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
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. Gary is also the co-founder of infoDJ an innovation research consultancy supporting corporate product and business model teams with just-in-time fact and insight finding.
ADVERTISEMENT
Archives
ADVERTISEMENT
