Electronic books: viewpoints from users and potential users

• Published in: Library hi tech Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 340 - 346
• Main Author: Chu, Heting
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford MCB UP Ltd 01.09.2003; Emerald; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Academic libraries; Book industry; Children & youth; College students; Computer science; E-books; Exact sciences and technology; Information and communication sciences; Information science. Documentation; Library and information science; Library and information science. General aspects; Library collections; Library materials; Library schools; Library students; Nonfiction; Personal digital assistants; Polls & surveys; Profitability; Questionnaires; Readers; Reading comprehension; Schools of library and information science; Sciences and techniques of general use; Search engines; Software; Software tools; Statistical data; Students; Surveys; United States of America; USA; Use; Use and user studies. Information needs; User studies; User surveys; Users; United States; North America; America; United States > US; Surveys; Search engines; Electronic books; User studies; Software tools; United States of America; Electronic publishing; Questionnaire; Electronic book; Use document; Use study; Student; Information science; Motivation; User study
• ISSN: 0737-8831; 2054-166X
• DOI: 10.1108/07378830310494526

A questionnaire survey was distributed among 27 students at a library and information science school in the USA to find out what users and potential users think about e-books in this transition period, when the US economy has experienced downtime, and the e-book world cannot see profitability in its business as predicted. Among the 27 survey participants, a third of them have used e-books in the past, mostly reading computer-based e-books without special readers. "Available around the clock" and "searchable" are both chosen and ranked as the most important reasons. Those who have never used e-books mainly think that ebooks are "hard to read and browse" or "need special equipment". However, about half of the non-users of e-books plan to examine some e-book titles in the future.