also in terms of communicating concerns to e-book providers.
Article
Purpose – This paper seeks to review Cushing Academy's recent decision to withdraw the majority of its print book collection in favor of electronic books. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is designed to conjure thoughts regarding the role of books and their digital future, particularly in light of the Kindle and Google Books project. Findings – The paper suggests that eliminating print books from a secondary school library may not serve well students who go on to attend universities where print books predominate. Originality/value – The paper calls attention to the challenges libraries and institutions face in transitioning to electronic books.
Article
A case study was conducted within two Faculties in the University of Ulster during academic year 2010-11. Its aims were: to assess levels of undergraduate ebook use; how, why, and for what purpose undergraduate students chose to use or not use e-books; assess barriers to use; and consider promotional strategies.Data were collected by means of a desk-based usage comparison and self-completion online questionnaire. Findings were considered using Diffusion of Innovation theory and Roesnita and Zainab's Ebook Use Model.Ebooks are used thirty times more than print counterparts. Users expressed a definite preference for print books; format choice is dependent upon study need. Usage has not yet reached self-sustaining take-off. Ebooks cannot be considered interchangeable with books; promotion should take account of how ebooks are considered "different" from print.
Article
As an innovation, the e-book purports to replace the printed book. However, students continue to indicate a preference for using printed books. Nevertheless, many academic libraries report e-book use rates equal to or greater than that of the printed book. In this study, eight factors were investigated as potential reasons undergraduate students chose to use an e-book. A quantitative research design using a convenience sampling method and chi-square analyses was employed in the study. The population of interest was undergraduate students attending a small, traditional, liberal arts institution. Participants indicated leisure reading, conducting research, forced adoption, and convenience were positive factors in their choice to use an e-book. In-class reading was a negative factor in their choice to use an e-book. The availability of the printed book also proved to be a negative factor in the use of e-books. Textbook use and reading assigned readings were unrelated to their choice to use an e-book. When available, students chose to use the printed book; however, when the e-book was the only format available, they used it.
Article
This article reports research into the perceptions and predictions of academic librarians regarding the future role and development of e-books, and e-book collections and services. A number of recent studies reported in the literature review indicate increasing interest in e-books. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 academic librarians, in seven case study libraries. Most interviewees anticipated a significant growth in the size and role of e-book collections in academic libraries over the next five years. The actions and policies of each of the key stakeholder groups, e-book vendors (publishers and aggregators), academic libraries and users are viewed as pivotal to the future use of e-books in universities. The growing importance of e-books will have a number of consequences for academic libraries, in terms of the technologies that they make available to users, the use of library space, user education and staff workload.
Article
Purpose ‐ This paper aims to provide an assessment of an ebook collection in an academic library, and attempts to locate usage trends by subject and publisher. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The research was based on: three years of usage data from two e-book packages: NetLibrary and Ebrary; two methods of purchase: NetLibrary was a one-time purchase; Ebrary is purchased on a subscription basis. The research evaluated usage difference over time between the two packages and analyzed subject and publisher usage. Findings ‐ The research found that Ebrary showed increased usage over time; NetLibrary demonstrated decreased usage; subject analysis showed ebooks in health sciences and hotel had highest usage; publisher analysis results illustrated the fact that five publishers had highest usage in both ebook collections. Research limitations/implications ‐ For circulation rate of each ebook package, two years of data were not available for Ebrary, resulting in incomplete comparison over three-year period between the two packages. Practical implications ‐ The paper assists in identifying usage patterns of ebooks across publishers and subjects; compares two different business models of obtaining ebooks; and helps with effective selection of ebooks to support teaching and learning. Originality/value ‐ Usage data over three years provided evidence to help libraries select a business model for acquiring ebooks; the research provides assessment of ebook collections to identify trends across publishers and subjects.
