CTW's User Study of Undergraduate Students and eBooks

1. Giving Them a Voice:
CTW’s Study of Undergraduates
and eBooks
Image Source: http://allthingslearning.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/the-educators-voice.png

2. Kathy Gehring Ashley Hanson
ConnCollege ConnCollege
Kendall Hobbs Rachael Barlow
CTW’s eBook
Wesleyan Trinity
Study Group
Diane Klare
Rob Walsh
Wesleyan
Trinity
Lorri Huddy Jennifer Van Sickle
CTW Trinity

3. Why a Study about
eBooks & Students?
Space Needs
Discovery Layers
eBook Readers
Collection Decisions
Image Source: http://www.mcccvoice.org/ebooks/

4. Can you identify the ebooks in your results?
Are you aware What platform What's an ebook?
of the library's features do you like Have you used
ebooks? ...or wish to change? any? How often?
...You need eBooks for a class assignment.
Where will you start? How will you find them?
How do you open What do you If you wanted only
wish you could ebooks, how
the ebook now do with that would you change
that you found it? ebook? your search?
Which do you prefer: P or E? ...Why?
Which ebook platform did What devices do you use?
you like better? Why?? What else do you want to use?

5. “What?! …how to find ebooks?”
The Discovery Process
Image Source: AFP/Getty http://www.globalpost.com/photo/5675140/munch-the-scream/

6. Discovery Methods

7. Why?
“It brings up a lot of options to start with. I may not find it
there, but it will usually lead me to where I can find it.”
“Google will show if the library has the book or journal.
I use the library when I know about a specific title I need.“
“I always Google everything…
I would use the library if I don't find anything.”
Image Source: http://phandroid.com/2012/04/24/googles-terms-of-service-may-scare-users-away-from-google-drive/

8. Typical Catalog Search Results (from Wesleyan University)
Keyword search "childhood obesity prevention"

9. Are We Speaking the Same Language?
While students can define an eBook,
there are deficiencies in their ability to
recognize, access and use eBooks
What makes sense to us doesn't necessarily
have the same meaning for students.
Image Source: http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/10744/fundraisers_must_learn_to_speak_the_language_of_ceos_and_fds

10. “I can't get over the stupidity
of this layout...but
I really like the Bookshelf."
Students' Use of Specific
eBook Platforms
Image Source: http://hypenotice.com/design/invisible-bookshelves/15/

11. Students' Use of eBooks: In Theory
Convenient
Good for the Environment
Fast Access
Cheaper than print?
Image Source: http://www.ipdfconverter.net/green-economics-an-introduction-to-theory-policy-and-practice.html

12. Student use of ebooks: In Practice
• “Frustrating”
• Not comfortable reading a lot of text on a screen
• Difficulty interpreting platform icons and language
• Liked the "search within the book“ feature
• Really, REALLY want to be able to download the
entire ebook
Image Source: http://mygrannygeek.com/ebook-info/i-need-your-help-please/

13. Ebrary Platform Issues
Download feature added recently
“InfoTools"
not intuitive
No scroll bar. Students
prefer scrolling to clicking
an icon
Magnifying glass icons stumped most students.
They thought these changed text size, not moved through search results.

14. Ebrary’s Search within the book was very popular,
but easily confused with its Simple Search
Chapter rankings
were popular

15. MyiLibrary Platform Issues
Not a search-within-the-book,
it's a chapter pulldown menu.
"Ref Tools"
not intuitive
Notes require setting
up a user account Scroll Bars!!

16. MiL’s “Search within the Book” feature was
popular (once found), but perplexing….
Relevancy
ranking?

17. "I kinda like it... except for the fact
it's online and I have to look at it
on the computer."
What We Learned:
Assumptions vs. Reality
Image Source: http://graphicdesignsiouxfalls.com/2012/lazy-eyes-how-we-read-online/

18. Some Observations
on Student Use of eBooks
• Academic vs. Leisure eBooks
• Skim eBook, then find print version
• Print or download and read later
Image Source: http://allthingslearning.wordpress.com/category/classroom-teaching/

19. What do you
think (or hope)
eBooks will be like
in 5 years?
Photo by Todd Martin http://www.flickr.com/photos/tmartin/32010732/

20. Students’ “Wish Lists”
Image Source:
http://blacklifecoaches.net/2012/01/11/power-pollination/dandelion/

21. The Future: (Prematurely)
Mourning the Death of Print
I think print will become obsolete and am upset
about it - really sad about the idea of losing print
(love getting newspaper print on my fingers and
the smell of a library book). Everything is going
to be online, and I'm really sad about it.
We are heading towards more electronic books,
which is why I ditched my plans to go into the
publishing business.
Image Source: http://www.blackbookmag.com/nightlife/amazon-reveals-the-new-kindle-textbook-rental-program-1.24201

22. 71.4% Of the students
had used eBooks
~~~~~~~~~~~~
55.5% Stated a clear
preference for Print
26% Stated a clear
preference for eBooks
18.5% Seemed accepting
of either format
Image Source: http://photoshopisland.drupalgardens.com/island-journal/print-reports-my-death-are-greatly-exaggerated