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UWE Bristol Its about convenience, ease, time
and comfort preliminary outcomes from the
LIRG/Elsevier e-book usage project Presentation
by Jackie Chelin, Elspeth Williams and Greg
Ince Members of e-books research project group,
Library Services, UWE
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Aim and objectives of project

• To find out more about how staff and students are
  using e-books for learning, teaching and
  research, i.e.
• Whether e-books are meeting users needs
• What place there is for e-books within the
  context of a multidisciplinary academic library
  collection
• By doing so, to discover more about the distinct
  drivers and barriers to use of e-books
• Can offer insights at a particular point in time

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Definition of e-books for project

• Electronic versions of titles that are, were, or
  could be available as hard copy books, and
  therefore resemble books in their structure and
  presentation, e.g.
• Textbooks
• Reference books (dictionaries, encyclopedias)
• Law texts

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Research design

• Web-based questionnaire aimed at UWE students
  December 2007
• Interviews with academic staff from a range of
  schools February to May 2008
• Observation of students undertaking a task online
  April/May

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Key findings from survey

• Users of e-books 62, non-users 38
• First year UG students are most likely to be
  non-users
• Law students reported using them most frequently
• First year UG students are more likely to use
  them for recommended reading than other levels of
  student
• Library catalogue is most frequently used method
  for finding them
• Rated as easy or very easy to use by 91 of users
• Major appeal is their accessibility, i.e.
  available 24 hours, instant online access and no
  visit to library necessary
• Preference of e-books users for print (32), for
  electronic (17), no preference (51)
• Main reason for non-use was not knowing about
  them (56)

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Key findings from interviews

• Issues relating to pedagogy, e.g. VLE, reading
  lists, spoon feeding
• Content, e.g. availability appropriateness,
  primary-secondary material
• Types of user, e.g. off campus, distance,
  international, print disabled
• Purpose of use e.g. complementing print,
  textual analysis, reference, research
• Issues relating to technology e.g. hand held
  devices
• Social, cultural and political issues

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Key findings from observed tasks

• Students demonstrated a variety of ways of
  finding an e-book
• Most would be happy to read on screen if it were
  just a chapter or two of an e-book
• Although the bookshelf / notes facilities were
  impressive to the students, one realised that
  with multiple e-book providers it would not be
  possible to keep them all together
• Predilection for copy and paste often meant
  students used control keys
• Functionality was not always evident, although,
  some particularly liked the highlight feature
• Two commented on the need for training on using
  e-books
• The difference in the look of the same book in
  the two interfaces provoked interesting responses
  from 2 students who indicated they preferred the
  one that looked more like a book (less like Word)
• Some students worried about losing access to
  their retrieved book when they used different
  bits of functionality

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Use of funding

• Digital Dictaphone equipment
• Transcription of interviews
• Prize draw for online survey (to encourage
  students to provide contact details for follow up
  observed tasks)
• Incentives for observed tasks

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Members of research group

• Jason Briddon Faculty Librarian Health and
  Life Sciences
• Jackie Chelin Deputy Librarian
• Greg Ince Collection Management Librarian
• Jane Redman E-learning co-ordinator
• Alastair Sleat Subject Librarian, Bristol
  Institute of Technology
• Elspeth Williams Faculty Librarian, Bristol
  Business School
• Advised by
• Ian Beeson PG Scheme Co-ordinator, BIT
• UWEs Research Business and Innovation team
• Aided by
• Judith Stewart Faculty Librarian, Education,
  Sociology and Politics (interviews)
• Library Administrative Services team (admin)