Abstract
Individual ownership of handheld e-readers is increasing exponentially. Limited budgets, accessibility issues, and the failure of many e-readers to meet academic needs prevent academic libraries from adopting them at faster rates. Librarians spend a considerable amount of time gathering information about e-readers prior to making an investment. This article provides a history of e-reader availability and selection in the United States, information on the challenges that academic librarians face in e-reader selection, and research results of various studies on e-book/e-reader use by students. The article reflects on the e-reader evaluation and decision-making process and makes recommendations for investment and training.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 270-283 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Reference Librarian |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jul 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- academic libraries
- e-books
- e-readers
- e-textbooks
- technology in academic libraries
- technology in education