A comparative study of medical ebook and print book prices

Abstract

Background Although most medical libraries buy ebooks, there has been little discussion of the comparative costs of medical ebooks and print books. Objectives To determine whether individually purchased medical ebooks cost more or less, on average, than the same titles in print format and, if so, to calculate the price differential. Methods The author searched the platform of monograph vendor YBP for the 1095 titles in the ‘Clinical Medicine’ category of Doody’s Core Titles 2018 edition. For each title, the print price and the lowest ebook price were noted; the ratio of ebook price to print book price for each title was then calculated. Results On average, ebooks cost 2.20 times more than their print equivalents, though the size of the price differential varied greatly with the publisher. For some publishers, ebooks cost nearly the same amount as print books, while for others, ebooks cost three or even four times as much as the print. Discussion The greater price of some ebooks may make them unaffordable for libraries or mean that those titles cannot be purchased as ebooks even when that format would be preferred. Conclusions Buying ebooks, at least on a title‐by‐title basis, can be very costly for medical libraries.

Discovering novel barriers to eBook implementation

“…This suggests that both learners and educators were satisfied with the plethora of opportunities, sources and means of learning offered by the eBook. This is important to note as prior studies have noted that some learners prefer the use of print resources, 11,14 but our findings did not support this.…”

“…The largest implications from our study are the barriers identified to eBook implementation. Medical learners are increasingly interested in eBooks, 11 and so understanding how to conduct successful implementation is crucial to meet these learners' demands. Here, we utilise the six CABLS subcategories (learner, teacher, content, technology, learning support and institution) to understand how these barriers impacted implementation (Table 3).…”

Preferences for printed books versus E−books among university students in a Middle Eastern country

“…Digitalization of books enhances the accessibility, convenience, ability to search with options of free downloads, being easy to carry, store, and to share among their peers [ 12 ]. Furthermore, recent studies confirmed the benefits of E books over the printed books [ 2 , 11 , 13 , 14 ]. With so much documented evidence on the advantages of the E−resources, studies conclude that the cost of study material influences the students' choices and outcomes [ 1 , 15 ].…”

‘Evidence’ within local authority decision making

“…While much of the world looks different from just 12 months ago the challenge of providing cost‐effective and useful library and knowledge services remains eternal. As we head to the close the financial year what could be timelier than Erin Watson’s (2021) comparative study of medical e‐book and print book prices. Combining Doody’s Core Titles 2018 and searches of the YBP platform, Watson calculated the ratio of e‐book price and print book prices.…”