2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
1
Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School Libraries
Executive Summary ............................................................................................ 3 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 9 About the 2014 School Library Journal Ebook Survey ....................................... 9 How This Report Is Organized ........................................................................... 9 Data Presentation ..............................................................................................9 Chapter Structure ............................................................................................10 For More Information ........................................................................................ 11 1. Profile of Respondents................................................................................. 12 Public or Private ...............................................................................................13 Number of Students ......................................................................................... 14 Materials Expenditure ...................................................................................... 15 Library Location ................................................................................................ 16 Respondent Job Title/Ebook Recommendation Authority ................................ 18 Role in Ebook Decisions ..................................................................................19 Onward ............................................................................................................. 19 2. Ebook Supply and Demand ......................................................................... 20 Offer Ebooks .................................................................................................... 20 School Libraries Without Ebooks .....................................................................22 Ebook Plans .....................................................................................................24 How Long Libraries Have Offered Ebooks ....................................................... 26 How Many Ebooks? ......................................................................................... 28 Demand for Ebooks ......................................................................................... 30 Ebook Circulation ............................................................................................. 32 Changes in Circulation/Usage .........................................................................34 Ebook Access .................................................................................................. 37 Access at Home ...............................................................................................38 Hindrances and Barriers .................................................................................. 39 OPAC Discoverability ....................................................................................... 42 In Summary ...................................................................................................... 43 In Their Own Words ......................................................................................... 43 3. Ebook Collections and Categories.............................................................. 48 Ebook Categories ............................................................................................. 48 Fiction vs. Nonfiction ........................................................................................51 In-Demand Ebook Genres ............................................................................... 53 Fiction ..............................................................................................................53 Nonfiction .........................................................................................................54 Academic or Pleasure Reading ........................................................................ 57 In Summary ...................................................................................................... 58 © 2014 School Library Journal. All rights reserved.
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In Their Own Words ......................................................................................... 58 4. Ebook Budgets and Buying ......................................................................... 61 Ebooks and Library Materials Budgets ............................................................ 61 Last Year’s Budget ..........................................................................................61 This Year’s Budget ..........................................................................................62 2019 Budget ....................................................................................................64 Current Volume and Spending ......................................................................... 66 Volumes Purchased This Year ........................................................................66 This Year’s Spending .......................................................................................67 Source(s) of Funding ........................................................................................ 69 Impact on Print Books ...................................................................................... 71 Purchasing Terms ............................................................................................ 72 Consortium Membership .................................................................................. 75 Vendors Used and Preferred ........................................................................... 77 In Summary ...................................................................................................... 80 In Their Own Words ......................................................................................... 81 5. Ebooks and Ereaders ................................................................................... 85 Ereaders Used ................................................................................................. 85 Transition to Electronic Textbooks ................................................................... 90 One-to-One Device Programs .......................................................................... 94 Availability of Reading Devices ........................................................................ 98 Which Ereaders Do Libraries Lend? ..............................................................100 How Many Ereaders? ....................................................................................103 Preloaded Apps .............................................................................................. 105 In Summary .................................................................................................... 108 In Their Own Words ....................................................................................... 108 General Conclusions and Trends.................................................................. 112 Ebook Trends ................................................................................................. 113 Appendix: School Libraries Questionnaire .................................................. 115 The Survey Methodology ............................................................................... 115 © 2014 School Library Journal. All rights reserved.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since we launched our annual survey of ebook trends in libraries in 2010, we have
seen ebook usage explode among the general public and in public libraries, while
ebook adoption by U.S. school libraries has expanded more slowly. Currently 66%
of schools nationwide offer ebooks, an increase of ten percentage points over last
year’s survey. Tallies of the number of ebooks available and their usage, however,
remain low.
Several factors are driving the slow rate of ebook adoption in school libraries and
among children in general. Our data shows that limited access to ereading devices
and cost (school library budgets are decidedly less than lavish) are keeping school
librarians from investing more in ebooks. In addition, student demand for ebooks
is not as robust as the demand for them in public libraries. School librarians
reported that often student awareness of school ebook collections is low, and many
students have a clear preference for print books, at least for certain types of
reading. Indeed, one recurring comment is that school library staff and faculty are
more excited about ebooks than the kids are.
Despite a surge in student-owned computers and devices, most school’s ebooks are
being read using devices provided in school (school desktops, laptops, tablets and
whiteboards). This is especially true in poor and/or rural areas where technology
has been slow to penetrate. A quarter of U.S. schools reporting in 2014 provided
ereading devices for students to borrow and 17% of schools had a one-to-one
device program in place.
It makes sense that giving children access to ereading devices strongly influences
their interest in accessing ebook content. To prove that point, we looked at the
question, “Have you experienced a change in demand for ebooks since this time
last year?” comparing schools with one-to-one programs to those without.
