User expectation of E-Book development in an education library: a case study of HKIEd

Abstract

The impacts of e-books on supporting teaching, learning and research activities in the academic environment have become increasingly significant. It is difficult to find a definite answer of yes or no as to whether the library should have only traditional printed materials or electronic materials. The answer lies only in the needs of the users.

In order to develop an appropriate e-books collection policy and to produce data that shed light on the value of this core library service, the Hong Kong Institute of Education Library had conducted a formal survey on its e-books services in early 2008. This paper will focus on examining the data collected on the use of e-books from the perspectives of students and academics in the field of education, their demands as well as their habits of reading traditional printed materials and electronic materials. Subsequently, issues from these aspects will be compared. It is hoped that this paper will foster better understanding of the users’ needs and provide insights for academic librarians in promoting, planning and developing their e-books collections.