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BL THE ESSENTIAL LIBRARIAN
24,2
E-books: little use so far
James R. Lund
122 Red Wing Public Library, Red Wing, Minnesota, USA
Accepted May 2011
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to encourage caution when considering plans to migrate from
physical materials to e-materials.
Design/methodology/approach – The author’s argument to encourage caution when considering
plans to migrate from physical materials to e-materials is based on published statistics and personal
observation.
Findings – When considering current usage of e-books in comparison to physical materials, the
usage of e-books is statistically insignificant.
Originality/value – Offers statistical evidence that e-books will not supplant, now or in the foreseen
future, the demand for physical materials.
Keywords E-books, iPad, Electronic publishing, Electronic media
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
I am a daily reader of e-book blogs. Although a seemingly trivial confession, I find the
drama surrounding the e-book alluring and somewhat surprising. Last year at the
March 2010 Public Library Association national conference, the topic of e-books
attracted no presentations. Self-service, discovery layouts, developing partnerships,
and fundraising dominated the sessions. Yet, I recall bumping into one of my
colleagues on the exhibitor floor as she was heading to Overdrive’s booth. I commented
about downloadable audio books and she quipped, “e-books is what our patrons want,
James.” “Really, I thought?” I could not recall one patron asking for e-books. A month
later, that changed.
When Apple’s iPad took the computing world by storm in April 2010, e-book
readers were mostly beholden to Amazon and its proprietary Kindle e-reader. A few
libraries were loaning out the reader loaded with e-books purchased at Amazon, but
e-books in the library was a periphery service – something to dabble in with no clear
direction. In contrast to the ordinary Kindle, consumers found that the stunning beauty
of the iPad offered an entirely different reading and computing experience. The pages
turned with the drag of a finger and the book lay on the screen more realistically than
the E-ink single page view offered by the Kindle. Oh yes, there were weaknesses with
the iPad primarily with the weight of the unit and glare from the glass screen, but
clearly the iPad was going to be a hit for Apple. Mr Jobs legions of touch screen users
The Bottom Line: Managing Library were now introduced to e-books and they liked the experience! Overnight, the silence
Finances broke and library patrons began inquiring about e-book availability for their iPad.
Vol. 24 No. 2, 2011
pp. 122-124 Libraries found themselves scrambling to subscribe to Apple-friendly Overdrive’s
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited e-book lending service in an attempt to not be rolled over by the “inevitable” paradigm
0888-045X
DOI 10.1108/08880451111169179 shift away from paper (Overdrive reported a 200 percent increase in checkouts in 2010

2. vs 2009). Now at the one-year anniversary of the iPad and the release of iPad2, I think it E-books: little
is a good time to make a few observations on the impact of e-books on public library use so far
usage at this juncture.
Usage
E-books at our smaller public library account for 1 percent of total monthly circulation.
Anticipating higher usage at a large affluent metropolitan library system, Hennepin 123
County Library, MN reported total circulation for 2010 at 17.5 million with only 132,000
downloads of e-books and related content (a disappointing 0.7 percent), and in the April
25, 2011 Publishers Weekly they reported March 2011 e-book checkouts of 17,480 for a
projected 1 percent of 2011 circulation. Certainly, e-book collection sizes pale in
comparison to that of physical materials, yet the percentage of use surprises me in light
of the hype and hysteria. In the aforementioned Publishers Weekly article lauding the
increase in e-book circulation, Diane Eidelman, administrator for the Suffolk
Cooperative Library System in New York’s Long Island, tempers her enthusiasm by
admitting that e-books account for only a small fraction of the 14 million total
circulations for her library system. To proclaim at this juncture that “libraries are
screwed” as Eli Nieburger pronounced at a recent e-books virtual conference is greatly
overstating the impact of e-books on public library usage and its future viability.
Hassel factor
The number one factor, from my experience, that accounts for low library usage is the
complexity of setting up e-readers to comply with Adobe’s digital rights management
(DRM). The simplicity and convenience of the “1-click” buying experience at online
retailers is currently winning over e-book readers, and the explosive growth of e-book
sales. The Association of American Publishers reports a 169 percent increase in 2010. It
may be that most e-book readers are book buyers, not library users. Yet, two factors
may change this – agency pricing and Amazon’s forthcoming Kindle library lending.
Agency pricing
Apple may have done library lending a big favor by introducing agency pricing to the
e-book marketplace. Agency pricing differs from wholesale pricing in that the
publisher sets the retail price for their books where under the wholesale model the
reseller sets the retail price. Amazon’s initial $9.99 price for e-book best sellers lead to a
publisher revolt resulting in agency pricing, higher prices, and potentially softer sales.
Will higher retail prices compel e-book readers to reconsider the viability of Adobe’s
DRM governed library lending?
Kindle library lending
But the real game changer may be once the retailer becomes the lender. In April 2011,
Amazon and Overdrive announced an agreement that will allow Kindle customers to
borrow books from Overdrive’s subscribing libraries’ collections. Amazon’s Kindle
dominates the e-reader market and the prospect of Kindle owners having access to
library lended e-books is staggering. This development bears close attention. It seems
likely that Amazon, home of the “1-click” buying experience, will not tolerate the
miserable Adobe DRM experience or be willing to pay Adobe to use their DRM. Many
in the e-book blogosphere are already convinced that Amazon will use their own

3. BL proprietary DRM for “their customers” and the e-books for lending will reside on their
servers. If Amazon does succeed in streamlining the experience, lending of e-books
24,2 may reach its much hyped potential.
Conclusion
Certainly, e-book lending is here to stay and the service will continue to grow and
124 improve. Yet, the current usage does not justify such dire pronouncements as the
“library is screwed” or any subsequent draconian actions. At this time, the impact of
e-books on library material usage is statistically inconsequential and we in the library
community need to wisely manage our obsession with being “relevant” and do what is
right by our patrons and continue to buy what they currently use – physical materials.
About the author
James R. Lund is Director of the Red Wing Public Library in Red Wing, Minnesota. He obtained a
MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a MA in Theology from Westminster
Seminary, California. He has provided and managed library services in academic, graduate, and
public libraries. James R. Lund can be contacted at James.lund@ci.red-wing.mn.us
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