Article
Purpose This paper aims to provide a snapshot of student and staff attitudes towards e‐books, collected through a web‐based survey, as well as an analysis of use data for a specific universe of e‐books provided via a patron‐driven purchasing model and accessed during the survey timeframe. Design/methodology/approach This research analyzed survey responses collected from May 2010 to December 2010 and use data for the universe of e‐books made accessible via PDA, and used by library patrons, during this period. Findings E‐books are no longer a new phenomenon and the CSU Libraries have provided access to e‐books for many years, yet users' prior experience with e‐books, perspectives on desirable and undesirable e‐book characteristics, and preferences for print versus e‐books as provided by the libraries continue to vary. During the libraries' initial entry into PDA, e‐books made accessible to users via this model received more use through browsing than sustained use or download, but relatively little use overall. The study provides a starting point for the continued analysis of this library's PDA program, now the primary mechanism used to provide its academic user community with book access. Practical implications The authors present a review of the literature and research findings about academic users' interactions with, and preferences for, e‐books. They provide a point‐in‐time analysis of user interactions with e‐book titles made accessible via the libraries' PDA program and a subject‐level study of the use of these titles. Originality/value This paper presents point‐of‐use feedback regarding e‐books, from academic users, and detailed information about e‐book titles accessed via a PDA model.
Article
While e-book sales continue to increase, electronic textbooks are not very popular with college students. This may be due to the fact that e-textbooks are read for different reasons and with different strategies than are e-books. Although previous research has documented this lack of preference for e-textbooks, student performance and use of electronic texts has yet to be thoroughly investigated, especially in naturalistic settings. This study examines students' use and performance on a variety of print and electronic formats in both laboratory and at-home conditions. Although students scored similarly across formats and conditions, reading time was significantly higher in the electronic conditions with this difference increasing for the home conditions. Similarly, self-reports of multi-tasking were significantly higher for electronic conditions in the home condition, possibly accounting for the disparities in reading time. We conclude by urging caution in the rush to assume that electronic textbooks are equivalent substitutes for traditional textbooks and argue for further investigation into the unique ways that students may interact with electronic texts to promote more effective design.
Article
Purpose This study aims at identifying Andrews University's students' perceptions, behavior, use, and attitudes towards e‐textbook and e‐books in general. Design/methodology/approach In the Fall semester of 2001‐2012, Andrews University's bookstore offered 74 e‐textbooks for purchase. The teachers who had the opportunity of using these e‐textbooks for their classes were asked to distribute two questionnaires to their students: one to those who chose to buy and use the e‐textbook and a slightly different one to those who chose the traditional print textbook. The results were tabulated and compared to the results of similar studies since 2001. Findings A 65 percent return rate was obtained. Several findings closely replicate results of many studies on this area. For more than a decade, studies show that students prefer the hardcover book over the e‐book for their studies. Lack of awareness, not knowing how to get it, eyestrain, and difficulty of reading are the main culprits for students not using e‐books more often. However, those who use e‐books report they are generally satisfied. Students would like to enjoy fewer restrictions on printing and copying, PDA accessibility, more titles in their area of studies and better e‐book readers. They do not usually read e‐books cover to cover. The library is not their main point of entry or search for e‐books. Students value portability, instant access, light weight and ability to store large amounts of materials. Research limitations/implications The sample population was limited to the classes which had access to an e‐textbook. A broader and more complete understanding could have been obtained if the study included all of the student population. It is not possible to generalize the findings due to the fact that the study was done in a specific academic setting. Practical implications Universities and libraries are highly engaged in this topic at the present moment. Results of studies like this one will provide data useful for collection development policies and the pedagogy adopted by faculty in the classroom. Social implications This is a topic that is of increasing importance in all parts of the world, and is affecting how people and, more specifically, students read and learn. It has the potential of changing reading habits and how students absorb information and knowledge, as well as how they use libraries. Originality/value E‐books will have a definitive impact in new models of acquiring, accessing, and distributing information materials for and to the academic community. The paper will help the library better understand students' preferences and study habits which will have an impact on decisions regarding types of services it should provide and collection building decisions.
