Search

This paper discusses how the William G. Squires Library conducted a usability study on their LibGuides to identify student design preferences. The results of the study support previous research concerning best practices for LibGuide creation. This paper offers insight into how librarian-centric design hinders student success and provides suggestions for how to best develop a student-centric template design that offers consistency and increased user proficiency across all guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries are entering a new reality for collections and resource sharing due to the increased acquisition of electronic books, or ebooks, during the last decade. The need to interlibrary loan (ILL) ebooks will likely increase based on current purchasing trends, but how well are we prepared for this future? Important advancements are underway, but ILL for ebooks is hampered by restrictive licensing models, resource sharing systems, and current practices. This study provides an environmental scan of the current acquisitions and ILL practices of academic libraries. This paper guides academic libraries through these conversations so that they can support the borrowing and lending of ebooks into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modern university library plays a pivotal role in supporting academic research and fostering a culture of learning. However, the landscape of book acquisition within these institutions has undergone significant transformation in recent years. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities faced by university libraries in acquiring books in the digital age. The challenges encompass issues such as budget constraints, evolving user preferences, and the rapid growth of digital resources. University libraries must navigate these challenges while maintaining a diverse and relevant collection to meet the needs of their academic community. On the other hand, the digital age offers new opportunities, including access to a vast array of electronic resources, improved collection management tools, and the potential for collaborative acquisition models. These opportunities have the potential to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of book acquisition processes. Through a comprehensive review of literature, case studies, and interviews with library professionals, this paper sheds light on the strategies employed by modern university libraries to address book acquisition challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities. It also discusses the implications of these changes for the future of academic libraries and their vital role in supporting research and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of information technology and the Internet, it is difficult for university readers to find books of real interest or value from a large number of books by relying only on traditional retrieval-based services. This paper applies data mining technology and personalized recommendation algorithm based on semantic classification for new book recommendation service in university libraries. The personalized recommendation algorithm based on semantic classification establishes a book feature model and a reader preference model based on title keywords. The different recommendation strategies in the system framework are detailed. For the borrowing data of different colleges and departments, the improved association rule algorithm is used to mine the book association rules, and the reader's borrowing history is matched with the association rules to generate a book recommendation list; according to the reader's borrowing preference characteristics, the reader preference model is used as the basis. Class subdivision and then combined with the book feature model and reader preference model, the collaborative filtering recommendation algorithm and the content-based recommendation algorithm are applied to generate a book recommendation list. The active service method not only improves the service level of the university library, makes the development of the university library more comprehensive and humanized but also explores the potential information needs of readers, improves the borrowing rate of books in the collection, and maximizes the utilization rate of book resources. In the experiment of this paper, the personalized recommendation algorithm division of semantic classification is adopted. According to the division of its algorithm, the corpus is divided into 9603 training documents and 3299 test documents, with certain accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A digital library is a digital information resource system supported by modern high technology, a next-generation information resource management model on the Internet, and the result of the digitization of library collections, and with the development of society and the accelerated pace of people's lives, people cannot spend too much time classifying and finding books, so the study of book classification and quick finding in university libraries is very important. This paper mainly researches and analyzes the classification and quick search of books in the university library through the algorithms and methods of digital information technology and finds a better algorithm. This paper mainly conducts experiments on automatic text and support vector machine (one-to-many and global optimization) methods and compares the obtained experimental data, such as classification accuracy, classification time, search time, and other data. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy of these three classification methods is in the range of 86%–94%. However, compared with the two methods of automatic text classification and one-to-many classification, the global optimization classification has the highest accuracy in the sample size of each interval. Among them, the classification time is the lowest for automatic text classification, which is less than 30s, and the one-to-many classification sample takes the most time, and their average fitness is in the range of 24%–27%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based acquisition (EBA) programmes have been gaining momentum in academic libraries over the past 5–10 years. This paper examines our experience implementing one of these programmes at The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus. In 2019, The Alma Jordan Library of the St. Augustine Campus partnered with Wiley Publishers to administer the Usage Based Collection Management (UBCM) programme. The results at the end of this first year were very encouraging and therefore, the decision was taken to extend the programme for a second year, and it has been continued for a third year. This paper describes the process of selecting a provider of a user-driven eBook acquisition model, implementing the programme, and gathering usage statistics. An analysis of the data was conducted at the end of the programme, and then criteria developed and used for identifying titles for purchase. In the analysis, the authors explore the following: usage based on titles not owned, usage based on subject areas; return on investment to the library; continued use of UBCM- purchased titles. Also included are the benefits of implementing such a programme, challenges experienced, and recommendations for libraries wishing to embark on such a project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most libraries don't buy books based on a set of rules that reflect the research done at their affiliated institutions. A structured method for evaluating evolving research areas is a must have process in libraries, especially academic libraries. So, in this study, with the help of the digital humanities tool, the authors developed a book purchasing algorithm for an academic library that functions in accordance with the core research subjects and evolving research areas of that institution. To conduct this study, the