Use and Perception of Ebooks in the University of Ulster: A Case Study

Abstract

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 selfsustaining take-off. Ebooks cannot be considered interchangeable with books; promotion should take account of how ebooks are considered "different" from print.

Envisioning the Academic Library: A Reflection on Roles, Relevancy and Relationships

“…Cunningham and Tabur 2012); • Changes in user activities which will have an impact on user behavior, that is, how people engage and interact with the library and its resources (see Nicholas et al 2008;Niu et al 2010;Smyth and Carlin 2012); • Increased competition from other information providers such as Google and Amazon and the decline in use of the OPAC (see Ross These challenges to the traditional role of the academic library mean that staff must strive to rethink and repurpose what a library is and what a library does. They need to re-imagine the new role of the library and librarians with the possibilities afforded by the internet, social media, and increased digitization (Corwin et al 2009), and articulate their role for the future and new services that can be developed, particularly by shifting from a service orientation role to one of a partner in learning (Meulemans and Carr 2013).…”

Education Faculty Students' Views About Use of E-Books

“…Pattuelli & Rabia, (2010), in their study, reported that e-book readers were simple and easy to use and that spread of such devices could help avoid prejudices against these devices. In studies examining students' use of e-books revealed that more than half of the participants had never used e-books (Cassidy, Martinez and Shen 2012; Smyth & Carlin, 2012). Of all the participants in the present study, 25,97% of them preferred e-books.…”

Are We There Yet? Moving to an E-Only Collection Development Policy for Books

“…12 A study conducted at University of Ulster found that though users expressed a preference for print books, they indicated they were most likely to use e-textbooks (56% of respondents) than any other type of online book (other choices included fiction, research monographs, and reference works). 13 In terms of usage, studies have shown that for course reserves, though somewhat different from textbooks, the online edition is used more often than its print counterpart. 14 User preference is also affected by the book's subject area-a University of California (UC) study conducted in 2010 found that business and law students were the most likely to prefer e-books (at 54%) while, somewhat unsurprisingly, arts and humanities students were the least likely (at 17%).…”