Eighteen percent of 1:1 schools reported a dramatic increase in demand, versus 3%
of those without a 1:1 program.
Maintaining both print and digital collections on a typical school library budget is
a very big challenge. As a result, we have found that schools—especially
elementary schools—have become creative in seeking alternate types of funding
for their ebook initiatives.
We are also seeing continued dissatisfaction with vendors and publishers. Among
public libraries, the vitriol seems to have largely abated, but among school
libraries, dissatisfaction with purchasing terms remains high. That said, they are
finding ways of making ebooks work.
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Small Ebook Collections in Most Schools
In 2014, 66% of library media centers (LMCs) indicated that they offer ebooks to
students and faculty, a ten percentage point increase over 2013. The lack of
ereading devices available has become the top cited reason for not making ebooks
available. “No money for ebooks” has become less of an issue. Of the 33% of
school libraries that do not currently offer ebooks, 11% say they have no plans to
ever offer them, although 20% say they definitely will add them in the next two
years.
Offer ebooks
% of school libraries
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
33%
44%
40%
56%
66%
“There is no denying this is the future of libraries. We still have many, many students
and teachers who prefer to have print books, but because of cost and maintenance,
constant care, and a NEVER increasing budget, it makes more sense to purchase
digital books that can’t be lost, destroyed, or held hostage by the patron. Given that
we provide all students with an iPad, NO student is denied access to the digital
collection while MANY students seldom make it to the physical library because of
scheduling or lack of interest.”
Ebook collection sizes have increased steadily but the median number of ebooks
per school is a very low 189 titles (mean 1,104). To put this in perspective, the
median number of print books in a school library collection is 11,3001.
Ebook collections
Median # of ebooks
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
32
35
94
136
189
Obstacles Persist
The lack of ereading devices—either school-provided or student-owned—is a
major impediment to LMCs offering ebooks. “Limited access to ereading devices
(at home or at school)” is the top barrier to ebook usage reported by school
libraries and is at an all-time high for this barrier. A close second is “users prefer
print books.” “Students unaware of ebook availability” is not far behind, and “lack
of training” is also on the uptick.
Demand Exists but is Not Overwhelming
User demand for ebooks has leveled off in the present survey. Just over four-in-ten
respondents (44%) have witnessed an increase in demand for ebooks this year,
unchanged from 2013, however most of that demand is “slight.” Notably, 20% of
school libraries reported receiving zero requests for ebooks, dropping slightly from
23% last year.
“Dramatic” or “slight”
increase in demand for
ebooks
% of all school libraries
1
2011
2012
2013
2014
27%
46%
44%
44%
School Media Center Resource Survey, School Library Journal, 2014.
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“At first ebooks were very big, but students have their own devices now and access on
their own. Also, I have found that most students still prefer holding books in their
hands and use their ebook devices in certain circumstances...when traveling etc. for
convenience only.”
Ebook Usage on the Rise
For the 2012–2013 school year, respondents with ebooks during that time period
reported a median circulation/usage of 100 ebooks overall (mean 652), up from a
median of 25 the previous year. Elementary schools saw the highest increases in
ebook usage. Dividing ebook circulation figures by enrollment translates to
approximately one ebook use per every 3.4 elementary students. In middle schools,
usage was one ebook per every 7.4 students, and in high schools one ebook used
per every 13.1 students.
Ebook circulation
2011
2012
2013
2014
25
35
25
100
Median ebook circulation
“Love ebooks as options. Do NOT want a library which is entirely ebooks. Many
students and staff do not enjoy them, find them unsuitable for their purposes and will
not use.”
Generally, one-half of school libraries’ ebooks (51%) have a one user at a time
restriction, while 49% allow simultaneous access by multiple users. Virtually all
libraries (94%) said that students could access the library’s ebook collection from
home.
Respondents expect a 29% increase in ebook circulation next year, statistically
unchanged from last year. This is much less bullish than we saw in 2012. Ebooks
have yet to see the surge in demand and circulation in school libraries that public
libraries experienced, which was often in the triple digits year over year.
Expected ebook circulation
increase
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
% change in ebook circulation
+26%
+43%
+48%
+30%
+29%
Fiction and Nonfiction Ebook Collections
More than half (56%) of school libraries’ ebooks are nonfiction titles, and 44% are
fiction.
The top three fiction and nonfiction categories carried by each school type are:
Elementary school
Fiction
realistic
fiction
Nonfiction
animals
Middle school
Fiction
dystopian
fiction
Nonfiction
history
High school
Fiction
dystopian
fiction
Nonfiction
general
reference
adventure/
thrillers
science/
math/
technology
fantasy
science/
math/
technology
realistic
fiction
history
fantasy
biography
realistic
fiction
biography
fantasy
biography
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“Our students love ebooks for research, but do not want to check out pleasure reading in
e-format. They demand print for their fiction and extracurricular reading needs.”
