Session #414 - Student Experience of eBooks: How they are found, used and (not) read
This session may have ramifications on the use of eBooks by segments of MPL customers, especially students.
Notes:Conducted for Undergrad, Grad students and faculty at U of TE-resources changes were occurring at U of T during time of study (2008). Services were “state of the art”. Few studies on topic at that time.
{British study – Ebooks Observatory(2008) : younger students tend to be online more and read from screens. “Full adoption of eBooks is inevitable”}
Why are Ebooks different? Not all media transform directly into eBooks.
• Print is not going away: print publications continue to increase rapidly.
• “Serious” readers still prefer printed books.
Undergrads of “Google age” still prefer print (!!) & want a printed page.
• Aesthetics & practical reasons
• Does NOT apply to journals – different needs
But they still use Google for quick reference – “Skimming, hopping”
Students & scholars have different information practices. eBook use is the “starting point” for research. Faculty rely on Google for teaching (lecture notes). For research, refereed articles or specific book of interest are sought.
How do they start research? 1st Level:1. Web search engines2. Wikipedia3. Google Scholar
2nd Level:1. Start using eBooks (25-35% of respondents)
Print still used about twice level of eBooks. eJournals used about twice level of paper journals.
Usability: eBooks about ½ as easy to use as eJournals.
Interactivity User behavior: Not all students start with Google, but rather some other Web source. However, many use a “lazy” search behavior using and use simplest terms and levels (“close enough”). But they cannot find eBooks as well using this method since it is not matched with metadata.
• Undergrads Discover eBook via catalog for specific titles
• Grads/faculty go to eJournals first• Students follow subjects & learn them
• They generally have a good experience discovering eBooks. Mostly in Humanities, then Soc. Sciences. Few In Sciences. But still prefer print books.
• Want downloading for later use – portability. Have navigation and usability problems• Findability: use efficient paths- (“good enough”)
• Unaware of limitations
• Size of collection NOT major factor. Not intimidated by size.
Disciplines
* Humanities: needs specific authors, titles. Regular users (Perhaps target audience!)
* Engineering: much prefer journals. Sciences: journals. Soc. Sciences: mostly journal, some eBooks
* These 3 groups need more currency than humanities.
* Start with Google (Scholar/Books)
Grad student much more expert searchers than undergrads. Learns from professors or 4th year requirements.
* Humanities grad students: Foraging and skimming, scanning. Read very little online. Book reading is not sophisticated enough. No deep reading online. Prefer print but want some access to eBooks (Is this similar to public library customers?)
* Engineering & Science: need only journals or very selective titles.
Browsers frame their research, open multiple tabs. Multiple books or articles. Want cost savings but NOT at price of accuracy. Google is just used for quick access to start research. Innovations in print books or eBooks would greatly increase usability.
Libraries often purchased too many items but don’t consider access (records). They thought there would be one interface but platforms changed.
eBook Goals
• Demand
• Convenience
• Equality
• Discovery
• Assessment
Some users use an eBook but may not identify it as such!
Physical distance important for use but
• We don’t know how they use print books (!)
• We don’t know impact
• We think usage will increase
Historical/local/archival usage will become an important niche for eBook use. Community use more important.
Summary
• Multiple approaches needed
• OPAC is a Secondary approach!
• eBooks have not been targeted for federated searching (mistake)
• Library guidance via website very important
• Usage stats difficult & not consistent across vendors/publishers
• Overall usage much greater than for print but little is known how they are used
• Most usage when library is physically closed
• Higher usage at beginning of week, then declines
• We are only just beginning to see increased usage (cf. eJournals in late 1990’s)
• Publisher’s not motivated to improve access or content
Larry
Sunday, February 22, 2009
How to Hook Reluctant Teen Readers
The session that I found the most useful was How to Hook Reluctant Teen Readers. The speaker Allison van Diepen is the author of the popular YA books Street Pharm, and Snitch. Her latest book will be released this month and has been compared to the popular Twilight series. Allison van Diepen has experience dealing with teenagers as an English teacher both in Ottawa and Brooklyn. I found the session relevant to my job as it provided me with titles to help teens and their parents who are looking for books that will appeal to a non reader. This knowledge will help me in collection development responsibilities and with reader’s advisory. The session also discussed ways to promote the library to teens. The MPL Facebook page could be expanded to include countdowns of when popular teen items will reach the library, and allow open discussions between teens on books. Another idea that I would like to try in the teen section is to have a digital picture frame that can play videos of book chats by teens and authors describing their book. I found the session very informative, and came away feeling that if you can find a teen a book that appeals to them, you have just created a reader for life.