researchers searched the SCOPUS database for articles published by the "University of Calicut" as of February 13, 2023, yielding 3305 publications. Voyant tools have been used to analyse the collected data. Significant changes in the area of research at the University of Calicut are observed from its beginning to its recent history (1967-2023). The analysis revealed a discrepancy between the primary subject areas of research and the book collection at the Calicut University library. The findings of this paper will aid librarians in their acquisition processes, and the institution will be able to support the research community. This study proposes a novel "Book Purchase Model for Academic Libraries" using a digital humanities tool that can be used in professional practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the availability, via both library lending licenses and open access, of digital versions of the monographs that professors recommend in online bachelor's degrees courses in social sciences at Spanish public universities. Monographs are the type of document most recommended by professors when it comes to teaching and learning in higher education. Digital format is most suitable for online degrees, considering the added effort entailed for libraries to get these documents owing to the geographic dispersion of the students. For this purpose, all the resources in the recommended reading section of the syllabi from a sample of online degree programs in social sciences for the 2022–2023 academic year were extracted. Then, the catalogs of the corresponding university libraries were consulted to check the availability of the monographs on the reading lists. In addition, the catalogs of the usual suppliers to Spanish university libraries were consulted to check the availability of lending licenses for libraries. Finally, types of digital lending platforms are analyzed. Monographs account for 85.6 % of the documents referenced in courses' recommended reading lists. Only 21.0 % of monographs are available in digital format, either through library lending (17.4 %) or open access (4.9 %). On the contrary, practically the entirety of reading lists is available for lending through university libraries in printed format. University libraries could make the effort to acquire even more digital lending licenses for a portion of the books recommended by professors, but in this way they could only obtain 40.9 % of the monographs in digital format. Therefore, the publishing industry is not currently meeting the needs of online university education in the social sciences, owing to a large part of its catalog – especially older works – not being offered in digital format as well as the lack of library lending licenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the transactional patterns of Ebook Library (EBL), one of the aggregator platforms owned by ProQuest, e-book titles at the Edith Cowan University (ECU), Western Australia to know the way and extent of usage. This study is longitudinal, involving three years’ worth of EBL usage data, investigating information seeking behavior by scholarly users of e-books employing statistical log analysis of the metadata datasets (logs) that describe e-book use. This study compares three years’ transaction logs for EBL e-book titles used by the ECU community. The metrics used include aggregate trends, views, minutes spent, titles used, users, academic calendar, sessions, searches, and item type. This paper may be useful for librarians to make evidence-based informed decisions while selecting the e-book acquisition model of aggregator/supplier platforms. The e -book researchers may also find this paper useful to explore further metrics of e -book user behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of electronic book (eBook) acquisition and cataloging time and cost management are an unexplored field in Estonia, and based on the information known to the author, there are no similar studies using a "time-driven activity-based costing" (TDABC) methodology for analyzing costs of activities related to eBooks. The purpose of this paper is not to compare the advantages and disadvantages of eBooks. The purpose of the current paper is to verify, by using the Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing method, that the process of purchasing and cataloging eBooks is significantly cheaper, less time-consuming, and ultimately more cost-effective than the process of purchasing and cataloging printed books (pBooks); and to determine whether eBooks streamline the acquisition and cataloging process for books. The results of this study were compared with the results of a previous study on the acquisition and cataloging of print books (pBooks) that was conducted at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) Library in 2012–2013.Methodology.The data used in this paper are based on a review of relevant literature in order to survey the different problems and challenges in the library sector that slow down the success of the eBook management process. Through a case study conducted at TalTech Library, a time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) method was used, such that all activities related to acquisition and cataloging of individually purchased eBooks were identified, recorded in detail and analyzed. More specifically, the study concerned eBooks offered in the Ebook Central platform and covered acquisition processes (such as receipt of purchase requests, communication with patrons, making a purchase, and feedback to the patron).Findings. On the basis of the current study it can be said that the activities related with eBooks take remarkably less staff time and finances than pBooks. The efficiency of staff increases due to electronic retrieval, processing, and delivery of collections. This study led to an understanding that many activities between different units or departments, especially in a large library, actually duplicate each other, and work could be organized in a more effective way if duplication is avoided, which in turn saves time and money. The results of this study suggest that some acquisition of eBooks can eliminate duplication of effort in both the acquisition and cataloging processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of the widespread trend of e-book adoption by U.S. academic libraries, interlibrary loan (ILL) of e-books is significantly lagging behind because of license agreement restrictions, unstandardized platforms, library policies, and technological barriers. More recently, the long-cherished tradition of ILL has been further challenged, because an increasing number of academic libraries are adopting user-based e-book purchasing models that have the potential to bypass ILL. This paper compares the findings of two longitudinal surveys on e-book ILL practices in U.S. academic libraries, based on random sampling. The results from inferential statistical analyses reveal that, while inter-library lending of entire e-books is seldom practiced and shows no growth, e-book chapter ILL is becoming more prevalent in U.S. academic libraries. Librarians have grown more knowledgeable about licensing and technological issues, but their perceptions of these barriers are mixed. The study also shows that larger institutions are more likely to perform e-book ILL services, and their librarians tend to be more positive about the future of e-book ILL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries can improve their ebook collections by weeding them to remove outdated and irrelevant content. This paper reports on an ebook weeding project conducted by the Franklin University Library in Columbus, Ohio. It discusses the library's reasons for weeding its ebooks, how the library weeded its demand driven acquisitions ("DDA") pool, and the challenges the library encountered weeding ebooks. The library ultimately conducted a more limited weeding of its ebook collection than initially