Almost four out of ten respondents (37%) said that their ebooks are read primarily
for recreation, while another 34% feel they are used most regularly for school
assignments and academic reading. Eighteen percent said usage was about equal.
“Students are quick to use nonfiction ebooks with research projects. For fiction, I find that
students are more likely to use devices already loaded (NOOKs). Our public library offers
ebooks through OverDrive so I try not to duplicate those services.”
Ebook Spending Rises
In the 2013–2014 school year, library media centers estimated they spent on
average $1,199 (median $402) on ebooks. Notably, almost one-in-five reported
spending zero dollars, as their ebooks were made available through the state,
school district, or consortium membership. A median of 42 ebook volumes was
purchased or licensed independently in the 2013-2014 school year, bringing the
average cost per ebook to $9.57.
Since last year’s survey, the percentage of materials budgets spent on ebooks has
declined, predominantly due to elementary schools decreasing their spending on
ebooks (or, as we’ll see below, finding sources of funding other than their local
materials budget). The projected national school ebook spend for the 2013–2014
school year was anywhere from $31 million (calculated using medians) to $92
million (calculated using means). In five years’ time (2019), libraries expect ebook
spending as a percentage of their total materials budget to almost quadruple to
13%.
Type of school
All school libraries
Elementary schools
Middle schools
High schools
Ebook spending as a % of total materials budget
(median %)
2010
1.6%
1.5%
1.6%
1.8%
2011
1.6%
1.5%
1.5%
1.9%
2012
1.5%
1.4%
1.7%
1.7%
2013
4.0%
3.6%
3.9%
4.4%
2014
3.4%
1.9%
4.4%
4.8%
2019
13.4%
11.3%
16.8%
17.0%
Creative Funding Sources
Libraries avail themselves of as many sources of funding as they can, but far and
away their materials budget was the biggest source of funding for ebooks. Eighteen
percent have participated in book fairs, 14% have turned to donations or other
types of fundraising efforts, and 12% have received grants. Elementary schools are
the most likely to seek alternate sources of funding besides their materials budget.
Some schools rely on the local public library to provide access to certain ebooks,
and focus their ebook spending on titles related to the curriculum.
The challenge for school libraries is expanding ebook collections while also
maintaining print book and media collections, as well as other services. In general,
though, ebook purchasing has had an impact on print book purchasing. Nearly a
quarter of school libraries (24%) indicated that they purchase fewer print books
now, while 65% said that their ebook collections had no influence on their print
book purchasing.
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Only 13% of school libraries currently take part in a consortium licensing program.
This is the lowest rate of consortium membership in the history of our survey,
though it has never been an especially popular option for school libraries, in direct
contrast to public libraries.
“I have found the transition to ebooks to be very frustrating. I seem to be more excited
about them than the students are! Leasing the books which may or may not be checked out
for a year is not realistic to the budget, and titles available for purchase are not desirable
to the students.”
Purchasing Terms
Unlike what is happening in public libraries, the purchasing terms for schools
buying ebooks have not changed appreciably. In 2014, 61% purchased with
perpetual access, up one point from 2013, while 30% purchased with perpetual
access through self-hosting (local ownership), up four percentage points. Twentyfour percent purchased a “subscription” or licensed ebooks, up from 20%. One
reason annual licenses do not find favor with more school librarians is that the
library is only open for ten months out of the year. The number one method used
by public libraries to acquire ebooks is the “license with a set number of
circulations” model, which is used by only 6% of school libraries.
“I will not ever ‘lease’ an ebook. Period.”
Ebook Vendors
In terms of vendors used, FollettShelf continues to dominate the ebook space for
school libraries—63% of school libraries use FollettShelf. Nearly a third of
respondents (31%) indicated a vendor preference for FollettShelf while 32%
percent have no preferred vendor.
“[FollettShelf] has better prices, better ease of use, more multiple user formats available,
more nonfiction titles than OverDrive (second choice).”
Ebooks and Ereaders
School-owned devices are used most often for reading libraries’ ebooks, although
nearly three-quarters of schools report their ebooks are also read on student-owned
devices. The “school desktop computer” is the top method by which students
access the library’s ebook collection, selected by 68% of respondents, down from
76% last year. “Student tablet” was selected by 52%, up from 39% last year. A
“school laptop” was selected by 50% (up from 48%), with “student dedicated
ebook reader” at 48%.
