Special Report: Library Use of eBooks

 

http://www.libraryworks.com/

 

Library Use of eBooks, 2011 Edition

Primary Research Group | 2011

The report presents 145 pages of data and commentary on a broad range of eBook issues, including: spending on eBooks in 2010 and anticipated spending for 2011; usage levels of various kinds of eBooks; market penetration by various specific eBook publishers; extent of use of aggregators vs offering by specific publishers; purchasing of individual titles; use of various channels of distribution such as traditional book jobbers and leading retail/Internet-based booksellers; use of eBooks in course reserves and interlibrary loan; impact of eBooks on print book spending; use of eBooks in integrated search; price increases for eBooks; contract renewal rates for eBooks; use of special eBook platforms for smartphones and tablet computers; spending plans and current use of eBook readers such as Nook, Reader and Kindle; and the role played by library consortia in eBooks.

Data are broken out separately for public, academic and special libraries. The data in the report are based on a sample of academic, public and special libraries in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe.

Highlights:

• The libraries sampled had a mean number of 3.51 contracts with individual publishers or aggregators.
• For colleges, eBook aggregators represented more than 63% of their total eBook contracts.
• Larger libraries were much more likely than smaller ones to make purchases of eBooks through traditional jobbers.
• Consortia purchases accounted for only about 35% of eBook purchasing of all kinds
• Only 5.56% of libraries sampled have ever developed a video to explain any facet of eBook use and only about 19% have developed online tutorials.
• Only 13.3% of libraries sampled have incorporated eBook use on Smartphones such as Android, iPhjone or Blackberry into info literacy training.
• On the whole libraries appear satisfied with the quality of usage statistics provided by their major eBook vendors. 11.1% said that the statistics are not too reliable; more than 82% said that they were generally reliable or there were quite reliable.
• 13.58% of the libraries in the sample have digitized out of copyright books in their collections to enable their patrons to have digital access to the contents. Another 18.52% say that they have not done so but plan to do so within the next two years.
• More than 23% of the libraries in the sample owned some kind of stand along eBook reading device.