Article
Purpose – University libraries are increasing their e‐book collections. The purpose of this study is to investigate graduate students' usage of and attitudes towards e‐books at National Taiwan University. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 20 graduate students from the fields of humanities, social sciences, science and technology, and medicine were interviewed. Findings – The results indicated that graduate students used e‐books mainly for the purposes of study and research. Monographs were the type of e‐book that students used most often, followed by textbooks and reference tools. While they appreciated the convenience of using e‐books, students mentioned several limitations. They liked the keyword search function of e‐books. Most of the time, graduate students browsed a few paragraphs or pages online and then printed out copies for further reading. They also borrowed the corresponding paper versions of the e‐books from the library. Students preferred that university libraries supply both the electronic and paper versions. In certain aspects, students' use behaviour was found to vary among disciplines. Originality/value – This study highlights multiple aspects of graduate students' use behaviour with respect to e‐books. The findings could be used to enhance e‐book collection development in university libraries.
Article
Libraries and non-libraries are involved in digitization projects. Academic libraries are purchasing access to e- books for their campuses. Are faculty and students using them? This paper will present a review of the discussions taking place in the literature, the results of a survey of the perceptions that faculty and students have of using e-books at a small liberal arts university, and project the future of e-books based on several criteria. The concept of e-books has been around for a long time, particularly in fantasy and science fiction genre writings. However, it was not until the advances in com- puter technologies in the late 1980s that the concept moved into the realm of practicality. In the late 1990s, several companies marketed commercially viable e-book systems (Doman 2001). By early 2001, more than 18 e-book systems were available on the market. Most of these systems have since disappeared. There have been a few producers that have continued to develop and adapt their systems in an attempt to garner widespread use (Doman 2001).
Article
Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the use and usability of e‐books from the perspectives of users in an academic and research environment. Design/methodology/approach This study involved an e‐mail questionnaire to survey researchers in the academic and research environment of the Indian Institute of Science regarding their use of e‐books. Findings The responses indicated that the students tend to use this new technology more often than faculty members and staff. Those who did use e‐books mostly used reference and technical material. The highest response was from the Centre for Ecological Science, followed by the Supercomputer Education and Research Centre, and then the Department of Molecular Reproduction and Development and Genetics. The majority of the respondents have used computers for over five years for a variety of purposes including e‐mail communication, internet browsing and text processing as well as for other advanced uses such as numerical computing and DNA sequence analysis. However, the use of e‐books appears to be very low, indicating a requirement for creating awareness and user education about both software and hardware related to e‐books. Only 37 of the 104 respondents had used the free trial offer from Kluwer and Edutech eBooks during July 2004. Originality/value There has been no previous study reported which has investigated users' perspectives of e‐books in an academic and research environment in India using a questionnaire method.
Article
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the third of three inter‐related experiments investigating the use and usability of e‐books in Higher Education based on experiments conducted at the University of Strathclyde. This study has looked in greater detail at user interactions with e‐books for reference purposes by focusing on searching and browsing tasks using three search tools: back‐of the‐book index (BoBI), table of contents (ToC) and full text search (FTS). Design/methodology/approach This study was carried out by subject‐specific users and using a between‐subjects approach. The target population was MSc and research students in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, at the University of Strathclyde and involved a total of 45 responses. Findings The study found that a BoBI was more efficient compared to a ToC and FTS tool for finding information in an e‐book environment. A BoBI was found to perform the best for accurately finding relevant content in e‐books. The usability evaluation also found that a BoBI was more useful compared to a ToC for finding information in an e‐book environment. Research limitations/implications The study was focused only on the usability of e‐books, and in particular on retrieval performance, user satisfaction and preferences regarding BoBI, ToC and FTS, and not on other features such as the user interface. The e‐book usability evaluation was constrained in so far as the e‐books used were: non‐fiction; in the domain of information retrieval; e‐books that already had BoBIs with hyperlinks from the BoBI to the text; e‐books that had ToCs with hyperlinks; e‐books that had FTS tools; and e‐books that were available in PDF format. Practical implications The study is important in gaining a better understanding of the retrieval performance of three search tools (BoBI, ToC and FTS) for browsing for relevant, and searching for specific, information in e‐books. This will be of value for designing better e‐books and access systems. Originality/value The strengths and novelty of this study are the methodology that was used, the comprehensive inter‐comparison of tools, and the size of the population. The findings have supported empirically – through an assessment of the performances of BoBIs and ToCs – the need for an enhanced library catalogue system in order to improve users’ browsing and searching capabilities for relevant book content.
