Title: Ebooks and Readers in Public Libraries: Literature Review and Case Study
Author: Jessica E. Moyer and Jennifer Thiele
Purpose: To provide an overview of current research on the use of eBooks and eBook readers as they gain popularity in libraries. An eBook case study will be examined, highlighting a mid-sized public library who implemented a Kindle eBook lending program. This article includes afollow-up discussion as to how libraries are digital content in their collections, and changing theway they do business to accommodate the new technologies that people are increasingly askingfor. We will also give tools for librarians looking to start their own eBook lending program, andprovide additional information on what resources are currently available.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper is a literature review and a casestudy of a public library which has a Kindle lending program.
Research limitations/implications: Because of this is a very small case study approach, theresearch results may not be generalizable.
Originality/Value: This research trend is new, and has not had much study. It gives a widevariety of opportunity for pilot studies, and subsequent ones.
Key Words: eBooks, leisure reading, public libraries, eReaders, anddigital content.
Article Type: Research Paper
Ebooks and Readers in Public Libraries: Literature Review and Case Study
By Jessica E. Moyer and Jennifer Thiele[1]
Introduction
Since the 2007 introduction of the Kindle ebook reader ebooks have gone from a marginal library resource primarily used for reference materials, to one of the most popular and in demand collections offered by public libraries. With the addition of Kindle enabled lending to Overdrive’s ebook services for libraries in September 2011, ebooks are a subject of discussion in all sizes of public libraries. This paper will overview the current research in this area, present a case study of a library Kindle lending program, and suggest further resources for library staff.
Literature Review
As the eBook market has exploded over the last few years, libraries are increasingly finding that digital collections are no longer optional. According to Duncan (2010:53)not only will more books be published electronically, but also:
The number of ereader devices will continue to grow, their capabilities will increase and prices will decrease…the increased usage of ereaders and electronic resources may impact on literacy levels, the amount of reading people are doing, and the skills that are developed through reading, and the response of libraries to the eBook phenomenon will impact other segments of the market, including booksellers, rights holders and the wider community (Duncan 2010).
This is encouraging information for libraries who are finding that not only is the demand high for the books themselves, but also for the readers. Mulvihill and Schiller (2011:32) quote John Blossom, president of Shore Communications etc. who states “eBooks, once the “up and coming” technology for driving book sales, have swooped into the lead for both unit sales and revenues for many retail outlets”. The article goes on to talk about the 18 million tablets and 12 million ereaders that were sold in 2010 according to figures from International Data Corp. The cost continues to decrease for these readers, with the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble Simple Touch Reader coming in at approximately $139 for cost. Kobo’s older model is around $99 (Mulvihill&Schiller 2011). In addition to this, a new Sony touch screen/WIFI reader can be purchased for under $150 (
Some companies, like Kobo, are trying to increase interactivity to encourage social reading. Programs like ReadingLife, can allow individuals to post quotes from eBooks to Twitter and Facebook, and to earn awards for books that they have read (Mulvihill&Schiller 2011). These programs allow a good fit for currently existing library programming that already are experimenting with crossover technologies in literacy. An example of this is the Bangor Public Library, who has created “Not Your Ordinary Book Club”, a group that utilizes both online discussion through blogs and Google Friend Connect. Using both of these methods, they are able to connect with new audiences and nontraditional library users for book discussions (Dempsey 2011).
Libraries Vs. The eBook business
It has only been recently that libraries have been viewed not as means to increase pirating or stifle the eBook growing trend, but as one of the best promotional tools in the eBook market. Currently, Amazon is partnering with Overdrive to get access to Kindle Books later this year. Overdrive’s study “How eBook Catalogs at Public Libraries Drive Publishers, Book Sales and Profit” did much to advocate for the marketing potential for publisher and authors through their libraries. It also encouraged library collection development for these materials (Overdrive 2010).
Heather Mccormack (2010) has been a strong advocate for the perspective of libraries being viewed as “consumers” and promoters of eBooks. She discussed the fact that US public libraries spent $155,646,650 on eBooks, eSerials and databases in 2009, and how libraries can dump a lot of funding into the eBook market. With 1,433,734,000 visits in 2009, United States libraries have the sheer patron base alone to expose individuals to digital literature and foster interest in the technology. She likes the partnership idea between vendors and libraries, encouraging the treatment of libraries to be equivalent to “a laboratory for a crucial social experiment.” That experiment being the utilization of eBooks (Mccormack 2010).
