Change implications related to electronic educational resources

Abstract

E-books are a relatively recent addition to the online electronic resources market, and commentators are still debating their efficacy. Access to e-books continues to develop, with numerous platforms available, and lack of standardisation an ongoing problem. However, there are potential advantages to e-books, including easier access, speed of publication, space-saving, and lower costs. Many university libraries are beginning to have e-books in their collections. A research project being undertaken at Liverpool John Moores University is investigating the provision of e-books in 127 academic libraries in the UK. Many academic libraries are providing access to e-book resources that are free-of-charge, and those libraries offering e-book subscriptions are using the World Wide Web for their platform. There are similar issues in the take-up of e-books to those regarding the take-up of other electronic resources, such as ejournals. These include changes in professional and management skills, such as collection development, marketing and evaluation, user education, technological skills and communication skills.

The e-book management framework: The management of e-books in academic libraries and its challenges

“…The emergence and take-up of e-books in the academic sector has not only created opportunities for librarians, but also a range of challenges and issues (Connaway, 2003), many of which are similar to those raised by the introduction of e-journals into library collections (Ashcroft, 2002;Ashcroft & Watts, 2004;Lee & Boyle, 2004;Mikkonen, 2006;Newman, 2010). The impact of e-books, and especially e-textbooks on collection management routines, however, is significantly underdocumented (Information Automation Limited, 2009).…”

Student Preference of a Customized, Open-Access Multi-touch Digital Textbook in a Graduate Education Course

“…As critical as these studies are, some of the benefits of eTexts reported in other studies include convenience and portability (Ashcroft & Watts, 2004;Clark, 2009;Kang et al, 2009;Kimball et al, 2010;Pattuelli & Rabina, 2010), currency of information (Shelburne, 2009), and the ability to search text easily and store multiple titles on one device (Armstrong et al, 2009;Siegenthaler et al, 2012). Other possible benefits might include text-to-speech capability, online dictionary access, and social media sharing (Smith & Kukulska-Hulme, 2012).…”

ICT proficiency: perspectives of Tangaza University College librarians in Kenya

“…The incorporation of ICT training in professional education has, therefore, become necessary, as it helps to produce graduates who can implement the new technological tools in the library. Therefore, Ashcroft and Watts (2004, p. 291) recommended extensive ICT training for LIS professionals to develop their ICT literacy. It is in the view of Minishi-Majanja (2007, p. 7) that LIS schools should include ICT units into LIS course content.…”