Lending Kindle e‐book readers: first results from the Texas A&amp;M University project

Clark, Dennis

doi:10.1108/01604950910999774

Cited by 38 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Other types of programs, most notably Texas A&M's Kindle lending program, 21 and many academic focus groups have also contributed to our knowledge of how students use e-readers.…”

Section: ■ ■ Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of E-Book Readers Among College Students: A Survey

Foasberg

2011

ITAL

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understand whether and how students are using e-book readers to respond appropriately. As new media formats emerge, libraries must avoid both extremes: uncritical, hype-driven adoption of new formats and irrational attachment to the status quo. ■ ■ Research ContextRecently introduced e-reader brands have attracted so much attention that it is sometimes difficult to remember that those currently on the market are not the first generation of such devices. The first generation was introduced, to little fanfare, in the 1990s. Devices such as the SoftBook and the Rocket E-Book reader are well documented in the literature, but were unsuccessful in the market. 1 The most recent wave of e-readers began with the Sony Reader in 2006 and Amazon's Kindle in 2007, and thus far is enjoying more success. Barnes and Noble and Borders have entered the market with the Nook and the Kobo, respectively, and Apple has introduced the iPad, a multifunction device that works well as an e-reader.Amazon claims that e-book sales for the Kindle have outstripped their hardcover book sales.2 These numbers may reflect price differences, enthusiasm on the part of early adopters, marketing efforts on the parts of these particular companies, or a lack of other options for e-reader users because the devices are designed to be compatible primarily with the offerings of the companies who sell them. Nevertheless, they certainly indicate a rise in the consumption of e-books by the public, as the dramatic increase in wholesale e-book sales bears out. 3 In the meantime, sales of the devices increased nearly 80 percent in 2010.

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“…Other types of programs, most notably Texas A&M's Kindle lending program, 21 and many academic focus groups have also contributed to our knowledge of how students use e-readers.…”

Section: ■ ■ Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adoption of E-Book Readers Among College Students: A Survey

Foasberg

2011

ITAL

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“…Using information gathered from student focus groups to guide the pilot of their Kindle lending program, TAMU Libraries adopted a patron-driven acquisition model. Students, faculty, and staff were able to request that specific titles be added to a Kindle before borrowing it (Clark 2009;Clark et al 2008). The NCSU Libraries also followed a PDA model for their Kindle devices, and they supplemented it by loaning Sony e-readers preloaded with books available in the public domain (Pozo 2010).…”

Section: Adoption In Academic Librariesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adopting E-Readers with a Purpose: Surveying Users to Develop a Recreational Reading Kindle Lending Program

Douglas

Helms

2015

College & Undergraduate Libraries

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Studies have shown that students and faculty have reservations about the performance and usability of e-readers in an academic setting. However, incorporating e-readers on college campuses for recreational reading purposes has proven to be quite popular. These trends held true in a study conducted by librarians at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Students, faculty, and staff were surveyed on their use of and familiarity with e-books, e-readers, and tablet devices with e-reader functionality. Information gathered from this survey resulted in the launch of a pilot Kindle lending program focused exclusively on promoting recreational reading.

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“…Ultimately, what is needed is an e-reader that has the ability to read a variety of formats (Wexelbaum & Miltenoff 2012: 279). A lending programme run at Texas A&M University proved to be extremely popular -so much so, that the lending period had to be changed from two weeks to one -and seemed to indicate that lending e-readers, Kindles in this case, could be something for libraries to explore for leisure reading titles (Clark 2009). While the display on e-readers such as Amazon's Kindle may be easy to read because of the lack of backlighting and the use of e-ink, ereaders are notoriously bad at displaying anything other than text, which is why they are most popular for leisure reading.…”

Section: Hardware and Softwarementioning

confidence: 99%