The Use of EBooks in Teaching Information Technology: A Marriage Made in Cyberspace

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The Use of E-Books in Teaching Information
Technology A Marriage Made in Cyberspace

• J. Stephanie Collins
• Carol T. West
• Deborah R. Wilcox
• Southern New Hampshire University
• Manchester, N.H.
• ACRL/NEC Poster Session
• April 21, 2006

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Introduction

• Speakers
• Southern NH University and its programs
• IT Program at SNHU
• Multiple campuses
• Students are geographically scattered
• Limited resources
• Limited space
• Need to keep current

3
Needs

• Methods of distributing book content
• Efficient, targeted, easily updated
• Staying up-to-date in IT field
• Update and supplement current paper IT books
  without duplicating
• Easily accessible technology without additional
  investment
• Fulfill Shapiro Library strategic plan
• Global access

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Why E-books for IT Students?

• IT Student population would be most likely users
• Computer literate
• Internet literate
• Have laptops
• Comfort with technology
• Rapidly changing field
• Selective use of texts or portions of texts
• IT students more likely to use online texts
• Previous experience with books on CD and
  electronic databases predicted acceptance

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Why SAFARI Books?

• Well-known publishers
• Web-based no special equipment/software
• Available 24/7
• Collection can be continuously specialized/customi
  zed
• Consortial purchase
• Subscription-based

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Advantages of Internet-based E-Books

• Easy to download cataloging information to
  incorporate into local catalog
• Books cannot be stolen, damaged, or monopolized
• Use is easily tracked
• Book contents can be searched easily
• Ability to hyperlink between texts
• Selective printing of contents
• Save space and trees
• Free to users

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Additional Advantages of SAFARI

• Titles may be added and removed easily
• Topics covered appropriate for our audience
• Contents are always current
• Collection can be changed to meet term-by-term
  needs
• Recommends related titles
• Allows bookmarking
• Site is easy to use
• No special accounts needed-Shapiro Library is the
  portal

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Implementing SAFARI Methodology and Experience

• Librarians identified needs (titles and topics)
• Examined academic programs
• Created a budget
• Reviewed usage after one year, added and deleted
  titles based on data
• Continuous review and adaptation of titles list,
  using changes in academic programs as guide

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Outcomes and Issues expected and unanticipated

• Statistics on usage are available
• Searching can be tracked
• Least-frequently used books can be discarded
  quickly
• Some faculty members are using e-books as primary
  textbooks
• Decreased cost of ordering/replacing/cataloging
  books
• Printing problems using Internet Explorer

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Conclusions

• Cost/Benefit analysis borne out
• Acquisition cost/deaccessioning cost, processing
  cost
• Value-Added of E-books goes beyond dollar cost
• User satisfaction
• Benefit is spread over a large and geographically
  distributed population
• Positive perception by users

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Contact Information

• J. Stephanie Collins
• j.collins_at_snhu.edu
• Carol Thurston West
• c.west_at_snhu.edu
• Deborah Ross Wilcox
• d.wilcox_at_snhu.edu

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Related Work

• This presentation was originally given at The
  Third International Conference on the Book,
  Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK, September
  11-13, 2005.
• A full paper was published in The International
  Journal of the Book, v. 3, 2005/2006.