1. eBooks, eBooks, eBooks
Platform Analysis and Survey
Results

2. EBSCO’s eBook Collection

3. Browse

4. Searching
Advanced
Visual

5. EBSCO Reader

6. ProQuest’s ebrary

7. Browse

8. Advanced Search

9. ebrary Reader
Option 1
Option 2

10. Survey Results

11. Browse Feature
EBSCO ebrary
Not Browse? I
Not Browse? I didn't
helpful.
helpful. I didn't
I even see
couldn't even see
couldn't that
figure out that option.
figure
how to option.
out how 0%
browse for 0%
to
books.
browse
21%
for
books.
0%
Very
Somewhat Somewhat helpful.
helpful. helpful. 58%
29% 42%
Very
helpful.
50%

12. Advanced Search
EBSCO ebrary
I wasn't I wasn't
able to able to
figure this figure this
feature feature
out. Not out.
0% satisfied. 8%
23% Not
Satisfied. satisfied.
31% 17%
Satisfied.
Somewhat
58%
satisfied.
17%
Somewhat
satisfied.
46%

13. EBSCO’s Visual Search
I wasn't able to
figure this
feature out.
0%
Very useful.
23%
Not useful. I
prefer the
traditional search
option.
38%
Somewhat useful.
39%

14. EBSCO Reader
•“EBSCO’s…readability is better…”
•“…easy to read…”
•“…readability was great because it takes up the
entire screen…”
•“…didn’t like the viewing of the books…”
•“…didn’t think it was easy to annotate a book I
was reading…”
•“EBSCO seems to be slower on average…”
•“…a little awkward to read…”
•“I didn’t really like the format of the ebooks. It
was harder to navigate the books.”

15. ebrary Reader
•“…like how they laid out all of the
chapters so it would be easier to search
by chapter within the book”
•“…easy to read…enjoy the highlighting
feature”
•“…like that you can search for
particular words or phrases”
•“…like the bookshelf option…”
•“great functionality”
•“everything was pretty intuitive”
•“…liked having the Table of Contents
there…”

16. Search Results and Database Content
EBSCO ebrary
• “..the selection has never come up with • “…bigger database…in the general “Business
anything I specifically wanted…” and Economics category,” [than EBSCO]”
• “…very little useful in the database at this • “…seemed to be relevant and quality
time…” results…”
• “…disappointed with how old the results • “I searched WWII…plenty of results…all
were… in education, business, and quality materials that were relevant to the
religion…” topic”
• “…a lot of material that I wasn’t looking for • “…had a broad range of publishers…”
at all…”
• “I searched for the topic of Youth Ministry
and found a large number of books and was
easily able to narrow down the search”

17. Search Results and Database
Content, Cont.
EBSCO ebrary
• n/a • “…got very specific results when I searched
particular things…”
• “…couldn’t find the book I wanted…”
• “…the age of the materials is a concern…”
• “There wasn’t a ton of results…”
• “…lots of unrelated or unhelpful results…”

18. User Interface and Usability
EBSCO ebrary
• “I like [EBSCO’s] search interface better… • “Proquest. It’s laid out better and simpler to
more ways to limit…” use”
• “…interface is clean and familiar…” • “I liked ebrary as a science major…more
polished and more like an online
• “…really easy to narrow the search by library…easy to navigate and very clear and
publication date…” just visually…nicer.”
• “EBSCO search interface [is] • “…easy to browse many books and find the
better, primarily because it gave me more right one…”
ways to limit my searches.”
• “Ebrary’s system of searching was much
• “EBSCO…its results are clearer and give a more helpful in narrowing my search and
better picture of relevance. There also isn’t a much more user-friendly.”
download required.”
• “eBrary…it pulls up the book immediately to
search through and you don’t have to go
through the second step of finding the full
text.”

19. User Interface and Usability, Cont.
EBSCO ebrary
• “Ebrary is more useful. It just allows for a
• “…complicated to use and search…isn’t laid
search that isn’t limited by what you want to
out very well…” know. It allows for someone to get on and
just search for something even if they are
• “…didn’t think it was easy to annotate a not sure what they want.”
book I was reading…”
• “The interface was nice if I wanted to
browse…”
• “…did not like how…could not sub-topic the
results and redefine the search…”
• “…advance search can be a little tricky”
• “Meh, I was not impressed and confused by
the interface”
• “Didn’t like the search screen. The basic
search on top of the advanced search was
confusing”
• “…no Boolean limits on searching other
than using AND”

20. Which platform do students prefer?

21. Students’ Preferences In Line With
Existing Research
How content is accessed and
What the user’s value used
• Search tools • Non-linear searching patterns
• Instant access ▫ Berg, et al. (2010); Hernon, et al. (2007)
• Mobility • Expect website functionality
▫ Downloadable content ▫ Berg, et al. (2010)
▫ Offline • Preference for in-text search functions
• Manipulate content ▫ Berg, et al. (2010); Croft and Davis
▫ Copy and paste (2010); Hernon, et al. (2007)
▫ Print • Anytime, instant access
▫ Multiple simultaneous users ▫ Croft and Davis (2010); Hernon, et al.
▫ Highlighting (2007)
▫ Annotating • Annotating
▫ Croft and Davis (2010); Hernon, et al.
 Slater (2010) (2007)

22. What’s next?
Now Further into the future
• Compare to other vendors • Market the new resource
▫ Overdrive • Instruction
 Trinity International ▫ Incorporate into existing
University curriculum
 Chicago Public Library ▫ Create special, temporary
• Consult with sales sessions
representative • Assessment

23. Works Referenced
Berg, Selinda Adelle, Kristin Hoffman, and Diane Dawson. “Not on the Same Page:
Undergraduates’ Information Retrieval in Electronic and Print Books.” Journal of
Academic Librarianship 36.6 (2010): 518-525. Library, Information Science &
Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Bierman, James, Lina Ortega, and Karen Rupp-Serrano. “E-Book Usage in Pure and Applied
Sciences.” Science & Technology Libraries 29.1/2 (2010): 69-91. OmniFile Full
Text Mega (H.W. Wilson). Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Croft, Rosie, and Corey Davis. “E-Books Revisited: Surveying Student E-Book Usage in a
Distributed Learning Academic Library 6 Years Later.” Journal of Library
Administration 50.5/6 (2010): 543-569. Library, Information Science &
Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Grudzien, Pamela, and Anne Marie Casey. “Do Off-Campus Students Use E-Books?” Journal
of Library Administration 48.3/4 (2008): 455-466. Library, Information Science
& Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.

24. Works Referenced, Cont.
Hernon, Peter, Rosita Hopper, Michael R. Leach, Laura L. Saunders, and Jane Zhang. “E-
Book Use by Students: Undergraduates in Economics, Literature, and Nursing.”
Journal of Academic Librarianship 33.1 (2007): 3-13. Library, Information
Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Lamothe, Alain. “Electronic Book Usage Patterns as Observed at an Academic Library:
Searches and Viewings.” Partnership: The Canadian Journal of Library &
Information Practice & Research 5.1 (2010): 1-22. Library, Information
Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.
Slater, Robert. “Why Aren’t E-Books Gaining More Ground in Academic Libraries? E-Book
Use and Perceptions: A Review of Published Literature and Research.” Journal
of Web Librarianship 4.4 (2010): 305-331. Library, Information Science &
Technology Abstract with Full Text. Web. 8 Mar. 2012.