Three Ebook Outlooks: What Humanists, Social Scientists and Scientists Want and Predict (A LibValue Study)

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

2014

Publisher

Association of Research Libraries

Abstract

An e-book survey focused on user attitudes and valuation was conducted at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign between 2013 and 2014 to determine how humanities, social science, and science scholars viewed the current and future use of e-books in their field. Participants were also asked to follow a link to use an e-book in their discipline on the e-brary platform and to report their experiences. Survey questions included an evaluation of present experiences and level of use, the value associated with e-books, and predictions of what their discipline’s e-book future will look like in the next five years. This study, supported by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (via “LibValue,” http://libvalue.cci.utk.edu/) grew over time to encompass the three disciplines as questions arose concerning how a spectrum of scholars adopted e-books or planned to migrate to the e-book format. The data from this study were used to inform library subject selectors concerning collection trends observed and predicted by their clientele. One result is the patron-driven acquisition of highuse e-books, which demonstrates the use and value scholars find in this book format.

Comments

2014 Library Assessment Conference Building Effective, Sustainable, Practical Assessment Seattle, Washington August 4–6, 2014

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