What Libraries are Doing
Some libraries are already scrambling to expand their eBook collections. In Matt Williams’ article on the Rockford Public Library (2011), he quotes the library director Frank Novak as saying:
The popularity of Kindle, Nook and other ereaders is growing, and the city’s municipal library system will die if it doesn’t move quickly to accommodate patrons’ increasing desire for electronic books. We have two options. One is do nothing and perish…(The other is) to modify the way we do business. Honestly, if we are not relevant to the community, then the community is not obligated to fund us (Williams 2011).
Novak felt so strongly about this that he severed ties with a consortium that did not provide enough eBooks for his patron base. He redirected the membership fees to his local eBook collection. Shortly afterward, the community of Arlington Heights followed suit. According to Novak, “What was happening is we were competing with other libraries and all their users for the eBooks we need.” (Williams 2011). And this need is currently strong. As Lura Sandborn (2011:38) says “In lean and thoughtful times, an eBook collection can nudge libraries ever further into relevancy.” (Sandborn 2011).
New Literacies and eBook Technology with Children and Teens
This technological overhaul has a lot of meaning for the newest generation of children and teens, and there have been some studies done looking at the effect of these new devices and formats for those who have just begun using them. Several studies looked at comprehension and ease of use across a variety of reading modalities; digital, audio, and print. According to the Grimshaw et. al. article (2007), not only were there no differences in enjoyment for each different format of the stories read, but there also was no difference in comprehension across formats (Grimshaw,Dungworth,McKnight&Morris 2007).
Kiriakova et. al. (2010) notes that students had a strong preference for ereaders as a modality of reading, and had a strong curiosity for their utilization. The students cited ease of use and portability as their main reasons for the preference (Kiriakova,Okamoto, Zubarev,&Gross 2010) . In the Zucker et. al. (2009) article, again the assertion was made that eBook comprehension was similar to that of its print counterpart (however it could not replace the interaction of literacy between parent and child reading). (Zucker,Moody&McKenna 2009).
Larsen (2010:17) cited similar sentiments in her small case study. She found: “Using digital reading devices with second grade students promotes new literacies practices and extends connections between readers and text as engagement with and manipulation of text is made possible through electronic tools and features.”
She later addresses the new literacies that were at work with the students including adjusting font sizes, using an online dictionary and a text to speech feature to assist with difficult passages (Larson 2010).
Reading experiences across modalities
This research led to some individuals wondering whether or not the eBook modality could actually enhance reader’s experience. Korat (2010) found that children who used eBooks instead of traditional print made more gains in comprehension than students who just used print (Korat 2010).
Shamir, Karat, and Barbi found similar results in their 2008 article. It was here that the digital modality increased interest and comprehension for the students involved (Shamir,Karat&Barbi 2008). Finally, the Cole and Hillard study (2006) noted that motivation and engagement was high with computer based reading programs like “Reading Upgrade” and that the eBooks had a very strong appeal (Cole&Hillard 2006).
The most recent work in this area is Moyer’s 2011 work studying comprehension and engagement across formats. In this study each of the female college student participants read 4 to 6 pages of the print text, read an equivalent amount of an ebook, and listened to approximately 10 minutes of an audiobook. For each modality participants experienced one of three different texts: Fatally Flaky by Diane Mott Davidson and read by Barbara Rosenblatt, Bloodwork by Michael Connelly and read by Scott Brick, and Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell and read by Dick Hill. The order in which the texts and modalities were received was randomly assigned. Moyer found no statistically significant differences in comprehension across print, ebook, and audiobook modalities. Participants’ levels of comprehension for each text were the same regardless of the format in which it was received. There was also no difference in engagement across modalities; the amount of interest participants expressed in a text was the same regardless of the format in which it was received. In other words, the text that was the least popular, was equally unengaging in all three formats (Moyer 2011).
Irene McDermott (2011) quotes David Pogue, Technology writer for the New York Times. In the Lessons of 10 Years of Talking Tech, Pogue says:
Things don’t replace things. They just splinter….You want to know what the future holds? OK. Here you go. There will be both iphones and android phones. There will be both satellite radio and AM/FM. There will be both printed books and e-books. Things don’t replace things. They just add on (McDermott 2011).