Providing ereaders to students is on the decline, with 24% of school libraries
making ereaders available for students to read ebooks (only 12% allow take-home
use). The iPad or iPad Mini has become far and away the top device circulated,
especially for younger readers, with the Kindle a somewhat distant second. The
school libraries that lend ereaders have a median of 12 devices on hand (up from
10 last year).
Of the schools that provide tablets to students, 60% preload “interactive
educational tools,” 54% preload “book apps/enhanced ebooks,” and 36% preload
“productivity tools for teachers, administrators, etc.” on those devices.
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Etextbooks and One-to-One Schools
Since last year, etextbooks have not become a major force in El-Hi schools. Only
1% reported that all new textbooks are purchased digitally, 15% (up from 12% last
year) say that “some new textbooks are purchased digitally,” and 14% are
considering it. Two-thirds (69%) have no plans to transition to etexts.
“Once we move to a 1 to 1 environment, I expect ebook usage to dramatically increase,
but many students still prefer print books, even those with ereading devices.”
Seventeen percent of school library respondents say their schools currently have a
one-to-one device program in place, and 15% are planning to offer one—one-third
of schools have, or will have, such a program in place in the near future. Of
schools that have one-to-one programs, one-third assign personal devices to each
student for the year, another third gives devices to students in select classes for the
year, and 13% distribute and then collect devices at the end of the class period.
IPads are the top device used by schools that have implemented a one-to-one
device program (64%).
“We just became a one-to-one school with iPads this year, so though I’ve increased my
spending on ebooks recently, the vast majority of the materials I buy are still in print form.
This isn’t because I’m old or afraid of technology or change in general. It’s because I
genuinely believe in the necessity of children feeling the heft of a book, turning real pages,
and having the opportunity to literally stick their noses inside one. At this point,
experiencing books like Journey by Aaron Becker or anything by Steve Jenkins on a small,
rectangular screen, just can’t compare to the real thing.”
Conclusions
Two-thirds of school libraries offer ebooks, which is a steady increase from past
surveys, even if school libraries lag behind public libraries. The biggest hurdle to
offering students ebooks is “limited access to ereading devices”—but, generally
speaking, many kids still prefer to read in print.
At this juncture, print and electronic is not an either/or choice. School libraries
will need to continue to offer a variety of formats to best suit user preferences—
and foster learning and nurture a love for reading, the primary functions of a
school library. This means tough format choices for the school librarian and an
ongoing struggle to carefully allot what is too often preciously little funding.
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INTRODUCTION
About the 2014 School Library Journal Ebook Survey
Welcome to the fifth School Library Journal survey of electronic book usage in
U.S. school libraries. The present report is one of two that look at the current state
of ebooks and their place in libraries. Our most recent survey reprises many
questions from previous years’ surveys, allowing us to track long-term trends more
effectively, as we now have four or five data points to consider. We also tweak
some other questions based on responses to past surveys or to better reflect
changes in the market, so some data points may not be entirely consistent with past
responses. In addition, there are also some brand new questions this year.
Once again, we invited survey respondents to answer open-ended questions that
asked about school libraries’ experience with ebooks in general and, in this survey,
about their relationship with their primary, preferred ebook vendor. Despite a lot of
the crankiness we find in the general open-ended questions, libraries do have their
favorite vendors, and there is a fairly high comfort level with, and even enthusiasm
for, some vendors. As we always say, the verbatim responses are a useful lens
through which to view the quantitative results of our survey. A selection of these
responses can be found at the ends of Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5.
How This Report Is Organized
If you have used past versions of our ebook usage surveys, much of what follows
in the present report will seem familiar, although we have added some new
“features” this year to aid readers in making the best use of the data.
Data Presentation
The bulk of each chapter provides top-level survey results in chart form—in
essence, the “all responses” results, or what all libraries surveyed said about a
specific question. This gives an overall idea of the prevailing attitude.
In those cases where we have calculated averages, such as “average number of
ebooks available,” “average number of ereaders available,” or “average amount
spent on ebooks,” we provide both a mean and a median. A mean is a simple
average, or “the sum of a collection of numbers divided by the number of numbers
in the collection.”2 A median is “the numerical value separating the higher half of a
data sample, a population, or a probability distribution, from the lower half.”3
Medians are more useful than means when looking at datasets with outliers—that
is, figures that are anomalously high or anomalously low. For some of the
questions in this survey, there were very large outliers that skewed mean figures,
so looking at median values gives us a better idea of what the reality is.
2
3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arithmetic_mean.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median.
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Each chart is followed by a corresponding table that breaks down the survey
responses by type of school library (elementary, middle, or high school), whether it
is public or private, and geographic region. Different grade levels and types of
schools have varying attitudes and behaviors and it’s a mistake to assume that all
libraries think and act alike. An elementary school library will have a different set
of needs and attitudes and be subject to different forces than a high school library.
