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Children, reading and e-books

By on January 21, 2013 in E-books, eBooks and eReaders, Post

The popularity of e-books

The digital landscape for children and young adults is changing rapidly. Research from Digital Book World and PlayScience is aiming to monitor these fast moving trends in 2013.  In the latest report, The ABC of Kids & E-books: understanding the e-reading habits of children aged 2-13, the researchers have discovered:

  • 54% of children are reading e-books (double the number of adults)
  • 85% of them are reading digital books at least
  • Tablets are the preferred device for e-reading

An increase in e-reading is also explored in another recent study, this time by Scholastic.  Focusing on a different age group (9-17 year olds) Scholastic’s key findings include:

  • 51% in their age range report they have NOT read an e-book – and have no interest in doing so
  • 58% said they always wanted to read paper books, even if e-books are available
  • Interestingly, children prefer e-books if they don’t want friends to know what they are reading.  Hard copy books are preferred for bedtime reading

The popularity of reading schemes and the importance of libraries

In the UK, according to The Reading Agency (TRA) a record number of young people are involved in local library-led reading schemes.  750,000 children have participated in TRA’s Summer REading Challenge, supported by over 4,000 volunteers.

However, a report from Bowker Market Report notes that libraries in the US have lost the top spot when it comes to young people finding reading recommendations, with family and friends becoming the most important source.  The library retains the top spot for the place where children obtain their reading for pleasure books.

The future of children’s publishing

According to an expert panel speaking at Children’s Publishing Goes Digital, platforms are growing in importance and popularity with children, parents and teachers.

US trade e-book sales trends

By on October 11, 2012 in E-books, eBooks and eReaders, Trends and Statistics

In a blog post published ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair, Publishing Perspectives explores sources of data on the e-book marketplace in the US.  Two major sources are the BookStats project (run by the Association of American Publishers and the Book Industry Study Group) and StatShot, which collates actual revenues reported to AAP by a growing list of participating publishers.

2012 trends

  • Slowdown in e-book growth – e-book growth is no longer doubling year on year – 2012 should see growth rates of approximately 33%
  • Adult e-book sales increase slowing down (they drove much of the increase in e-book sales between 2010 and 2011).  The latest figures suggest a ‘modest increase’ of 27%
  • Emergence of a digital children’s market – children’s e-book sales have gained much more
  • Total trade e-book revenues have comprised 23% of sales for the first four months of 2012
    • 27% of the adult trade market
    • 13% of the children’s market

Individual publisher reports for first half of 2012

  • Simon & Schuster – digital content responsible for 23% of worldwide sales
  • Penguin – e-books  account for 19% of total sales (30% of US sales; 15% of UK sales)
  • Harlequin – digital accounts for 20.5% of sales
  • Hachette Book Group – e-books account for 27% of US revenues and 23% of UK sales

Students – leading the way or falling behind?

By on June 7, 2012 in Academic Libraries, Digital Publishing, E-books, eBooks and eReaders, Mobile Devices

Two interesting pieces of research look at how students are interacting with digital information and e-resources.

A recent CourseSmart survey finds that more students are bringing laptops to class than a print textbook.  Only 5% said that a print textbook was the most important item in their bag.  90% of respondents said that the use of digital devices, e-readers etc helps them to save study time.  68% estimate they are saving at least two hours a day by using technology.

On average, students are using three devices per day – and 40% of them claim they can’t go for more than ten minutes without using some form of digital technology.

Easybib, a service which creates citations, has analysed the websites that students use most frequently – and discovered that four of the top ten are user generated sites including YouTube, Answers.com and Wikipedia.

Easybib has created an infographic (available here) which shows the key role of librarians in helping develop students information literacy skills.  The company will also work with the American Library Association to spread awareness of the importance of digital/information literacy.

Users of e-content ‘read more’

By on April 10, 2012 in E-books

New research from the US exploring the reading behaviour of consumers has uncovered some interesting insights, in particular that those who read digitally claim to be reading more.  One fifth of US adults have read an e-book in the past year and 30% of readers who read e-content claim that they are reading more.

Summary of key findings     

A range of devices

  • Of those who had read an e-book in the last year:
    • 43% used an e-book reader
    • 42% used a computer
    • 29% used a smartphone and
    • 23% used a tablet device

The importance of recommendations

  • Users of e-reading devices are more likely to use recommendations than printed book readers:
    • 81% of e-reading device users get book recommendations from people they know (as opposed to 64% of hardcopy readers)
    • 31% use recommendations from bookstores (23% of hardcopy readers)
    • 56% use online recommendations (35% of hardcopy readers)

Reading more

  • On a typical day, 56% of e-reading device owners are reading a book (compared with 45% of the general book-reading public)
  • 30% of e-content readers say they are reading more
    • 41% of tablet readers say they are reading more
    • 35% of e-reader owners say they are reading more
    • E-content readers have read an average of 24 books in the past 12 months (compared to 15 for hard copy readers)

What about libraries?

  • Owners of e-reading devices are more likely to purchase than borrow
    • 14% of all those surveyed obtained the last book they read from a library
    • 75% of e-book readers begin their search for reading material online
    • Only 12% start their search at the library

The e-book behavioural research was prepared by Princeton Survey Research Associates International for the PEW Research Centre’s Internet and American Life Project and the Gates Foundation.

Meanwhile, The 2012 State of America’s Libraries reports that more than 67% of US libraries are offering downloadable e-books and 28% are lending e-reading devices.

Student attitudes to e-books

By on March 28, 2012 in Academic Libraries, E-books, Post

What is the truth behind student attitudes to e-and print books?  A report first published last year (by eTextbook provider CourseSmart in collaboration with Wakefield Research) and receiving some attention recently in a number of blogs, suggests that students are ‘technologically dependent’.