Andrea
Andrea
Accessibility
Workshop: Does Your Library Meet Accessibility Requirements?
Chad Martin, from Brodart, “walked us through” some actual library branches he had visited in the past year and assessed from the point of view of accessibility. Some of his comments:
Eveyone is unique. Each of us may have some form of disability.
The traditional layouts of branches focus on the collection, not the client, are based on fitting as much as possible in small spaces and creating barriers caused by older structural designs.
The accessible library must provide a welcoming environment and be sensitive to client need.
First impressions do count. Accessibility does not have to cost a lot of money – it is the little things that count that make the difference.
The biggest impact for accessibility is signage. Interesting points: Red and orange, for example, do not stand out as well as large, bold black print. Strategic placement of signage is crucial with regards to line of sight. Use contrasting colours in signage. Good contrast is beneficial to people with colour blindness. Studies have shown that italics and capitals are harder to read. Use bold sparingly. Studies have also shown that most people over 50 cannot read the call numbers on books spines.
Wayfinding: Follow large overhead signage to the general areas, keep signs simple and directional. Consider directional arrows. Make use of furniture and shelving for wayfinding. Wayfinding signs must be placed at exactly the same height and in the same location for consistency.
Are we looking at our library from the perspective of everyone? That is the definition of accessibility.
Chad Martin also provided us with a checklist of things to note when we return to our branches. Sample questions to ask when looking at the library from the customer point of view.: Is there room with lounge furniture for a wheelchair or stroller? Is there room for a wheelchair/stroller to turn around? Can Braille fit into your existing signage system, i.e. book drop area? How much space do you really have in your shelving aisles? Protruding books reduce the space dramatically. Are parent and stroller made to feel as welcome as someone in a wheelchair?
Margaret
Chad Martin, from Brodart, “walked us through” some actual library branches he had visited in the past year and assessed from the point of view of accessibility. Some of his comments:
Eveyone is unique. Each of us may have some form of disability.
The traditional layouts of branches focus on the collection, not the client, are based on fitting as much as possible in small spaces and creating barriers caused by older structural designs.
The accessible library must provide a welcoming environment and be sensitive to client need.
First impressions do count. Accessibility does not have to cost a lot of money – it is the little things that count that make the difference.
The biggest impact for accessibility is signage. Interesting points: Red and orange, for example, do not stand out as well as large, bold black print. Strategic placement of signage is crucial with regards to line of sight. Use contrasting colours in signage. Good contrast is beneficial to people with colour blindness. Studies have shown that italics and capitals are harder to read. Use bold sparingly. Studies have also shown that most people over 50 cannot read the call numbers on books spines.
Wayfinding: Follow large overhead signage to the general areas, keep signs simple and directional. Consider directional arrows. Make use of furniture and shelving for wayfinding. Wayfinding signs must be placed at exactly the same height and in the same location for consistency.
Are we looking at our library from the perspective of everyone? That is the definition of accessibility.
Chad Martin also provided us with a checklist of things to note when we return to our branches. Sample questions to ask when looking at the library from the customer point of view.: Is there room with lounge furniture for a wheelchair or stroller? Is there room for a wheelchair/stroller to turn around? Can Braille fit into your existing signage system, i.e. book drop area? How much space do you really have in your shelving aisles? Protruding books reduce the space dramatically. Are parent and stroller made to feel as welcome as someone in a wheelchair?
