Research Article: “E-Book Collections in High School Libraries: Factors Influencing Circulation and Usage”

The following article was recently published in School Library Research, a publication of the American Association of School Libraries (AASL).

Title

E-Book Collections in High School Libraries: Factors Influencing Circulation and Usage

Authors

Dr. April M. Dawkins
University of North Carolina Greensboro

Dr. Karen W. Gavigan
University of South Carolina

Source

School Library Research
Vol. 22 (2019)

Abstract

When school librarians justify the purchase of electronic books (e-books) for their collections, they need to understand e-book usage patterns and whether or not e-books are meeting the recreational and informational needs of their students and teachers. Although a sizeable body of research is available examining the circulation and usage of e-books in academic and public libraries, there has yet to be a scientific study examining these variables in high school libraries.

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of high school e-book collections through the analysis of circulation data and interviews with school librarians. A Relative Use Factor analysis was conducted. Quantitative results revealed that e-book circulation represented a significantly low total circulation for most of the high school libraries examined.

Analysis of the interviews revealed commonalities and differences between e-book collections. Findings suggested that purchasing practices and marketing strategies can have a considerable impact on the circulation and use of e-books in high school libraries

Direct to Full Text Article
21 pages; PDF.

Filed under: Data Files, Interviews, Libraries, News, Public Libraries, School Libraries