planned. This paper explains the reasons for this limited weeding project, the decisions the library made throughout the project and the method used to conduct the ebook weeding project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic libraries are choosing to purchase electronic books (e-books) rather than print more frequently for multiple reasons. Unfortunately, e-books are not being used as much as they should be. With increasing academic e-book collections, many studies have examined student and faculty use of and attitudes towards this innovation. This paper will analyze the results in this area of research and align them with the Diffusion of Innovations Theory that includes the Rogers Diffusion of Innovations Curve, innovation categories, and the factors affecting the diffusion process of an innovation. This analysis will give libraries a better understanding of who is using academic e-books, why academic e-books are being used, and how to influence the behaviour of the academic libraries' patrons to increase their use of academic e-books. An analysis of these three areas will help libraries to develop effective marketing and education strategies aimed at increasing e-book usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -The purpose of the paper is to recognize different errands and responsibilities that the UAE academic libraries must undertake towards the trendy changes in researchers' information seeking behavior, and fulfill to the advancements carried in by the emergence of Research 2.0. Design/methodology/approach- The researchers comprehensively reviewed the appropriate literature related to the academic libraries' activities viz., information literacy (IL) education, research data services (RDS), awareness-raising, and support individual faculty members in the United Arab Emirates. Findings - The UAE librarians organize information literacy education for the students of all programs, primarily to research scholars and faculty in both Arabic and English languages. The faculty members are supported with discipline-specific databases, print and digital versions of books and journals along with other online services. Regarding raising awareness, library professionals in the country actively involved in the transformation of all types of knowledge sources and their updates to all stakeholders of the education, whereas research data service is slowly gearing up in many academic libraries. Originality/value - The paper proposes to be an addition to the body of knowledge about academic library support through information literacy, awareness raising, faculty attention and research data services to researchers in the UAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Academic libraries continue to invest in eBooks to ensure access to content in various formats. This paper aims to examine eBook acquisition models, including patron-driven acquisitions, one-time purchases, focused collection subscriptions or large-scale subscriptions, to better understand how users engage with this content based on usage data. Design/methodology/approach: Usage data provide insights into eBook acquisition and how access models influence use. This study defines the acquisition model for each eBook purchase. Data were examined to determine usage by acquisition model and cost-per-use. Findings: This paper finds that for a large suburban community college, a large-scale subscription model has the lowest cost-per-use and serves the largest portion of students. Focused collection subscriptions supported small, specialized programs in the Allied Health, Emergency Services, and Nursing fields. Originality/value: This paper examines how eBooks are acquired to determine which model best serves an academic library community, specifically a community college library, which is currently underrepresented in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital library is no longer considered a lavish use of technology but rather a mandatory need for users, especially postgraduate students. Each year, public and academic libraries invest a lot of money to subscribe to various digital resources, such as online databases, electronic books, electronic journals, and electronic magazines. However, many of these organizations have difficulties justifying their digital library investment due to lack of usage among the users. This underutilization of digital libraries is credited to the lack of digital library engagement among the users. Digital library engagement is defined as a deep and long-time use of digital library resources. Some researchers equate engagement to usage; however, engagement goes beyond the generic term of usage and may include multiple dimensions such as affective, cognitive, and behavioral. Previous works on the digital library have mostly focused on the generic definition of use instead of engagement. Researchers believe that the lack of study on digital library engagement causes the underutilization of digital libraries' resources. Despite the rising interest in the digital library, no research has studied digital library engagement predictors. Therefore, this paper aims to discuss the predictors of digital library engagement at the conceptual level. A structured literature review methodology was adopted; a total of 135 pieces of literature were included in this study. In total, 30 predictors of digital library engagement were identified, and these predictors were grouped into four factors: technological, individual, organizational, and contextual factors. Grounded on the previous literature on the digital library, the contributions of this paper are as follows: first, this paper identified a list of predictors of digital library engagement from past digital library literature, second, this paper categorized the predictors into four factors, and finally, this paper proposed a conceptual model for further validation of the predictors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to find out how much the purchasing and lending of individual electronic books really cost. Additionally, this paper investigates which kind of approach would be cheaper and less time-consuming for library staff as well as library patrons – purchase or short-term loan. Design/methodology/approach: This study was conducted at the Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) Library. This is the only university library in Estonia where the Ebook Central platform is adapted on a large scale. For background information, all statistical data of expenditures and average prices of purchases and short-term loans during April 2013 and December 2018 were calculated and analysed. Through a case study, the time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) method was used – all activities related to acquisition and lending of eBooks were identified, recorded in detail and analysed. More specifically, the study concerned eBooks offered in the Ebook Central platform and covered purchasing and short-term loan processes, such as receipt of order request, communication with the patron (if necessary) making a purchase or short-term loan, and feedback to the patron. Findings: While analysing the results, it appeared there are many additional activities libraries can avoid during the eBook short-term loan process compared to purchasing. As a normality in TalTech library, purchase is always followed by a cataloguing process which increases the time and cost of this process in turn. On the basis of the current study, it can be said that short-term loan is a cheaper way to use eBooks; many activities related to the short-term loan of eBooks take remarkably less staff time and financial resources than eBooks acquisition/purchasing activities. When analysing the literature reviewed as well as collected statistical data, the problem may arise when the decision-maker librarian is not experienced, professional or long-sighted enough to understand the future behaviour of the