Margaret
Creative Outlets for Youth @ Your Library
Creative Outlets for Youth @ Your Library was very inspirational. Susan Kernohan has been an inspiration to me for quite a while, as she and Lisa Heggum were both heavily involved with the publication of “All Sleek and Skimming Stories,” a few years ago and Susan actually wrote one of the stories in the anthology. This seminar focused mainly on “Young Voices,” which is a TPL publication featuring the writing and artwork of young people. “Young Voices” is also a program, as there are affiliated workshops, a writer’s conference, and a team of youth who select the pieces for inclusion in the magazine. The presenters didn’t gloss over the fact that the success of this program is due to an enormous amount of work as well as a long history of building a reputation for the program and the publication. They made it very clear that it would take some time to become successful.
I would like to start something similar here, but wonder at how difficult it might be to get writers involved who are willing to work for free and travel to Markham. I also wonder about whether there is enough interest for such a thing in Markham. It would be a great volunteer opportunity for teens who are genuinely interested and motivated.
Amy
I would like to start something similar here, but wonder at how difficult it might be to get writers involved who are willing to work for free and travel to Markham. I also wonder about whether there is enough interest for such a thing in Markham. It would be a great volunteer opportunity for teens who are genuinely interested and motivated.
Amy
Do kids really like Dora the Explorer?
Session # 1813: Do kids really like Dora the Explorer?
Todd Kyle, Manager, Churchill Meadows Branch, Mississauga Library System
How do you reconcile quality vs mass appeal in books for your public or school library? What do kids really like, and what do they need?
While Mr. Kyle certainly had an extremely interesting (and very entertaining) lecture regarding the elements of a good work for children and spoke about the difficulties in addressing the requests for books containing the characters in popular culture, he didn’t really get into answering these questions which are usually at the root of collection development in public libraries. The conflict between "give them what they want" and "give them what they need" is an old one, and Mr. Kyle asserts that if we simply give children what they need (quality literature), they will simply forget about what they want (Dora the Explorer) over time. I don’t think this is necessarily true, but I do think Markham should be conservative with the number of items we acquire in the "Television cross-over" genre as there is no telling when these characters will run out of popularity. Also, there is the very valid point that they are not good literature. Mr. Kyle also didn’t seem to speak about marketing strategy at all, but after some thought I think it would be helpful for librarians to compile lists similar to what you find in Chapters or Borders. "If you like Dora the Explorer, then you might like…" or "If you like Bob the Builder, then you might like…" – these lists are the simply the commercial answer to reader’s advisory, but they are very convenient for our "stop and graba book" customers, and if we put them in displays, they may be more effective in getting our youngest readers to find that what they need coincides with what they want, after all.
Megan
Todd Kyle, Manager, Churchill Meadows Branch, Mississauga Library System
How do you reconcile quality vs mass appeal in books for your public or school library? What do kids really like, and what do they need?
While Mr. Kyle certainly had an extremely interesting (and very entertaining) lecture regarding the elements of a good work for children and spoke about the difficulties in addressing the requests for books containing the characters in popular culture, he didn’t really get into answering these questions which are usually at the root of collection development in public libraries. The conflict between "give them what they want" and "give them what they need" is an old one, and Mr. Kyle asserts that if we simply give children what they need (quality literature), they will simply forget about what they want (Dora the Explorer) over time. I don’t think this is necessarily true, but I do think Markham should be conservative with the number of items we acquire in the "Television cross-over" genre as there is no telling when these characters will run out of popularity. Also, there is the very valid point that they are not good literature. Mr. Kyle also didn’t seem to speak about marketing strategy at all, but after some thought I think it would be helpful for librarians to compile lists similar to what you find in Chapters or Borders. "If you like Dora the Explorer, then you might like…" or "If you like Bob the Builder, then you might like…" – these lists are the simply the commercial answer to reader’s advisory, but they are very convenient for our "stop and graba book" customers, and if we put them in displays, they may be more effective in getting our youngest readers to find that what they need coincides with what they want, after all.