This might be what we are looking at here. Multiple modalities that work across long ranges of literacy activities, and the library’s role in this could be central. This is what the libraryLibraryJournal journal was hoping to capture at their eBook summit, finding that attendees were leaving with a heightened alertness to the challenges inherent in the transition, and the necessity for management tools to face the road ahead.was hoping to capture at their eBook summit. And Ssome of the data they collected ranged from the importance of communication between librarians and publishers to the problem with a persistent digital divide. A few things are for certain. Most libraries expect to be offering eBooks within the next few years, most of them sooner as the cost of ebooks and readers continues to decline. The growth in eBook use is expected to be phenomenal, ranging from a 65% increase in schools, a 77% in academic libraries and a whopping 84% in the public library realm. Librarians need to continue to address these trends, and model their collections after them (Library Journal 2010).
Case Study: Kindle Lending Program, Menomonie Public Library
The Menomonie Public Library is a small public library located in northwestern Wisconsin in the United States and provides services to the local community and surrounding rural areas. ( With a small grant, in early 2010, the library purchased 5 Kindles. 4 of the Kindles were intended for circulation and the 5th was kept at the Information Services Desk for demonstrations and in house use, including access to state newspapers. Ten titles were purchased from Amazon, all bestsellers with long hold lists.
As the initial program was well received by the community and the Kindles were continually in circulation the library was eventually able to purchase additional Kindles. Currently 17 Kindles are available for circulation at the Menomonie Public Library. ( The Kindles are available at the library on a first come, first serve basis. No holds or reserves are taken on the Kindles, nor can they be delivered to other libraries. All adult and teen patrons with a valid Menomonie Public Library card allowed to check out Kindles for up to 14 days. No renewals are allowed and fines of $1 per day are levied for overdue Kindles. The Kindles are protected by a standard leather cover and are circulated in a padded bag along with their cords and charger and a brief set of instructions. The loss fee for a Kindle is $229 (replacement cost for the device, carrier and accessories) and in the nearly two years of the program only one Kindle has been lost.
Currently over 120 titles are available on the Kindles (each Kindle has all access to all the titles the library has purchased), with new titles added monthly. Adult and teen fiction make up the bulk of the collection, along with a few nonfiction titles. Nearly all titles are bestsellers and have long hold lists for print copies, although patron requests are considered as well as titles being read by local bookgroups. Purchasing high demand titles and making them available on the Kindles has allowed the library to stretch it’s collection dollars and get local community members quicker access to titles. Patrons can stop in and check out a Kindle with the titles they want which reduces the number of patrons waiting for print copies of the most popular titles.
Now that the program is well established three types of Kindle borrowers have been observed. One time users are patrons who are intrigued by the new technology but aren’t sure if they are ready to make a purchase. Checking out a device gives them a chance to try it out, something that is appreciated by a large section of community. The second type is the regular borrower who comes in every few weeks to borrow a Kindle and read the most recently added titles. These are the same patrons who would normally browse the bestseller shelves, hoping to find something new and interesting. During the summer vacation time the Kindles were especially popular with patrons going on vacations – they were able to take a single device that was already loaded plenty with new and popular titles and have plenty of reading for their entire trip. Many of the vacation patrons had never tried a Kindle before, but had heard good things about them from friends who either owned one or had borrowed one from the library.
As this program has been both well received and extremely successful the library plans to continue it using the 17 currently owned Kindles and continuing to add new titles. While books in the library’s Overdrive collection can now be checked out to the Kindle, the library will continue to purchase titles directly for the Kindles because several publishers have not yet made their books available in Overdrive (Macmillan and Simon and Schuster are the most notable as they publish several high demand authors). The Kindle lending program ensures that all members of the community are able to use and access the library’s ebook collections regardless of whether or not they own or are willing to purchase an ebook reading device. This community wide access is one of the strengths of the program and a major reason that it will continue as even more patrons purchase devices of their own.
Conclusion
Ebooks will not be going away any time soon. It is up to librarians and researchers to figure out where they fit in the scheme of things, and how this new technology can act as a tool to best accommodate patrons. With the declining cost of eBook readers, and with library systems investing more resources into collections, we are going to be looking at new types of literacies and must understand the modalities we are advertising. With more research, and the increasing practice of eBook and reader circulation, we can only build a framework for best practice, and work towards a future of eBook use, both in the public libraries and in the schools.
Resources for Further Information
I Love My Kindle Blog,
With regular news and updates, this is a good resource for Kindle news as well as a resource for Kindle questions.