patron or the usage of the specific eBook. When the usage reaches a certain point, it becomes an indicator of continuing future usage and so it makes sense to purchase the eBook, as the library pays no further charges once an eBook is owned. Originality/value: Most studies reviewed by the author are based on the statistical data collected about expenditure, costs, usage, cost-per-use, etc. of short-term loans and purchases. While acquisitions costs, average cost per acquired item per year and cost per usage are easy to identify, it has been difficult to measure associated costs of acquisition, cataloging and circulation. The TDABC methodology seems to be one of the best tools for understanding cost behaviour and refining a cost system for university libraries. Based on the information known to the author, there is no study carried out using the TDABC methodology for analysing costs of eBook programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to determine how undergraduate students at the University of Namibia perceive and use e-books. This paper aims to report on the result of a study that investigated the adoption of, views about and use of e-books at the University of Namibia. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a mixed-method approach. It used three methods, namely, focus group interviews, observation combined with the think aloud and a survey to investigate how undergraduate students use e-books. Findings: Major findings of the study indicated that students use and prefer e-books for course and research purposes. But they mainly use non-library search engines such as Google, Yahoo and commercial sites. Lack of searching skills, slow/unreliable internet and limited or lack of relevant content of e-book collections were the major hindrances affecting e-book use. Originality/value: The findings of the study could be used to understand the use of e-books at the University of Namibia and at academic institutions with similar context to Namibia. The study contributes to the knowledge base of library and information science (LIS) by providing a detailed analysis on the views and use of e-books at the University of Namibia. The recommendations of this study can be adopted by libraries in other countries with similar socio-economic conditions like Namibia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discussed usage of e-books in two Nigeria universities with a particular emphasis on the circulation routines regarding the usage of eBooks. The questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. A total of 572 sets of questionnaire were distributed among undergraduate and postgraduates students of University of Lagos and Covenant University. This paper showed how the application of e-books could enrich the library services and thereby enhance the academic performance of students in Nigerian institutions of higher learning. Also, it discussed some challenges affecting the effective use of eBooks in academic libraries studied. The paper concluded with some recommendations that could serve as a way forward to those challenges bedeviling the effective performance of the eBook usage in Nigeria Libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While usability tests have been helpful in evaluating the success or failure of implementing discovery layers in the library context, the focus of usability tests has remained on the search interface rather than the discovery process for users. The informal site-‐ and context specific usability tests have offered little to test the rigor of the discovery layers against the user goals, motivations and workflow they have been designed to support. This study proposes hierarchical task analysis (HTA) as an important complementary evaluation method to usability testing of discovery layers. Relevant literature is reviewed for the discovery layers and the HTA method. As no previous application of HTA to the evaluation of discovery layers was found, this paper presents the application of HTA as an expert based and workflow centered (e.g., retrieving a relevant book or a journal article) method to evaluating discovery layers. Purdue University's Primo by Ex Libris was used to map eleven use cases as HTA charts. Nielsen's Goal Composition theory was used as an analytical framework to evaluate the goal charts from two perspectives: a) users' physical interactions (i.e., clicks), and b) user's cognitive steps (i.e., decision points for what to do next). A brief comparison of HTA and usability test findings is offered as a way of conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summer 2020 witnessed a large-scale temporary release of content from the publishing community to support UK universities as they moved to online-only delivery, followed by a scramble by those institutions to maintain access to resources. This paper reflects on the experiences of De Montfort University and Imperial College libraries during this period as they supported the move to remote teaching. It focuses on the complexities experienced during this transitional period, and considers how the speed of these changes increased staff workloads, stretched budgets, and compelled acquisitions teams to act without always fully gathering evidence or strategically planning how new practices might work in the longer term. The authors, who sit on various national contract management and acquisitions strategy groups, examine the repercussions of navigating from an unplanned, accelerated digital shift to a more managed, sustainable paradigm, and contemplate how the advent of multimode teaching may impact on the way libraries are resourced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper was intended to evaluate electronic collections, digital collections, digital resources, ebooks, e-resources using bibliometric exploration from 2001 to 2020. The main purpose is to associate the available scholarship on the electronic and digital collections in the Web of Science indexed documents. There was a lack of computable quantities on the electronic collections. We used the bibliometric analysis and 2002 published documents were found. The results indicated that the top topic of published documents as electronic books or e-books and library, article as a type, English as the top language, top publications in 2016, and Huang YM was the top author. Data analysis also asserted that the top organization was Bar Ilan Univ., Israel, United States as the top country, electronic books were top keyword, and electronic library with 616 citations was as a top source of publication. Further, the results and trends of data were present in the form of tables and figures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The novel Coronovirus pandemic has made us to use the digital resources due to closure of colleges across the globe. Librarians and users all over the world have had to adjust to new ways of work and life. The study explores the e-resources provided by N-LIST in the form of ejournals and e-books from various reputed publishers included in the consortium. The data has been gathered from the library users (students, research scholars and the faculty) of the academic colleges across Goa through online Google form. From the study, it was found that N-LIST eresources have been playing a crucial role in satisfying the information needs of the users throughout the Covid-19 pandemic era. The study shows that N-LIST e-resources has significantly contributed to the demands of the college library users as the vast collection of eresources can be accessed from anywhere and at any time through remote access. This paper tries to shed light on the importance of having N-LIST e-resources, the crucial role played during the pandemic era in fulfilling the information needs of the users and the satisfaction level of the users. The study also made it very clear that the users are very satisfied with the e-resources provided under N-LIST