85% of the 500 students surveyed reported that technology saved them time when studying.  63% of students who owned a device said they had read an e-text book this way at least once – and 46% said they would be more likely to complete their reading if it was in a digital format.  61% said that e-books are easier to search.

A more recent study in the US (by the Pearson Foundation and Harris Interactive) found that tablet ownership amongst students was rising dramatically.  The survey found that more students are reading digital texts and that 63% of college students believe that tablets will replace textbooks within five years.

Meanwhile, a BML survey of UK undergraduates also found that the majority of students are now using e-books and online journal use is increasing but that printed books remain the most used resource.  48% of students are using the library to access printed books and 38% are borrowing e-books from the library.  Only 9% are buying e-books and price remains an issue.

Students and academic texts

By on November 21, 2011 in Academic Libraries, E-books, Open Access

Now that students (and their families!) are expecting to pay more for higher education, how have their attitudes to the delivery, format and cost of learning resources changed?  As part of a one day conference organised by the Publishers Association, a panel of students shared their thoughts, experiences and wish-lists.    They had interesting things to say to academic publishers, university programme directors, librarians and lecturers.

Key messages from the student panel

  • Too much information – students are often overwhelmed by the amount of information, across a variety of formats, that they are attempting to manage.  Although access to information is important, the critical skills to analyse and filter are greatly in demand
  • There is an overwhelming need for information analysis skills
  • Not all students want e-everything.  Several panel members expressed their love of the hard copy text book.  However, another called reading anything in print format ‘a chore’.  Most students recognised that a mixture of formats is necessary or even desirable
  • Overseas students sometimes need help in transferring to the UK model of education (especially if they come from an educational culture where they learn by rote).  Teaching tools for overseas students would be greatly appreciated.
  • Students would love, shorter chapters, chapter summaries, key learning points, revision aids etc.

Challenges and opportunities for academic librarians

The library is a trusted partner for many of the students. They rely on librarians to help them develop their information skills, to help with information quality assurance and to guide them to useful resources beyond the reading lists.  When it comes to recommended reading, students are often asking students in the years above them for their honest opinions on reading list resources.  At the same time, only one student reported that she was ever asked for her opinion on learning materials.  Several students reported that they would be uncomfortable with criticising material/text books written by their own lecturers.  Institutional librarians could perhaps help facilitate quality control and student feedback of learning materials and recommended reading.

Because of the cost of their education, students expect their learning resources to be made available by their institutions/ libraries – and think most of them should be free.  They should also be available in any format they can.  Libraries and publishers still have some way to go to ensure that e-textbooks are available to meet this demand.

 

The panel of students, from the LSE and the University of Greenwich, formed part of the Publisher’s Association one day conference ‘Students at the Heart of the system’ held in London on 21 November 2011

A ‘new’ model for ebooks

By on July 6, 2011 in E-books

If Amazon’s Kindle device (other devices are available!) is ‘the iTunes for ebooks’ then what is the Spotify equivalent? (Spotify provides free and fee music streaming to users in a number of European countries).

This week, the Spanish initiative 24symbols has announced it is to offer on-demand access to a library of popular ebooks in a model similar to that of music streaming.  Integration with Facebook provides a social element to the service.

You can read more about 24symbols, including a review of its current, beta format on thenextweb.com.

A good airport read

By on March 16, 2011 in E-books

Passengers at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport can now take advantage of the world’s first airport e-library.

The English and Chinese language collection is available to read in the airport via thirty devices.  The books cannot be downloaded onto users’ devices or taken away which must surely lead to some people having to leave behind a good cliffhanger so they can board their plane.

The service is run by the airport’s duty free shop.  (This sounds like a set-up for a good joke.  Clever responses to that statement, including cringeworthy puns are welcomed.)

HarperCollins, e-books and the echo chamber

By on March 9, 2011 in E-books, Public Libraries

Is there a plus side to the ongoing HarperCollins e-book controversy?

HarperCollins’ decision to limit public libraries to checking out an e-book 26 times before, as Phil Bradley puts it ‘it implodes on itself like a Mission Impossible cassette tape’, has caused a great deal of comment and complaint.  Phil Bradley has much to say about this ‘retrograde’ step on his own (not Cilip’s!) blog as do librarians and others around the world.  Some librarians are calling for a boycott of HarperCollins.  The Library Journal reports that some US library consortia are already boycotting the publisher. 

In fact, librarians’ ability to collaborate and comment using a full range of social media has meant that the debate has gone beyond the library ‘echo chamber’.  In the US, the story has been covered by ABC news as an e-book backlash led by librarians. 

Cory Doctorow, writing in the Guardian, calls the HarperCollins move indefensible.  He argues that it is bizarre to import ‘finite durability as a feature’. 

The coverage of the story shows that librarians can attract the attention of the mainstream media. 

You can follow the ongoing debate on Twitter (#HCOD).   HarperCollins’ explains its decision in an open letter to librarians on its blog.

Students benefit from digital literacy skills

By on March 4, 2011 in Academic Libraries, E-books, eBooks and eReaders

The University Library at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) gave 16 students e-readers and studied how they accessed their reading lists, used discipline-related e-books and articles and how they used the resources to assist them in their own academic writing.

Students, keen to participate and experiment with new tools, attended workshops at the beginning and halfway through the project.  Students expect and appreciate ‘always available’ resources that are easy to access – preferably with one-click.  They must develop and improve their digital literacty skills, and the library can help them do this. 

For the library, being linked with new technology, and the regular contact with enthusiastic students had its own benefits.  

The full story of the project is published here.