Megan
Learning Differences
Session # 1224 : Teaching Research Skills to Students with Learning Differences
Teaching research skills to students is a challenge but when those students have learning disabilities, learning differences and disorders such as ADHD, Autism and Asperger.s syndrome the task can seem insurmountable.
Last summer, I got a call from a mother of a child with a learning difference. She explained that she was having a difficult time finding resources to help her son, who has severe difficulties reading. I ended up matching up talking books and print books in our collection (he was too old for kits), and gave it to her to try. She has never followed up as to the success of the impromptu kits, but the conversations I shared with her made me really think about the services we need to provide as a public library. We had several very long phone conversations in which she really expressed to me how frustrated she was with the education system, and the limited amount of resources available to her son. This interaction is what prompted me to attend this session, which turned out to be more focused on teacher librarians in secondary schools. I also think that as part of our Learning Place initiative, we should be aware of and address learning differences in our classes we develop. Not only acceptance of every kind of learner, but perhaps we need a class specially tailored for a particular kind of learner.
This course was extremely useful – I don’t feel by any means that I am an expert on the subject, but they gave a very good run-down of best practices when interacting with children with learning differences. This includes what one can expect, ways in which we can maximize their success in the learning environment, and best bets of resources we can use to help them achieve their research goals. They also have links to the projects they did with their classes, in which each student made a PowerPoint Presentation on a person of their choice. The issue of learning differences is something we may want to explore in the Inclusive Services Committee as well as the Programming Steering Committee.
Megan
Teaching research skills to students is a challenge but when those students have learning disabilities, learning differences and disorders such as ADHD, Autism and Asperger.s syndrome the task can seem insurmountable.
Last summer, I got a call from a mother of a child with a learning difference. She explained that she was having a difficult time finding resources to help her son, who has severe difficulties reading. I ended up matching up talking books and print books in our collection (he was too old for kits), and gave it to her to try. She has never followed up as to the success of the impromptu kits, but the conversations I shared with her made me really think about the services we need to provide as a public library. We had several very long phone conversations in which she really expressed to me how frustrated she was with the education system, and the limited amount of resources available to her son. This interaction is what prompted me to attend this session, which turned out to be more focused on teacher librarians in secondary schools. I also think that as part of our Learning Place initiative, we should be aware of and address learning differences in our classes we develop. Not only acceptance of every kind of learner, but perhaps we need a class specially tailored for a particular kind of learner.
This course was extremely useful – I don’t feel by any means that I am an expert on the subject, but they gave a very good run-down of best practices when interacting with children with learning differences. This includes what one can expect, ways in which we can maximize their success in the learning environment, and best bets of resources we can use to help them achieve their research goals. They also have links to the projects they did with their classes, in which each student made a PowerPoint Presentation on a person of their choice. The issue of learning differences is something we may want to explore in the Inclusive Services Committee as well as the Programming Steering Committee.
Megan
Who are these people?
Who are these people and why aren't they using my library
This session outlined Mississauga PL's experiences using PRIZM, which is a social marketing tool, to determine how to reach out to non-users. PRIZM captures lifestyle indicators beyond traditional demographic statistics (e.g. enjoyment of cultural pursuits, how strongly they identify with their ethnicity of origin, propensity for spending on luxury items, etc.) and based on these indicators, group citizens into a series of categories for each life stage (young singles or couples, individuals with growing families, older adults) and provides an assessment of their values based on these profiles. This was a fascinating approach to market research, and had the potential to provide valuable insight into how libraries could best market their services to various segments of their target market.
Andrea
This session outlined Mississauga PL's experiences using PRIZM, which is a social marketing tool, to determine how to reach out to non-users. PRIZM captures lifestyle indicators beyond traditional demographic statistics (e.g. enjoyment of cultural pursuits, how strongly they identify with their ethnicity of origin, propensity for spending on luxury items, etc.) and based on these indicators, group citizens into a series of categories for each life stage (young singles or couples, individuals with growing families, older adults) and provides an assessment of their values based on these profiles. This was a fascinating approach to market research, and had the potential to provide valuable insight into how libraries could best market their services to various segments of their target market.
Andrea
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