Article
This study focuses on usage of electronic books (e-books) among advanced researchers, including graduate students and faculty, at a four-year academic institution. The researchers aimed to highlight differences in behavior, perception, and attitude between users and non-users of e-books. The survey findings suggest that, while a majority of these researchers do not necessarily favor e-books over print books, they do appreciate the convenience of the electronic format. Moreover, the results also indicate that many researchers may be entirely unaware of the library e-books available in their areas of study or may not fully realize all the features already being offered by some of these e-books, such as highlighting, note-taking, accessibility options, and downloading. These findings provide timely and practical applications for librarians interested in increasing library e-book usage with focused marketing plans targeting the needs of specific patron segments.
Article
Purpose – To identify levels of awareness and patterns of usage of electronic books by scholars in the humanities. Design/methodology/approach – A survey of the University of Denver community assessed knowledge about and usage of electronic books. The results for humanists are presented here. Findings – Scholars in the humanities have a higher level of awareness of e‐books than their colleagues across campus but use e‐books at the same rate. Their patterns of use are different, with humanists using less of the e‐book than do other groups. Humanists still prefer printed books to electronic texts at a higher rate than do other groups and care less about added features, such as searchability, than they do about content. Originality/value – Humanists conduct research differently than do most other scholars, using the library catalog and browsing as primary means of finding information, and valuing the book more than other resources. No previous research has assessed whether humanists have similarly unique patterns of usage for electronic books.
Article
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study model(s) of acquiring e‐books to support: effective support of learning and teaching; and efficient use of collection budget. Design/methodology/approach The research was based on: five years of usage data from two e‐book packages: Net Library and Safari; two methods of acquisition: NetLibrary was a one‐time purchase; Safari was purchased on a subscription; usage difference or lack of difference over time between packages; and controlled for content subjects in both packages. Findings The research found that: Safari (with updates) showed increased usage over time; NetLibrary (without updates) showed generally declining usage over time; and controlling NetLibrary subject content showed that usage in the science and technology area declined noticeably over the years; while education, history, social sciences, literature and language usage decline was steady. Research limitations/implications Title counts in both packages were similar; however, after isolating for matching subject areas the numbers of titles in NetLibrary were small. Therefore, one or two titles in a small population may have skewed the pattern, making the results less accurate. Practical implications Understanding whether and in which subject areas students and faculty use e‐books means effective selection decision and good use of shrinking budgets. Originality/value Usage data over five years provided evidence on which to base subscription/purchase decisions to effectively support learning and teaching and use collection funds wisely. Analyzing the usage figures will inform selection of e‐books to support learning and teaching.
Article
This paper presents the results of a large scale survey designed to investigate usage patterns and library patron attitudes toward e-books. The survey reveals a university community's discovery and knowledge of e-books, their likes and dislikes about book content in electronic format as opposed to print, and their predictions of how they will use electronic and print book materials in the future. The survey shows that acceptance of e-books has reached a level where they have become an important library service. The results, based on a study conducted in collaboration with Springer, break down e-book awareness and attitudes into faculty, graduate student, and undergraduate student constituent groups. Additionally, statistics are presented to complement the survey results by showing that the usage of e-book content at the University of Illinois is increasing at a rapid pace.1
Article
Purpose – This paper seeks to review Cushing Academy's recent decision to withdraw the majority of its print book collection in favor of electronic books. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is designed to conjure thoughts regarding the role of books and their digital future, particularly in light of the Kindle and Google Books project. Findings – The paper suggests that eliminating print books from a secondary school library may not serve well students who go on to attend universities where print books predominate. Originality/value – The paper calls attention to the challenges libraries and institutions face in transitioning to electronic books.