We have called out in commentary those figures in these cross-tabulations that we
think merit attention, but users who are looking for specific things may find much
of value in these detailed tables.
For geographical region, we grouped our survey sample into four general regions:
Northeast, Midwest, West, and South (see Chapter 1 for which specific states are
included in these regions). Geographical data can be helpful for vendors,
publishers, or other companies seeking to identify where to focus sales, marketing,
or even customer support efforts.
In this report we also sought to add a greater historical perspective, so for
questions that have appeared in at least three of the past five surveys, we have
provided a “time series” chart which is an easy way to track trends over time.
Some of these line charts may resemble squashed mosquitoes, but we have done
our best to keep the presentation of data as clear as possible.
Chapter Structure
Chapter 1 offers a demographic profile of the libraries and individuals who
responded to our survey.
Chapter 2 looks at ebook “supply and demand.” How many libraries offer ebooks?
What is preventing libraries from amassing ebook collections? How has ebook
demand circulation changed?
Chapter 3 looks at ebook collections. What ebook categories and genres are most
in demand from users?
Chapter 4 looks at budgets and purchasing terms. How much do school libraries
spend on ebooks? Are ebooks taking a greater percentage of the budget pie? Are
libraries cutting elsewhere to pay for them? What purchasing terms do libraries
buy? Which vendors do libraries use and which do they prefer?
Chapter 5 looks at ereading devices. What are the most popular hardware devices
on which users read ebooks? Do libraries circulate hardware devices to students?
Which ones? Are schools switching to etextbooks and/or becoming one-to-one
schools?
The Appendix provides the questionnaire and methodology for this year’s survey.
At the end of each chapter, we have also added selected responses to our write-in
comments questions.
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For More Information
For questions or comments regarding this study, please contact our research
manager, Laura Girmscheid by phone (646) 380-0719 or by email at
[email protected].
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2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
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1. PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS
This section provides a basic demographic profile of the libraries that responded to
our 2014 survey. As the chart below shows, 67% of the school libraries responding
to this questionnaire described themselves as an “elementary school,” 15% “high
school” and 12% “middle/junior high school.” We also captured a small number of
other types of schools (generally schools that teach a mix of lower to upper grades)
as well as administrative offices.4 The preponderance of elementary schools also
allows this survey to be somewhat predictive of middle and high school trends in
the next few years as kids move up through the grades and take their ebook
experiences and preferences with them. As we’ll see, however, students can be
more inclined to develop an interest in—and a preference for—ebooks as they get
older.
Figure 1. Which of the following best describes your library?
% of school libraries, 2014
The table below breaks the data down by public/private and geographic region.
Table 1. Which of the following best describes your library?
% of school libraries by geographic region, 2014
Public or
Private
Elementary school
Middle/Junior High School
High School
Other School (K-8, K-12 etc.)
4
Public
70%
12%
14%
4%
Private
12%
26%
46%
42%
Geographical Region
Midwest
64%
12%
14%
10%
Northeast
64%
14%
14%
8%
West
67%
11%
16%
6%
South
70%
11%
14%
4%
This data was weighted to represent the breakdown of elementary, middle and high schools nationwide.
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Public or Private
The majority (93%) of respondents to our survey were public schools, while 6%
were private schools.
Figure 2. Is your institution public or private?
% of school libraries, 2014
The following table breaks the public/private data down by type of school and
geographic region.
Table 2. Is your institution public or private?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Public
Private
Other
Elem
95%
4%
0%
Middle
91%
8%
0%
Geographical Region
High
86%
13%
1%
Midwest
93%
6%
1%
Northeast
90%
10%
0%
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West
94%
4%
2%
South
94%
6%
0%
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
14
Number of Students
School libraries responding to our survey had an average (mean) of 682 students in
their school (median 569).
Figure 3. Approximately how many students attend the school you work in?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean number of students: 682
Median number of students: 569
5
Table 3. Approximately how many students attend the school you work in?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Under 200
200 to 499
500 to 749
750 to 999
1,000 to 1,499
1,500 to 1,999
2,000 or more
Mean # students
Median # students
Elem
2%
47%
38%
10%
3%
0%
0%
532
508
Middle
2%
22%
33%
22%
16%
2%
3%
773
695
Public or Private
High
2%
15%
13%
12%
24%
17%
17%
1278
1155
Public Private
2%
12%
37%
33%
35%
27%
11%
16%
8%
11%
3%
0%
3%
1%
695
626
578
544
5
Geographical Region
Midwest
2%
43%
32%
8%
7%
4%
4%
666
534
Northeast
1%
54%
22%
11%
7%
3%
2%
620
469
West
4%
33%
35%
13%
6%
5%
4%
716
591
The survey question included the qualification, “If you work in more than one school or at the district level, please
answer for the largest school you serve.”
