Assessing the user experience of ebooks in academic libraries

In 2010, the university of illinois at urbanachampaign uiuc library agreed to take part in a global study of elsevier electronic books ebooks sponsored by elsevier publishing. The ux projects in every library will vary according to the specific needs of its audience and the resources available, although many focus ux efforts on digital experiences. In their book user experience in libraries priestner and borg 1 discuss some of the reasons why ux has recently become popular as a research method, and suggest that it is in part a response to the fact that the traditional quantitative metrics and measures used by libraries e. Technology is a useful tool to connect younger users with libraries. An assessment of user satisfaction in academic libraries. Assessing the user experience of ebooks in academic libraries. Missing responses for the year 2016 do not allow us to assess the. The three main sections contain contributions by experts in the publishervendor arena, as well as by librarians who report on both the challenges of offering and managing ebooks. Evaluating academic ebook platforms from a user perspective christina mune and ann agee introduction across all types of libraries in the united states, ebook usage and acquisition continues to rise. Assessing the user experience of ebooks in academic libraries we report findings from an assessment of e book user experience search and information seeking from usage data and user tests. This important audit provides an ongoing assessment of publisher.

Data for the professional school libraries is not included in these dashboards. The purpose of this study is to examine the undergraduate students perception on library service quality from three dimensions which are library information resources, services and facilities that are available for use in ymsu library whether the users are satisfy with the quality of library service delivery or not. There is a need for collaboration between libraries and publishers. Space assessment to transform a small academic library. For the first time ever, ebsco achieved the maximum score for a platform or publisher in the aspire e book accessibility audit. Use the dashboards and instructions below to explore data from the 2016 student survey conducted by the assessment and user experience department. Assessing the user experience of ebooks in academic libraries 589 as another example, the ebl e book platform shows pages in image form by default, which does not support direct text selection. Develop systems to collect data on individual library user. Uiuc ebook user study conducted by elsevier, fall 2010. For anyone contemplating purchasing ebooks, asking why is the most important question. Collaboration between libraries, users and usability professionals is. Assessing the user experience of ebooks in academic.

Further, this study goes beyond determining whether ebook platform features exist. The book concludes with reflections on the future of ebooks in academic libraries. For those libraries looking to purchase ebooks, you are not alone. The purpose of the health sciences library system hsls electronic book e book study was to assess use, and factors affecting use, of ebooks by all patron groups of an academic health sciences. Assessing user experience of ebooks in academic libraries 1. The user experience of ebooks in academic libraries. Offer the ebooks your students depend on for their research. Discuss how library users value ebooks via survey data of uiuc scientists by elsevier in fall of 2010. The majority of bloomsburys academic ebooks are published in both pdf and epub formats, and available for individuals and academic libraries. Assessing user experience of ebooks in academic libraries. The university of californias california digital library cdl formed an ebook. Issues related to the adoption of ebooks in academic.

The user experience of ebooks in academic libraries 209 considered as a fundamental cognitive measure and precedent of behavioral intentions. Lisa rosewiles, university libraries use, experience and future of e books from university libraries submitted july 31, 2014 like most academic libraries, seton hall university libraries have been increasingly investing in ebooks. My first experience at the library was an interesting one, as there were many interesting resources and technology that i learned about. The problems experienced by ebook users in academic libraries of both. Ebooks have already had a huge impact on academic libraries, and major advances in technology will bring further changes.

We report findings from an assessment of e book user experience search and information seeking from usage data and user tests. Heather acerro, head of youth services for rochester minn. This freebook thus provides library practitioners and students of library and information science lis with a clear introduction to humancentered design, ethnographic methods, information access and exchange, as well as the use of physical space in the library all of which is in light of the user experience ux in the library. According to a 2012 library journal study, ebook holdings in academic libraries went up an average of 41% between 2011 and 2012.

Studies of e book perceptions have been focused on users awareness of e book resources, their attitude toward using ebooks, and their preferences for ebooks or print books for different tasks. Missing responses for the year 2016 do not allow us to assess the present. Transitioning to work in an academic library room 203 whitney batesgomez s30. Improving the content platform migration process zlotnik 5 xiaoyan song athena hoeppner matthew ragucci maureen morris s31.

