McGill Library Makes E-books Portable: E-reader Loan Service in a Canadian Academic Library

Abstract

E-readers are increasingly popular personal devices, but can they be effectively used for the needs of academic libraries' clients? This paper employs an evidence-based approach that examines the role and efficacy of implementing an E-reader Loan Service at McGill University Library. Suggestions are offered as to what lending model and device features best meet client needs. Observations are made based on the lessons learned from active use. The paper also examines relevant issues, such as electronic formats, Digital Rights Management, and the role of e-readers as library technology that facilitates the ideals of mobile learning.

From a Knowledge Container to a Mobile Learning Platform: What RULA Learned from the Laptop Lending Program

“…Other 1% categories include more electrical outlets, cleaner laptops, more laptops, improved maintenance, and better connectivity" (p. 39). Other factors impacting the success and student satisfaction with the laptop loan programs at academic libraries include promotion of services (Savova & Garsia, 2012), collaboration challenges between library and IT staff (Gu, 2011), connectivity (Summey & Gutiérrez, 2012), and low staff morale surrounding the check-out and return process (Sharpe, 2009). In RULA's laptop loan research, our team aims to address these and other concerns, such as the student's preferred type of mobile computing device, the nature of the student use of the device, and which programs and services would best assist them in completing their academic work.…”

E-books in academic libraries: Challenges for sharing and use

“…E-books designed for use with desktop or laptop computers are generally acquired through institutional licenses that allow for annual access, perpetual access, or access on a pay-per-use basis (Silberer and Bass, 2007). In contrast, e-books that load onto e-readers are almost always intended for use by a single, individual user (Kirchhoff, 2011; Savova and Garsia, 2012; Zinn and Langdown, 2011). For example, each Kindle e-book file is linked to a particular e-reader and cannot be transferred to any other device (Berry, 2011).…”

“…To circumvent Sony’s individual (end-user) billing, the library staff created a single email account with 20 aliases, acquiring and paying for each e-book through one of 20 individual user accounts. In another project, librarians at McGill University found a way to remove each borrower’s authorization when the e-reader was returned so that subsequent users could re-authorize the device and download new content (Savova and Garsia, 2012). Unfortunately, the library staff found no way to prevent each machine from displaying information about the patron who last used the device.…”

Attitudes towards and use of ebooks at the University of Canterbury

“…In both studies there were large percentages of neutral answers to this feature. The results of the UC and Waikato study are at variance to other previous studies that found that e-reader access was important for ebook use (Corlett-Rivera & Hackman, 2014;Savova & Garsia, 2012;Slater, 2010). This perhaps points to a regional variation in New Zealand academic contexts.…”

“…The study also highlighted the importance of e-reader ownership for increased ebook use (Corlett-Rivera and Hackman, 2014). E-reader ownership was also found to be an important factor in ebook use by Slater (2010) while , Savova and Garsia's (2012) examination of the e-reader loan programme at McGill University in Canada found that access to e-readers promotes the use of ebooks as they provide users with new ways to relate to, access and understand ebooks. As already noted above, awareness of ebook collections is a problem, with nine percent of respondents not being aware of the library's ebook collections or being unaware of how to use ebooks illustrating a need for more user education around ebooks (Corlett-Rivera &Hackman, 2014).…”