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South
4%
29%
39%
13%
10%
2%
3%
703
609
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
15
Materials Expenditure
The mean materials expenditure for the 2013/2014 school year for school libraries
responding to our survey was $7,012 (median $4,382), up from last year’s mean
expenditures of $6,360. Over fifty percent (53%) reported that their total materials
budget for the year was between $2,500 and $9,999. Sadly, 9% reported no
materials budget at all.
Figure 4. What was your library media center’s total materials expenditure this past year
(2013–2014 school year)?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean materials budget: $7,012
Median materials budget: $4,382
Table 4. What was your library media center’s total materials expenditure this past year
(2013–2014 school year)?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographical region, 2014
Type of School
$0 to no materials
budget
Less than $2,500
$2,500 to $4,999
$5,000 to $9,999
$10,000 to $14,999
$15,000 to $19,999
$20,000 to $24,999
$25,000 to $29,999
$30,000 or more
Mean materials budget $
Median materials
budget $
Public or Private
Public Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
Elem
Middle
High
9%
5%
7%
10%
8%
7%
3%
19%
9%
20%
36%
20%
10%
3%
0%
0%
1%
5,652
11%
30%
28%
12%
6%
3%
2%
3%
8,983
7%
18%
19%
19%
10%
5%
4%
11%
13,348
17%
33%
21%
12%
3%
1%
1%
2%
6,502
8%
22%
16%
4%
7%
5%
11%
19%
18,084
17%
31%
19%
16%
3%
2%
1%
4%
7,753
8%
33%
25%
18%
5%
0%
4%
4%
9,057
21%
31%
20%
4%
3%
0%
1%
2%
4,824
18%
32%
22%
10%
3%
2%
2%
2%
6,806
3,953
5,808
9,614
4,300
8,749
4,596
6,115
3,369
4,274
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16
Library Location
The following figure shows the geographical location of the libraries responding to
our survey, based on U.S. Census Bureau regional classifications:
•
New England: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Vermont
•
Mid-Atlantic: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
•
South Atlantic: Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, District of Columbia
•
East North Central: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin
•
West North Central: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North
Dakota, South Dakota
•
East South Central: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee
•
West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas
•
Mountain: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico,
Utah, Wyoming
•
Pacific: Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington
These nine regions are also grouped into four larger U.S. regions:
•
Northeast: New England and Mid-Atlantic
•
Midwest: East North Central and West North Central
•
South: South Atlantic, East South Central and West South Central
•
West: Mountain and Pacific
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Figure 5. In which region of the country is your library located?
% of school libraries, 2014
Looking at the four major geographical divisions, we see that our sample skewed a
little heavily toward the South, and away from the Northeast.
SOUTH
WEST
MIDWEST
NORTHEAST
38%
21%
21%
19%
Table 5. In which region of the country is your library located?
% of school libraries by type of school, 2014
Type of School
South Atlantic
West So.
Central
East No. Central
Mid Atlantic
Pacific
Mountain
East So. Central
West No.
Central
New England
SOUTH
WEST
MIDWEST
NORTHEAST
Public or Private
Elem
14%
Middle
14%
High
12%
Public
16%
Private
14%
14%
12%
16%
13%
14%
15%
11%
11%
12%
10%
15%
15%
12%
10%
5%
16%
15%
16%
7%
7%
13%
12%
12%
10%
9%
13%
18%
12%
1%
5%
7%
8%
8%
8%
11%
6%
38%
23%
22%
18%
8%
32%
22%
24%
23%
4%
35%
22%
24%
20%
7%
38%
22%
21%
19%
11%
34%
13%
24%
29%
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Respondent Job Title/Ebook Recommendation Authority
Most of the respondents to our survey gave their job title as library media
specialist (54%) or teacher librarian (26%). Thirteen percent described themselves
simply as “librarian.”
Figure 6. Which of the following comes closest to your job title?
% of school libraries, 2014
Table 6. Which of the following comes closest to your job title?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Library media specialist
Teacher librarian
Librarian
District library
coordinator/Supervisor
Library
clerk/aide/assistant
Library technician
Library director/manager
Library media generalist
Other
Public or Private
Public Private
56%
27%
26%
24%
12%
37%
Geographical Region
Midwest
52%
15%
18%
Northeast
61%
25%
9%
West
26%
49%
17%
South
66%
21%
11%
Elem
56%
25%
11%
Middle
54%
19%
16%
High
55%
21%
17%
4%
4%
2%
2%
3%
0%
3%
2%
1%
1%
1%
0%
1%
0%
5%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
2%
1%
1%
2%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
0%
1%
2%
0%
5%
1%
3%
2%
1%
1%
6%
0%
1%
0%
2%
3%
0%
1%
1%
0%
0%
1%
0%
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Role in Ebook Decisions
Virtually all of our survey respondents—96%—have a role in making ebook
purchasing recommendations and decisions.