consortium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emergence of information technology, the demand for e-resources has been growing day by day. Advancement of ICT infrastructure leads to the wide use of e-resources. Nowadays, users can access e-resources on their desktops. N-LIST is an initiation to provide selected e-journals and e-books to the registered colleges in India. The present study was carried out among post-graduate students in autonomous colleges of Kerala. The study aims to examine the awareness and use of N-LIST e-resources, purposes of use, level of satisfaction, and problems faced by postgraduate students while accessing N-LIST e-resources. For this purpose, the investigator prepared a well-structured questionnaire as a tool for data collection. The hypotheses of study demand the use of different statistical techniques, such as simple percentage methods and the ANOVA test. The present study reveals that the majority of respondents are aware and use N-LIST e-resources. However, daily usage of N-LIST e-resources among post-graduate students is still not up to the mark. Based on the findings, the paper recommends that college libraries should enhance their infrastructure and provide proper Wi-Fi facility for the optimum utilisation of the N-LIST e-resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern academic libraries should well be equipped with online resources along with print resources. Libraries are facing a transition period from print to electronic. The younger generation prefers to refer to the digital form of resources quickly. VTU Consortium is a blessing for readers, who are studying/working in VTU affiliated colleges. To meet the industrial requirements, one who updates his/her knowledge up to global and industrial standards. It can be achieved only by referring to current journals. VTU consortium has given that chance to library users to access world-class eJournals and eBooks on their campuses just by clicking the mouse. This study focuses on the usage of electronic resources subscribed through VTU consortium by students and teaching fraternity and how those resources being utilized by users. This paper gives the idea of promoting these resources at the college level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducts a critical analysis of the books borrowed by MBA students of the enrolled batches of the academic year: 2017 & 2018 at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Library, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The analysis throws light on the different aspects such as several books borrowed, authorship pattern of the borrowed books, a chronology of the borrowed books, country-wide distribution of borrowed books, type of publisher, rank list of the publishers, rank list of the mostfrequently borrowed titles. After analysis of each point, appropriate conclusions were drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we will investigate how an academic library, the University of Bergen Library in Norway, handled the challenges following the Covid-19 pandemic when the University of Bergen closed the campus on short notice and the Library immediately had to go fully digital in all its services to academics and students. The academics and students were helped by more and automated access to electronic books and services, and we show the numbers of usage. The e-mail and chat-functions were expanded, with librarians working from home. As for the Library staff, having to start working from home offices with less than ideal infrastructure, the main issues were missing their colleagues. How did the Library return to (almost) normal services? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine usage trends during the first four years of the implementation of the Springer Book Archives (SBA) at the University of Melbourne. The paper assesses the benefits of the SBA against perceptions at the time of purchase and seeks to evaluate the long-term value of the purchase. Design/methodology/approach -- The methodology included a literature search to identify issues in the adoption of large backlists of ebooks, examination of detailed usage data supplied in COUNTER complaint spreadsheets and tables by Springer, validating findings with librarians and academics and positing next steps. Findings -- Usage of ebooks, like other electronic resources, is difficult to predict. Resources expected to be used, may not be and vice versa. Access to large aggregations of electronic content creates new opportunities for teaching and research, additional economies and benefits, as well as unexpected outcomes. Research limitations/implications -- Detailed data on user profiles were not available and an evaluation of user perceptions was not possible at this time. Originality/value -- The literature review suggests that this is the only published study of institutional usage of the SBA at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines publisher ebook package use in the OhioLINK academic library consortium between 2007 and 2017 alongside use of the same titles at individual institutions. With nearly 100,000 titles acquired over 10+ years from three publishers and available to users at more than 90 institutions, the picture of ebook use this study presents is unique in its breadth and scope. The data show that, consortiumwide, close to 100 percent of titles were used, with their initial use overwhelmingly taking place within one year of their publication date. At individual institutions, the rate of use was far lower and never exceeded the rate of use of print books at the author's own institution. These findings have important implications for how institutions approach ebook acquisition to maximize rate of use of ebook collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of e-book usage in one interdisciplinary research collection, for library and information science (LIS), at a large research institution. Drawing from the social sciences, humanities, and computer science, LIS exemplifies the challenge of analyzing use of interdisciplinary collections that cut across Library of Congress (LC) class ranges normally used to analyze disciplinary differences in the existing literature. The analysis also explores use factors beyond LC class that usage studies rarely examine, including genre and audience level, and changes in use over time across categories. This study contributes both to understanding the usage of LIS e-books as an exemplary interdisciplinary collection and to developing options for analyses of e-book collections that maximize the utility of usage reports despite their challenges. As e-book collections mature and the utility of comparing used versus unused titles wanes, such strategies will become necessary to make more nuanced decisions for e-book collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic library is increasingly moving to majority online collections. As the number of ebooks increase due to the current ebook purchasing model most libraries use, libraries are more likely to be duplicating titles across packages and platforms. Many libraries do not realize how many duplicate titles there are between packages or how duplicate records affect the user experience. This paper examines four ebook packages in terms of duplication and suggests practical solutions for working with duplicate records. