The
introduction of e-books was regarded as a major breakthrough for libraries and
a great innovation from publishers.
Universities
were quick to buy into the new technology for various reasons which included
cost savings, space savings, and keeping up with the trends of modern
libraries, yet, ignoring the calls from local users who were “not ready” to
adapt to the new reading formats.
After
reading the following article on the current situation regarding the usage of
e-books, my curiosity about whether we at UKZN should so actively pursue the
purchase of e-books was aroused.
Pew Report: Overall Book
Readership Holding Steady, but E-Books Have Stalled
By Andrew
Albanese
Sep 01,
2016
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Despite
competition from an ever-increasing menu of entertainment choices now available
to Americans, book readership in America is holding steady, according to a new
survey. And most of the book readers surveyed, the report found, prefer to read
print books.
The
report “Book Readership 2016,” released this week by the
Pew Research Centre found that 73% of Americans have
read a book in the last year, a percentage largely unchanged from 2012 levels
(although lower than the 79% recorded in 2011, when Pew began tracking reading
habits).
The Pew Research Centre is a nonpartisan American "fact tank" which is based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and
the world. It also conducts public
opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis, and other empirical social science
research.
Among the
survey’s most notable findings are: reading of e-books has hit a plateau. After
posting an 11 percentage point jump between 2011-2014 (from 17% to 28%), e-book
readership has seen no change in the last two years. Overall, 28% of Americans
reported reading an e-book in the last year.
On the
other hand, roughly two-thirds of Americans (65%) reported reading a print book
in the last year, identical to the share of Americans who reported doing so in
2012. Notably, just 6% of respondents said they read e-books exclusively, while
38% said they are print-only readers.
Despite
finding a plateau in e-book readership, the survey found that how readers are
accessing e-books has changed significantly. Between 2011 and 2016, the number
of Americans who reported reading an e-book on a tablet increased nearly
fourfold (from 4% to 15%), while smartphone reading more than doubled (from 5%
to 13%).
Just 8%
of Americans said they used a dedicated e-reader, roughly unchanged from 2012
levels.
The
survey also found a modest bump among audiobook listeners. While the market for
digital audio has been cited as a bright spot for publishers in recent years,
the report found that the share of American adults who listen to audiobooks has
risen only marginally. In 2011, 11% of Americans reported listening to an
audiobook in the last year, compared with 14% now.
The
report was drawn from a national sample of 1,520 American adults (18 years or
older) surveyed by the Pew Research Centre between March 7 and April 4, 2016,
with 381 respondents interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1,139 interviewed
on a cell phone.
Please
answer the following questions:
1) Should UKZN Libraries focus on
promoting the e-publication format?
YES/NO
2) Should UKZN libraries be
purchasing more e-publications? YES/NO
You are most welcome to make further comments.
Thank you
Regards
Desmond Beharilal
References:
Albanese, A. (2016)
Pew Report: Overall Book Readership Holding Steady, but E-Books Have Stalled,
20 September, 2016, http://www.publishersweekly.com
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