U. of Missouri: "Espresso Book Machine Usage Slowly But Surely Climbs"
From an Article in The Maneater (the Student Newspaper at the U. of Missouri):
Since its installment nearly two years ago, the Espresso Book Machine, a device in the University Bookstore capable of binding books, has seen a slight increase in usage, preparing 13 course packets last semester.
“This is higher than previously, and I fully expect that to increase over time as both students and faculty become more aware of the service itself and what they can do with it,” Mizzou Media Coordinator Heather Tearney said. “It may not be a great boom increase, but it will be a gradual increase.”
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Despite this inevitable digital shift, Student Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese said the Espresso Machine’s legitimacy and usage will not only continue, but also increase with time.
“I think that the effects of digital course materials will be a very slow process,” Froese said. “Digital book sales are very slow. We also see that our customer base, students, prefer to have a hard copy. For example if an electronic journal is available through the library, the bookstore can have copies made on request without paying double royalties. Even online ERes documents are printed due to students’ requests for hard copies.”
Filed under: Libraries, Publishing
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.