Figure 7. Do you have a role in making purchasing recommendations/decisions for ebooks
in your school?
% of school libraries, 2014
Table 7. Do you have a role in making purchasing recommendations/decisions for ebooks
in your school?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Elem
96%
4%
Yes
No
Middle
98%
2%
Public or Private
High
97%
3%
Public Private
96%
96%
4%
4%
Geographical Region
Midwest
99%
1%
Northeast
98%
2%
West
96%
4%
South
93%
7%
Onward
Our 2014 sample of school libraries has slightly higher materials budgets than last
year. However, it represents a consistent distribution of school locations
throughout the U.S. Our survey was completed almost entirely by ebook decision
makers. The survey sample of libraries offering ebooks is generally comparable in
profile to last year’s sample—and to previous years’ surveys—making
comparisons statistically valid.
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2. EBOOK SUPPLY AND DEMAND
This section examines the percentage of schools offering ebooks, the number of
ebooks available, as well ebook circulation, and access methods. How have ebooks
fared in school libraries in the past year?
Offer Ebooks
In the most recent survey, 66% of school libraries reported that they offer ebooks
to students. In last year’s survey, 56% of respondents indicated that they offered
ebooks to school library users. Ebook usage in school libraries is continuing to
grow, even if it has yet to reach the pace we have seen in any of our public library
surveys.
Figure 8. Does your school offer ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2014
The following table breaks these data down by type of school and geographic
region. As we find in every survey, high schools lead the pack in offering ebooks
to their students, with 80% offering them. Middle schools are not far behind at
73%. Elementary schools trail with less than two-thirds offering them.
Table 8. Does your school offer ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
We do not offer ebooks
We offer ebooks
Elem
38%
62%
Middle
27%
73%
Public or Private
High
20%
80%
Public Private
35%
29%
65%
71%
Geographical Region
Midwest
34%
66%
Northeast
36%
64%
West
50%
50%
South
25%
75%
Many of the questions in this survey have been asked in at least four of the last five
surveys conducted thus far, giving us the opportunity to plot a time series. Figure 9
shows the extent to which ebook usage in school libraries has been increasing.
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All types of school libraries offering ebooks are at their highest levels ever. There
was a slight dip in our 2012 survey, but the general trend is upward. High schools
and middle schools lead the pack.
Figure 9. School libraries that offer ebooks
% of school libraries by type of school, 2010–2014
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School Libraries Without Ebooks
Of those libraries that do not offer any ebooks (34%, or two-thirds, of all
respondents), the top-cited reason is “lack of ereading devices,” selected by 72%
of school library respondents, and is up from last year. “No money for ebooks” is
at 56%, and is actually down from last year (where it was at 60%). “No demand
from users” was selected by 35% of respondents, only down two points from last
year.
Figure 10. Why doesn't your library offer ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2014
The lack of ereading devices is especially acute in elementary schools—a full
three-fourths of elementary school respondents cited it as a reason they did not
offer ebooks to students. Lack of technical support is also a big issue in elementary
schools. Interestingly, “no demand for them from users” was constant across all
three school levels, belying the hypothesis we have been formulating that it is
younger readers who are less interested in ebooks. We won’t force our will on the
data, but there is evidence—quantitative and qualitative—elsewhere of this basic
trend.
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Table 9. Why doesn't your library offer ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Lack of ereading devices
No money for ebooks
No demand for them
from users
Lack of technical support
Waiting to see what the
best platform will be
Don't understand
logistics of ebooks
Staff/administrative
resistance
Other
We are in the process of
adding ebooks
Public or Private
Public Private
73%
59%
56%
64%
Geographical Region
Midwest
66%
48%
Northeast
70%
48%
West
72%
60%
South
77%
63%
Elem
76%
57%
Middle
59%
49%
High
62%
47%
35%
35%
33%
34%
36%
24%
33%
41%
36%
35%
19%
31%
33%
55%
37%
34%
30%
38%
29%
43%
36%
28%
36%
25%
28%
20%
38%
13%
17%
16%
15%
14%
13%
15%
20%
11%
11%
16%
9%
10%
14%
2%
8%
16%
10%
12%
13%
22%
13%
9%
20%
10%
13%
10%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
“Lack of ereading devices” has become an even bigger factor in whether schools
offer ebooks. Generally, if students don’t bring their own devices (and many
schools still disallow it), the school is unable to provide them. Unexpectedly, “no
money for ebooks” has decreased in our most recent survey, while “lack of
technical support” has peaked. These trends suggest it is technology more than
money that is impeding further penetration of ebooks into school libraries.