Recall, precision and relevance in the assessment and management of academic libraries. User experience in libraries popularly known as uxlibs is a global community of practice committed to exploring, sharing and advocating for ux research and design methods in library and learning services in the academic and public sectors. User survey plays an important role in the library s service quality improvement. Assessing the value of ebooks to academic libraries and users. Assessing the user experience of ebooks in academic libraries, college. Arba all engagingly written, the chapters stand on their own perfectly well, but when they are taken together and viewed as a whole, textbooks in academic libraries provides a remarkably broad survey of current practices and possibilities for libraries considering a textbook. Meeting the needs of student users in academic libraries. This paper reports on a study of ebooks issues in academic libraries in two. Stepping up to the challenge provides readers with a view of the changing and emerging roles of electronic books in higher education. Easily read ebooks on smart phones, computers, or any ebook readers, including kindle. While the focus of the book is academic libraries, and the user group that the studies considers are primarily student users, this book describes user experience research methodologies with enough detail and references that any library could design a user experience research project that examines any user population. The number of simultaneous users for ebook titles will become an issue. Library assessment is the practice of evaluating library services, resources, spaces, and other areas to determine.

Libraries are eager to learn more about the rate of ebook adoption among their end users. Assessing user experience of ebooks in academic libraries tao zhang, marlen promann 1 xi niu department of software and information systems university of north carolina at charlotte purdue university libraries 2. This study investigates the question of why and how academic ebook users make. Here is an example of a persona that was created when i was helping develop a ux session for a library conference. In this useful primer, user experience ux librarians schmidt and etches identify 19 crucial touchpoints such as the library website, email, furniture, parking lot, events, and. The association of research libraries issued four systems and procedures exchange center spec kits on user surveys and studies between 1981 and 1994 association of.

Meeting the needs of student users in academic libraries surveys and evaluates the current practice of learning commons and research services within the. For academic libraries in particular, there is a responsibility to preserve scholarly communications as well as the primary resources upon which scholarship often depends. Learn more about the academic e book subscription collection. The usage data showed that most reading sessions were brief and focused on certain pages, suggesting that users mainly use ebooks to find specific. Library user surveys have become widespread in academic libraries during the past twenty years. Since i was a kid, i had always enjoyed going to the library and renting books i can read. User experience or ux, as it is defined in the library context, is a suite of techniques based around first understanding and then improving the experiences people have when using our library services. We designed this study to better understand barriers to use and frustrations students encounter using ebooks and to explore gaps in the field. Assessing the user experience of ebooks in academic libraries tao zhang, xi niu, marlen promann, college and research libraries, vol 78, no 5 2017. Discuss how libraries value ebooks via data collection and costuse analyses. This multidisciplinary collection includes thousands of ebooks covering a large selection of academic subjects and features ebooks from leading publishes and university presses. The following article appears in the latest issue of weave. Usability and compatibility of ebook readers in an academic.

User experiences with the internet have created an expectation of. Libraries exist to collect the record of human experience and to provide intellectual and physical access to that record. Every decision you make affects how people experience your library. This webcast, recorded april 18, 20, describes research conducted at the university of illinois at urbanachampaign on how libraries and library users value e. This book will be of interest to all academic libraries struggling through these questions and challenges. The assessment results have significant implications for designing ebook features to support users reading strategies and help libraries create a consistent user. My experience at the library the awesomest blog on the. A summary of user surveys, including ways of doing things, and putting into use as well as data analysis, might offer reference and practical experience for the fnu libraries. Each product page displays the relevant pricing and purchasing options. Public library, shared ways that her library is reaching out since the building closed.

Over recent years, louisiana state university lsu libraries, like many others, has targeted collections spending to invest in ebooks. Andy priestner all links on this page will open in a new window, by the way is a librarian. Present updated e book user data via a new study of humanists e book use currently underway at uiuc. Roth, formerly library advisor udc 024 central library, indian institute of technology, kanpur, u. There is now sufficient historical data available to identify specific factors that may have influenced the interest in and integration of ebooks in academic libraries. This graphic was developed using xtensio, a free persona generator. Ebsco is committed to working with libraries to offer the most user friendly e book experience possible. It utilises ethnography and design to achieve this. According to the library journal 2011 survey of ebook penetration and use in libraries, 95% of academic, 82% of public, and 44% of school libraries are already offering ebooks, and many more are considering it. The study adopted survey research methodology with crosssectional design.