Alison Brock Library and Learning Resources Centre E-book readers in a mobilefriendly library
§ About the project § Project outcomes § Wider issues and discussion Library and Learning Resources Centre Contents
Main aim: § To explore student working practice of using e-book readers, to inform development of library services. Also: § To collect information about the ease of use of two different e-readers. § To investigate e-reader content available to students. Library and Learning Resources Centre Aims of project
§ § § § 6 participants per university (4 Sony and 2 i. Pod Touch) Given an e-book reader each to use for 3 months (August – October 2009) Pre-pilot survey Start-up workshops Ning Forum – for blogging, news, help Mid-project get together End of project survey End of project interviews Library and Learning Resources Centre Methodology
Student Student A: Level 1 Welsh beginners (L 196) B: Level 2 Child development (ED 209) C: Level 3 History of Technology (AT 308) D: Masters level business (B 822) E: Masters level education (H 812) F: Ph. D Geography Library and Learning Resources Centre OU Participants
§ § § Student G: Eng student Cranfield Health Student H: Ph. D in Aerospace and Aeronautics Student I: Ph. D in Water Science Student J: Ph. D in Nanotechnology Student K: Exec MBA School of Management Participant L: Course Director Library and Learning Resources Centre Cranfield Participants
The Sony Reader Library and Learning Resources Centre (PRS-505)
The Apple i. Pod Touch Library and Learning Resources Centre (8 GB)
Strengths § Good for sequential, narrative reading § Lightweight, portable § Easy on the eyes (uses e-ink) Weaknesses § Slowness of navigation – hierarchical § A bit clicky and clunky § Only does one thing Library and Learning Resources Centre Thoughts on the Sony
Strengths § Nice gadget, does other things as well § Very portable – literally pocket sized § Page turning with touch screen very easy § Coloured pages make reading easier Weaknesses § Tricky to get appropriate content onto it § Screen size just a bit too small § Reliant on Wifi Library and Learning Resources Centre Thoughts on the i. Pod
§ § Before pilot less than half the participants had used e-books Those who had viewed them on a laptop or PC/Mac (no experience of e-book readers) Most were keen to use non-fiction books Of those who had not used e-books reasons given were: o o o § Lack of knowledge They could be tricky/complicated Prefer physical books New technology They seem expensive In using them they hoped it would save paper, be more portable, help them to find things quickly using search facilities. Library and Learning Resources Centre Pre-pilot survey results
§ § § Most participants used the reader for more than one purpose e. g. research, listening to music, audio books, reading fiction as well as games They found switching on and initial use easy, but getting content onto the devices was tricky and their use for study purposes tricky or difficult. They were generally lukewarm about whether they would borrow a device from the library Most would not buy the model they had tested even if they would consider buying a e-book reader Main barriers for use were formatting issues, navigation, can’t annotate or interact with text, tiring to use. Library and Learning Resources Centre Post-pilot survey results
§ Expectations pre-pilot: “all the course materials in one place, easy to carry around” “slip it in your pocket and have a few dozen books with me” “enable me to study on the move a bit more” “seeing how the OU could deliver things in different ways” Library and Learning Resources Centre OU Findings
§ § § Most participants found the devices were limited by their functionality and didn’t fit with current study practices Accessing and downloading appropriate study content on to the devices was difficult even for the more tech-savvy participants Formatting content once on the devices caused problems (e. g. PDFs) and especially diagrams or images Library subscribed e-book content is only licensed for PC use not for downloading onto ebook readers Difficult to locate e-book content to use as it is available in many different places Library and Learning Resources Centre OU Findings
§ § § When using mostly text based material was possible to see the benefits of the portability and ease of navigation Students reported that they didn’t have to print out so much, and could feel they were working away from the computer a lot more With the i. Pod Touch you could also surf the net and use the course website Once the materials had been downloaded for use on the devices they were relatively easy to use unless there were formatting issues Some students would prefer to use a laptop rather than a dedicated e-book reader, and the i. Pod Touch was generally more popular than the Sony as it could do more than simply act as a reader Library and Learning Resources Centre OU Findings
§ § § Current e-book readers are designed for reading novels rather than academic texts The functionality needs to improve significantly before they are of use to students The ways people study mean these devices will play just a part in overall study patterns Potential for libraries to loan out pre-loaded readers (but note issues being raised in the USA re. the Kindle) Potential role for libraries in facilitating and guiding students to find e-book content Potential for library services to negotiate better licence agreements for commercial e-book content Library and Learning Resources Centre Project outcomes
§ Student wish list post-pilot o Ideal e-book reader would have: Ø Ø Ø Screen between A 5 and A 4 size Touch screen (possibly with a stylus) Ability to highlight/make notes and other interactivity Internet access Ability to quickly transfer content direct to the device Lower retail price o OU could provide: Ø E-book readers with course materials and readings pre-loaded Ø Help with finding appropriate e-book content Ø Better system for transferring existing course materials onto devices Ø OU course materials in e. Pub format (free open e-book standard) as this is most widely used format Library and Learning Resources Centre Project outcomes
(http: //www. guardian. co. uk/technology/2010/ja n/08/ces-ebook-ereader) § § Amazon Kindle launched in Europe Apple i. Pad launched late January 2010 Sales of Kindles and Sony e-readers booming in the USA (estimated 500, 000 Kindles sold worldwide in 2009, similar numbers for Sony) Sony linking their e-book store with public libraries in the USA to enable direct download to their e-reader from a local library via their library card number (using Overdrive http: //www. overdrive. com/) Library and Learning Resources Centre Is 2010 the year of the ebook?
§ Penn State University Library http: //www. libraries. psu. edu/psul/lls/sony_re ader. html Ø Testing the Sony PRS-505 § § North West Missouri State University http: //www. nwmissouri. edu/services/e. Textbo oks/index. htm Princeton University http: //www. princeton. edu/ereaderpilot/e. Read er. Final. Report. Short. pdf Ø Testing the Amazon Kindle DX § Darden School of Business, University of Virginia http: //www. darden. virginia. edu/html/standard. aspx? menu_id=72&styleid=2&id=19304 Ø Testing the Amazon Kindle DX Library and Learning Resources Centre Similar e-reader projects
§ Publishers and libraries still working on how etextbooks can be made available o JISC national e-books observatory project (http: //www. jiscebooksproject. org/) o JISC e-textbooks business models study § § § Once this has been explored mobile e-readers may come into the equation Manufacturers and content providers for ereaders mainly base use on the one-reader onebook model, for individuals to use not libraries Technology for e-readers still being developed, no standards yet, not being user tested for student use but for leisure reading Library and Learning Resources Centre Big issues
§ Questions for you: o Have you personally used/do you own an e-book reader? o Does your library/company have any? o How many e-books do you subscribe to? o If library books, are they available for students to view on e-book readers? o Does your university provide any course materials in e-book format? § Other questions? Library and Learning Resources Centre Wider context and discussion
§ § § e. Book Reader by go. Xunu. Reviews http: //www. flickr. com/photos/43602175@N 06 /4070018828 By theunquietlibrary http: //www. flickr. com/photos/theunquietlibrar y/4007784305/in/set-72157622654337930/ Final Day by Styler http: //www. flickr. com/photos/ellipse/908410 6/ Library and Learning Resources Centre Photo credits
§ Liz Mallett, Open University Library and Darran Rowe, Cranfield University who carried out the original project. You can view a video seminar on the JISC national e-books observatory project and more on this study at: http: //stadium. open. ac. uk/stadia/preview. php ? whichevent=1454&s=31 Library and Learning Resources Centre Thanks to…
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