Interest in Ebooks in School Libraries Trending Upward Instant accessibility, need for less storage space, portability, printability, and searchability are some of the features that make e-books stand out from printed books. According to a recent report, the proportion of Americans reading digital books rose to 28% in 2013 from 23 percent at the end of 2012. Though print is more popular, e-reading is on the rise.
Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet Project Omnibus Survey, January 2-5, 2014
Ebook Usage in Schools The aim of the Kids + E-Reading Trends 2012 to 2013 study conducted by PlayCollective and Digital Book World was to understand the e-reading habits of children aged 2-13 with a focus on parental attitudes regarding the benefits of ebooks. The study found that children’s e-reading is growing rapidly and that “twothirds of children 13 and under now reading digital books—and with 92% of those kids doing so at least once a week.”
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This could explain why many schools are planning to include more e-books in their school library collections. An annual survey conducted last year by the School Library Journal reported that the number and the size of ebook collection in school libraries are growing steadily. It found that the percentage of library media centers that offered ebooks to students and faculties increased from 16 percent to 56 percent by the end of 2013. The main findings of the survey on ebook popularity are as follows:
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The average number of titles has increased from 325 percent in 2010 to 136 percent in 2013
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About four-in-ten respondents (44 percent) witnessed an increased demand for ebooks in 2013, compared to 46 percent in 2012
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By academic year 2012–2013, library media centers (LMCs) spent on average of $1,114 (median $401) on ebooks
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E-books for one-fifth of LMCs were made available through the state, school district, or consortium membership and so they spent none of their own budgets for the same
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An estimated amount of $73 million was spent on ebooks in U.S. schools in the school year, 2012–2013
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The spent of LMC’s on ebooks has almost doubled in 2013 compared to 2012 and is expected to more than triple by 2018
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In many schools, printed text books have been replaced by electronic textbooks and are delivered in the form of apps, digital content, and ebooks
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Students access ebooks through a variety of methods: o
School desktop computer -- 76 percent of respondents
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School laptop-- 48 percent of respondents
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Interactive whiteboard-- 41 percent of respondents
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Student-owned devices-- 57 percent of respondents
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Own tablets -- 39 percent of respondents
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Dedicated ereaders (Sony Reader, Nooks, Kindle) -- 30 percent of respondents
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Smart Phone -- 23 percent of respondents
Points to Consider when including ebooks in a School Library
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Not all books ebooks are available without Digital Rights Management (DRM). To adhere to the policy of the publisher of the book, check whether the publisher has applied digital rights software to the e-book. If so, it necessary to purchase the digital version of the book through companies that have negotiated the with publishers and can pass that right on to the libraries
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Understand content compatibility platforms as some e-readers only read ebooks in specific formats
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Make the book available on the reading devices used by the students
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Consider students academic and literacy needs
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Catalogue the digital collection so that students can find and access them easily
Print is Still Relevant The study also found that many children still prefer reading physical books and that school librarians often purchase titles in both print and electronic formats. It was reported that six percent of libraries surveyed “always” buy a print edition of any ebook they purchase, while 3 percent “usually” do and 52 percent “occasionally” do. About 67 percent of respondents said that there had no plan to transition from printed to electronic books while 16 percent of the schools are considering the option. Twelve percent of the respondents bought some new textbooks digitally, while 5 percent have a mandate to transition.
Taking all these factors into consideration, it can be concluded that the ideal school library would be one with an optimal blend of printed and digital books.
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