Assessing an e‐reader lending program: from pilot to mainstream service

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to assess user preferences and perceptions of Texas A&M University Libraries' Kindle e-book reader lending program, to determine if current lending practices and procedures adequately satisfy user needs. Design/methodology/approach -An online survey was administered to library patrons who participated in the first full semester of the e-reader lending program. Of the 63 individuals who borrowed a Kindle, 52 answered the 13-question survey designed to elicit their feedback about their experiences borrowing and subsequently using a Kindle to read their requested e-books. The format of the survey was varied, and included objective and short-answer questions. When possible, responses included a five-point Likert scale. Findings -Analysis of the survey results indicates overall interest and support for the Libraries' e-reader lending program. Participants mainly utilized Kindles to read popular titles, indicating that the lending program has found a niche within the Libraries' suite of media borrowing services to support leisure reading. Furthermore, from a collection development standpoint, the user-driven acquisition policy for Kindle titles has served as an extension and virtual enhancement of the popular bestseller print collection. Originality/value -This study is one of the first qualitative research reports on patron perceptions of an academic library e-reader lending program. This study is likely to be of practical interest to academic librarians who are in the process of developing similar lending programs.

Adopting E-Readers with a Purpose: Surveying Users to Develop a Recreational Reading Kindle Lending Program

“…Yet activities encouraging recreational reading among students persist at college libraries across the United States (Elliott 2007). The adoption of e-readers by academic libraries has been a boost to recreational reading promotion efforts, giving students the opportunity to access greater numbers of popular fiction and nonfiction books while saving libraries money and space (Goodwin et al 2012).…”