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates determinant of continuance intention to use e-book among higher education students. The determinants used in this paper are adopted from Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory (EDT). The quantitative study employed random sampling where the email invitation which contained a hypertext link of the survey page, enables the participants to access to the survey hosted in Google Drive. Out of 760 sample size, a total of 650 responses were gathered with 509 valid responses used for analysis. The data were analysed to test the relationship between determinants of continuance intention to use e-book among higher education students. The finding demonstrates that determinant of continuance intention to use ebook are based on Satisfaction, while Satisfaction is strongly determined by Perceived Ease of Use and Confirmation of using e-book. Internet self-efficacy is reported to have strong effect on Satisfaction through Perceived Ease of Use, while Perceived Quality affects Satisfaction of using ebook through Confirmation. In general findings from this study are beneficial for libraries in that determinants of continuance intention of using e-books could also be used in selecting and evaluating e-books features before subscription. Additionally e-book vendors could use these findings to improve and enhance features of their e-books services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to focus on the history and new developments of the optimization and analysis of acquisitions costs. More specifically, the acquisition cost and time optimization methods studied concern primarily print format books. Though e-books have begun to be developed more and more, the print format books ? both scientific books and textbooks ? are still very important for university libraries and continue to pour into acquisition activities. Design/methodology/approach ? The data used in this paper are based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the different concepts of the budget allocation and cost accounting methods suitable for the optimizing cost and time of the acquisition process. Different methods are described via reviewing example studies. Findings ? On the basis of the current study, it can be said that the acquisitions procedure is more labor-intensive than any other library procedure both historically and nowadays. Nonetheless, the routines of acquisitions have been fairly well fixed over the years and constantly have searched for new ways to reduce costs. The most popular methods to control the acquisitions budget have been centralized and cooperative acquisitions, using vendors for acquiring library materials, customer-based acquisitions, and price indexes. New costing methods described, like activity-based costing and time-driven activity-based costing methodologies seem both to be the best tools for understanding acquisitions cost behavior and for refining a cost system for university libraries. Originality/value ? This paper raises a perspective in library acquisitions management that has not been dealt with before. Namely, it explores how the library materials selection moved from intrinsic wisdom of bookish librarians and ?just in case? inventory model to ?purchase by customer suggestion? model. In addition, how libraries moved from acting on the basis of guesses to examine the cost breakdown of the acquisitions-related activities in a library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities in Kenya have subscribed to a range of electronic books and electronic journals through the Kenya Libraries and Information Services Consortium (KLISC). The lack of an effective marketing strategy has been identified as one of the major barriers to their utilization. This paper presents the results of a survey study on the application of a strategic approach in the marketing of electronic resources, or e-resources. The study also sought insights into academic librarians' understanding of marketing principles and the challenges they face in carrying out marketing activities. A questionnaire created using Google Forms was used to gather data. Respondents were recruited by email from institutions that belong to KLISC, and a total of twenty-nine members responded. The responses gathered reveal that although academic librarians are carrying out some marketing activities, the majority of them are not applying a strategic marketing approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to primarily investigate among faculty the reasons for non use of library services and resources at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the category of non users and also how to improve usage. The study adopts a descriptive survey design. Fifty-six (56) out of 1018 faculty respondents were identified as non users and this formed the basis of the study. Data was mainly collected by questionnaire. The information sources respondents mostly used included their own textbooks; Internet; electronic journals and ebooks etc. Reasons adduced for non use of library services included: no time to visit the library; no need for the library; the library is uninviting; buy my own books; and difficulty to find books in the library. It was recommended that to stem the tide of non use, the academic libraries must reinvent themselves and create room for user driven services and resources, redesign floor spaces, bridge communication gap between the library and prospective users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of the study is to review the e-books collection, namely, Ebrary Academic Complete, by understanding its features, cost and usage at Vikram Sarabhai Library, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA). The study attempts to understand the usefulness of Ebrary in terms of its currency of titles, publishers, subjects and cost.Design/methodology/approach The paper is based on five-year usage data of Ebrary Academic Complete at Vikram Sarabhai Library, IIMA. The data on usage of Ebrary was downloaded and analyzed on different parameters to find out the overall value or use of Ebrary Academic Complete package from the perspective of a management library.Findings The research concluded that there was an increase in usage of Ebrary Academic Complete over time. The subject analysis revealed that titles from “Business and Economics”, “Computers” and “Social Science” were the highest used. The publisher analysis indicated that John Wiley & Sons topped in both the highest number of titles in the package and highest used titles. The annual subscription fee model of Ebrary Academic Complete adopted by Vikram Sarabhai Library was working well with a gradual increase in usage bringing down the per title access costs.Originality/value The study helps in understanding the approach to evaluating e-book collections in terms of currency of content, subjects covered, publishers included and costs involved. The detailed analysis would assist libraries in decision-making with regard to e-book collection development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the literature on e-book adoption in academic and research libraries, user acceptance is seldom rigorously examined. As take-up of e-books has grown to achieve mass adoption, what industry analysts Gartner describe as the "plateau of productivity", the question of user acceptance may seem less relevant. However, if attention is switched from downloads to information behaviour, expectations and gratification, the picture of acceptance is more nuanced, with some studies pointing towards user disaffection. This paper reports on the information behaviour of another category of e-book users, i.e. apparently satisfied or intensive users. The paper is based on data analysis and interpretation of data from transaction logs generated by the Ebook Library (EBL) platform in an academic library. The paper forms part of a broader investigation of technology acceptance and options for improving the user experience of e-books within an academic library context. Three years of e-books transaction logs were mined for evidence of "power user" behaviour. The paper demonstrates how power user behaviour is different from other user behaviour, shows which variables determine such behaviour, and creates a probabilistic model that can determine a power user based on these variables. The paper also describes how this model was validated against the log data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This paper reports on a study of e-books