Article
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe how, in the spring of 2007, Arizona State University Libraries held a focus group of selected faculty to discover their perceptions and use of electronic books (e‐books) in their research and teaching. Design/methodology/approach The services of the Institute of Social Sciences Research were employed to recruit and moderate the focus group. Major themes explored were: use of e‐books as textbooks; use of e‐books for personal research; comparison between e‐books and print; disciplinary differences in perceptions of e‐books; and motivators for future use. Findings Overall, the focus group revealed that faculty had generally unsatisfactory experiences in using e‐books in their research and teaching owing to the unreliability of access, lack of manipulability, and the steep learning curve of the various interfaces. However, most faculty agreed that e‐books would be a very viable and useful alternative if these issues were resolved. Research limitations/implications The focus group consisted of only six faculty members and hence is not representative of faculty as a whole. A larger survey of a more diverse faculty population would greatly serve to clarify and expand upon the findings. Practical implications The implications for academic libraries include providing better outreach and training to faculty about the e‐book platforms offered, provide better course support, and advocate to e‐book vendors to consider faculty's teaching and research needs in their product development. Originality/value This is believed to be the first published study of faculty opinions and use of e‐books utilizing focus group methodology and offers detailed information that would be useful for academic libraries and e‐book vendors for evidence‐based decisions.
A continuing concern that librarians and publishers face is the ability of users, or potential users, to find, utilise and retrieve e-books (Nariani It has been a frequent 1. Please state your faculty status: Full time
  • Walters
Walters, 2013a,b). A continuing concern that librarians and publishers face is the ability of users, or potential users, to find, utilise and retrieve e-books (Nariani, 2009; Roesnita & Zainab, 2005; Walters, 2013a,c). It has been a frequent 1. Please state your faculty status: Full time/Part time 2. Please state your gender: Male/Female
Survey/ebrary_faculty_survey_2007.pdf ebrary (2012). 2012 global student e-book survey: United Kingdom E-books in academic libraries: How does currency affect usage? New Library World
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ebrary (2007). 2007 global faculty e-book survey. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from. http:// www.ebrary.com/corp/collateral/en/Survey/ebrary_faculty_survey_2007.pdf ebrary (2012). 2012 global student e-book survey: United Kingdom. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/surveys/docDetail.action?docID=80089377 Herlihy, C., & Yi, H. (2010). E-books in academic libraries: How does currency affect usage? New Library World, 111(9/10), 371–380.
The impact and perceptions of e-books on academic staff in Further Education colleges in Northern Ireland. Dissertation submitted for the MSc in Library and Information Management
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Mulholland, E. (2012). The impact and perceptions of e-books on academic staff in Further Education colleges in Northern Ireland. Dissertation submitted for the MSc in Library and Information Management. University of Ulster.
E-books in the sciences: If we buy it will they use it? Issues in sci-ence and technology librarianship
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Nariani, R. (2009, Fall). E-books in the sciences: If we buy it will they use it? Issues in sci-ence and technology librarianship (Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.istl. org/09-fall/article3.html).
E-books in academic libraries — A briefing paper/www.slideshare.net/TerryOBrien100/e-books-in-academic-libraries-a-briefing-paper Pan, Nudging the envelope: The hard road to mainstreaming UCD Library e-book provision
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O'Brien, T. (2010). E-books in academic libraries — A briefing paper. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.slideshare.net/TerryOBrien100/e-books-in-academic-libraries-a-briefing-paper Pan, R., Byrne, U., & Murphy, H. (2009). Nudging the envelope: The hard road to mainstreaming UCD Library e-book provision. Serials: The Journal for the Serials Community, 22(3), S12–S22 (Supplement 1).
A survey of e-book usage and perceptions at the University of Liverpool: University of Liverpool e-book study: Part 2 Ebooks: Tipping or vanishing point? Ariadne
  • Springer
Springer (2010). A survey of e-book usage and perceptions at the University of Liverpool: University of Liverpool e-book study: Part 2. Retrieved March 19, 2014, from. http:// static.springer.com/sgw/documents/1343310/application/pdf/V7671_Liverpool_ White_Paper_Part2%5B1%5D.pdf Tonkin, E. (2010). Ebooks: Tipping or vanishing point? Ariadne, 62 (Retrieved March 19, 2014, from http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue62/tonkin).