issues in academic libraries in two European countries representative of small language markets -- Sweden and Lithuania. Method. Questionnaire surveys, using the same instrument, were carried out in Swedish and Lithuanian academic libraries. Analysis. Quantitative analysis was performed using the descriptive statistics capability of SurveyMonkey. Results. The survey's results reveal some interesting similarities and differences in the two countries. Business models for e-book acquisition in both countries show similarities -- the most popular additional model is purchase for perpetual ownership. One significant difference is that some of the Lithuanian academic librarians appear to have less direct knowledge of e-book acquisition, relying upon the Lithuanian Research Library Consortium to effect licence agreements with publishers and aggregators. Another significant difference is that academic libraries in Lithuania have a higher degree of access to e-books in the national language than is the case in Sweden. Conclusion. The findings show that the factors driving adoption of e-books, is composed of somewhat different elements in the two countries. Swedish librarians regard the need to keep up with technology and access and availability as the two main forces driving adoption of e-books in academic libraries. Lithuanian librarians see economics as the mainfactor, together with technology and demand from students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2006 Swinburne University of Technology became the first library in the world to launch a large-scale implementation of a demand-driven acquisition (DDA) programme for e-books. At that time, the 34,000 e-books made available through the EBL DDA programme accounted for almost all the e-books available from the Library. In the intervening years the demand-driven collection has grown to almost 300,000 e-books but these now form only a component of a much larger collection of 765,000 e-books in total, acquired through a range of acquisition models. When changes in publisher charging models caused a large increase in short-term loan-based DDA expenditure from late 2014, the library took action during 2015 to put the DDA programme on a sustainable footing. Further changes were introduced in 2016 when Swinburne became one of the launch customers for a new DDA model developed for ProQuest's Ebook Central platform called Access-to-Own (ATO). This paper describes the evolution of DDA at Swinburne and the early experiences of using the new ATO model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to provide an assessment of an ebook collection in an academic library, and attempts to locate usage trends by subject and publisher. Design/methodology/approach – The research was based on: three years of usage data from two e-book packages: NetLibrary and Ebrary; two methods of purchase: NetLibrary was a one-time purchase; Ebrary is purchased on a subscription basis. The research evaluated usage difference over time between the two packages and analyzed subject and publisher usage. Findings – The research found that Ebrary showed increased usage over time; NetLibrary demonstrated decreased usage; subject analysis showed ebooks in health sciences and hotel had highest usage; publisher analysis results illustrated the fact that five publishers had highest usage in both ebook collections. Research limitations/implications – For circulation rate of each ebook package, two years of data were not available for Ebrary, resulting in incomplete comparison over three-year period between the two packages. Practical implications – The paper assists in identifying usage patterns of ebooks across publishers and subjects; compares two different business models of obtaining ebooks; and helps with effective selection of ebooks to support teaching and learning. Originality/value – Usage data over three years provided evidence to help libraries select a business model for acquiring ebooks; the research provides assessment of ebook collections to identify trends across publishers and subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an input-output analysis of electronic resources in academic libraries by verifying evaluation indicators and applying them to the digital library environment. Design/methodology/approach – This study measures the performance of electronic resources in academic libraries in Korea. To measure the efficiency of the input-output ratio, evaluation indicators were divided into inputs and outputs. Inputs refer to the e-resource use environment as well as the acquisition of e-resources such as web DB, e-books, e-journals, and so on. Outputs quantify the use of each resource. Findings – First, the results of this study show that a large share of academic library budgets is spent on e-resource purchases and e-resource environment improvement for better use. Second, the measurement shows that web DB subscription, annual e-resource development, and education for e-resource exhibit higher efficiency, while e-resource use, web DB and e-journal download exhibited relatively high efficiency. Third, when the input-output ratio is calculated in percentage terms, the efficiency of e-resources of Korean academic libraries reaches 88.20 per cent. Research limitations/implications – First, to measure performance accurately, results/effectiveness must be included. However, this study focused on quantifiable input and output factors. It is recommended that future research include user satisfaction and learning effects. Second, this study was conducted in a particular country (Korea). So it is advisable to conduct research to compare the results of this study to results in other countries. Originality/value – This study is the first research to consider the performance of electronic resources in depth. This paper contributes to improving the reliability of library evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the findings from the qualitative strand of the National e-Book Observatory (2007-2009) project, relating to the promotion of e-textbooks in UK universities by the library, academics and publishers. A complementary paper on the ways in which students and academics locate e-books provided by their library will appear in a future issue. Design/methodology/approach - Following the provision by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in the UK of collections of e-textbooks, the project used deep log analysis, benchmark surveys and focus groups to develop a rich picture of library e-collection management and use by students and academics. Focus groups were undertaken with library staff, academics and students; the dialogues were transcribed and analysed using NVivo7 software. Findings - The qualitative studies found that libraries were using a range of promotional tools, although these were not always finding their targets. Often libraries had no formal promotion strategy for e-resources. Although little in evidence, the value of academic commitment and promotion was emphasised. Promotion by publishers and aggregators is both to libraries and directly to academic staff. Students felt that they were largely unaware of promotion beyond the presence of e-books in the catalogue, and in some cases stated explicitly that they thought more should be done to promote library e-resources to them. Practical implications - The paper offers pragmatic guidance on promotional methodologies. Originality/value - The project describes the first major, national usage study of e-books in higher education. The paper contributes significantly to the literature in discussing the importance of promoting e-books to students and staff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine whether aggregator packages might be appropriate to replace or supplement print collections in business and nursing, it aims to identify e-book equivalents for print books acquired for an academic library's collections. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a list of the library's acquisitions in two disciplines checked against e-book aggregators' holdings. The comparison is analyzed and discussed. Findings – The results confirm findings of a previous study showing that less than one-third of print books acquired for this library's nursing and business collections have e-book equivalents available from aggregators, so the aggregators' holdings do not strongly match the library's collecting profile. Research limitations/implications – The present study applies previous research to a different type of collection, and tests previous conclusions. Originality/value – This paper contributes to assessment of the value of e-book collections for academic libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the issues surrounding the implementation of an online reading list system at the University of Glamorgan. Design/methodology/approach - The paper reports on an implementation project, using Tails List, which took place between November 2005 and March 2006. Findings - The project itself was a success, with the target number of reading lists made available being exceeded. As with any new system, the development of the processes involved in its day-to-day running can be unpredictable. Workflows did not develop as anticipated; the ways in which reading lists were collected from academics varied, as did the styles of the lists themselves. Some issues were encountered around linking to electronic resources and embedding the system into the university's virtual learning environment (VLE). Originality/value - This paper will be of value to those interested in the development and use of online reading lists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to discuss the results of a 2006 survey of UK Higher Education OPACs in order to provide a snapshot of cataloguing practices for e-books. Design/methodology/approach- The OPACs of 30 UK HE libraries were examined in July/August 2006 to determine which e-books were catalogued, and the level of cataloguing treatment e-books received. Interviews were conducted by e-mail with representatives of eight of these libraries. Findings - A total of 28 universities surveyed provided some OPAC records for e-books; most of these were for subscription collections from suppliers such as ebrary and netLibrary. Five universities included records in their OPACs for individual e-book titles from collections such as Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO); four OPACs included records for free e-books. There are wide variations between institutions in terms of which e-books are selected for cataloguing. Research limitations/implications - The survey was undertaken at a particular point in time (summer 2006) and was not exhaustive of all UK HE OPACs. Practical implications - This research suggests that it should be made easier for users to search OPACs for e-books, and that libraries should provide more information on their websites about which e-books are catalogued. Originality/value - This paper addresses a gap in the UK literature on cataloguing e-books. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of ebrary's e-books at Staffordshire University. Design/methodology/approach- Details are provided of the history of Staffordshire's involvement with ebrary as a supplier of e-books as well as methods of searching for information in the ebrary collection as well as other e-book collections used by Staffordshire University. Findings - In a split-site university such as Staffordshire, and with many students never visiting campus libraries, the provision of course material and readings in e-format is essential, ebrary provides an "instant library" solution, and the possibility of adding individual texts to this core collection strengthens this provision. The ability for students and researchers to search across the full content of 30,000 e-books in one "go" and then capture that information quickly and easily is also very valuable. Originality/value - The paper provides information based on some years of practical experience in providing access to e-book collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to describe the practical experience of managing e-books in an academic library. Design/methodology/approach- An overview of the three main e-book collections used (netLibrary, Taylor & Francis, and Ebook Library via Dawson) is provided, along with details such as the acquisition, cataloguing and maintenance of e-books; funding, licensing and authentication; varying interfaces; publicity, promotion and user education; subject coverage, statistics and usage. Findings - Variations in approach and services by the suppliers of e-books can provide challenges for those managing e-books. Originality/value- The paper provides practical details of managing e-books in an academic library that might be of relevance to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe how an e-books project was set up at the University of Worcester Information and Learning Services with the aim of improving user access to the range of textbook materials available. Design/methodology/approach - Details of the background and circumstances of the University and the effect of these on the process undertaken by the e-books project group are described. The selection of an e-books provider, MyiLibrary, and subsequent ordering, cataloguing and promotion activities are outlined. Findings - This paper outlines the importance of tailoring the approach to e-books acquisition to the individual institution. It is found that authentication is a major issue and that for e-books packages to be successful, technical problems need to be kept to a minimum. Practical implications- Examples to assist others in setting up e-books provision are given. Technical difficulties and the range of titles available are both impediments to providing a full e-books service. Originality/value- E-books appear to provide greater access and flexibility to library users. Information and Learning Services fully intends to extend the range of e-books available to students. This paper looks at the practicalities of setting up and expanding such a service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a broad international overview of e-books in academic libraries. The inconsistent terminology relating to e-books is noted in the first section and a brief history of e-books and some current definitions are given. The stakeholders within the e-book industry are described, with details of some of the services offered. For users and staff in library and information services, e-books can provide a variety of advantages as well as challenges, and these are outlined for those in academic libraries. Findings from various studies on e-books are presented and some of the issues involved in managing e-books in academic libraries are described. Finally an overview is presented of the e-Books Working Group in the United Kingdom. The paper is illustrated with a number of screenshots related to e-books in academic libraries in various parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to present the e-book as one of several information resources in academic libraries in the context of e-learning. Methodology/approach: Theoretical and research approach through the content analysis method and evaluation of services on the web pages of academic libraries of the University of Zagreb on the basis of selection criteria. Results: Findings showed that the e-book is a visible part of information resources, and as such, is an integral part of learning in academic libraries 'landscape. Research restrictions: No research restrictions. The originality: This is the first research of this kind. Contribution: The encouragement of other academic libraries to include this type of e-resources to the library website and thus contribute to increase the quality of library service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]