Figure 11. Why doesn't your library offer ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2011–2014
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Ebook Plans
Of the 34% of school libraries that do not offer ebooks, 11% have categorically
ruled out ever offering them, up from 7% last year. On the other hand, 20% said
they definitely will be adding ebooks to their collections, while 59% may offer
them in the future, but haven’t made it a priority.
Figure 12. What are your library's plans for ebook purchases in the next two years?
% of school libraries, 2014
Middle schools lead the pack in intent to add ebooks to their collections in the next
two years.
Table 10. What are your library's plans for ebook purchases in the next two years?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
We will definitely
purchase ebooks to add
to our collection
We may purchase
ebooks, but it is not a
priority
We will definitely NOT
purchase ebooks to add
to our collection
Other
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
27%
14%
23%
15%
28%
61%
41%
65%
61%
59%
56%
5%
10%
23%
14%
6%
17%
5%
15%
10%
9%
7%
10%
10%
11%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
20%
27%
24%
19%
63%
52%
56%
8%
6%
8%
14%
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High schools were among the early adopters of ebooks, as a result, only 20% still
don’t offer them. There is the sense, however, that ebook use may have peaked in
high schools for now, as the number of holdouts who say they will definitely add
ebooks has declined, even as intent to purchase is up among the lower-grade
schools.
Figure 13. Will definitely purchase ebooks to add to our collection
% of school libraries by type of school, 2011–2014
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How Long Libraries Have Offered Ebooks
As of 2014, school libraries have been offering ebooks to students, on average, for
1.9 years, up from the 1.4 years reported in last year’s survey. Indeed, 44% of
2014 respondents said that they have carried ebooks for one to two years.
Figure 14. How long has your school offered ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2012–2014
Mean (2014): 1.9 years
Mean (2013): 1.4 years
Mean (2012): 1.3 years
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High schools have offered ebooks slightly longer than other school types. Private
schools began ebook adoption well ahead of public schools.
Table 11. How long has your school offered ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2012–2014
Type of School
2014
We do not offer ebooks
Less than 6 months
6 to 12 months
1 to 2 years
3 to 4 years
Longer than 4 years
Mean # years
2013
We do not offer ebooks
Less than 6 months
6 to 12 months
1 to 2 years
3 to 4 years
Longer than 4 years
Mean # years
2012
We do not offer ebooks
Under 6 months
6 to 12 months
1 to 2 years
3 to 4 years
Longer than 4 years
Mean # years
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
29%
15%
9%
24%
24%
28%
2.6
34%
8%
17%
49%
24%
2%
1.8
36%
11%
11%
48%
23%
8%
2.0
50%
18%
21%
40%
13%
8%
1.6
25%
10%
14%
40%
29%
6%
2.0
43%
15%
12%
20%
7%
3%
1.4
50%
16%
4%
12%
10%
8%
1.9
50%
17%
8%
17%
6%
3%
1.3
36%
14%
16%
21%
9%
5%
1.5
54%
16%
10%
12%
5%
4%
1.3
37%
13%
13%
25%
9%
2%
1.5
60%
11%
11%
12%
4%
2%
1.3
51%
8%
7%
12%
15%
7%
2.2
71%
9%
7%
6%
6%
1%
1.5
54%
14%
10%
13%
6%
3%
1.4
67%
11%
9%
7%
3%
2%
1.3
51%
11%
15%
17%
3%
2%
1.3
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
38%
15%
15%
43%
23%
4%
1.8
27%
12%
15%
45%
19%
9%
1.9
20%
10%
15%
37%
21%
16%
2.2
35%
10%
16%
44%
24%
5%
1.9
47%
15%
11%
20%
5%
1%
1.3
39%
13%
12%
22%
10%
4%
1.6
32%
14%
11%
22%
13%
8%
1.9
67%
11%
10%
10%
2%
0%
1.0
50%
14%
12%
14%
8%
2%
1.4
37%
9%
14%
16%
13%
10%
2.1
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How Many Ebooks?
In our past surveys, we found that outliers in the survey skewed our average
figures, so while we calculate the mean number of ebooks to which school libraries
have access to be 1,104, the median number is 189, which we feel may be a more
accurate figure.
Figure 15. How many ebooks does your library have access to in total, including ebooks
licensed through your district, state or consortium?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean number of ebooks: 1,104
Median number of ebooks: 189
Notably, 15% of private schools boast 5,000 or more electronic titles in their
collection.
Table 12. How many ebooks does your library have access to in total, including ebooks
licensed through your district, state or consortium?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2012–2014
Type of School
Under 100
100 to 249
250 to 499
500 to 999
1,000 to 2,499
2,500 to 4,999
5,000 or more
Mean
Median
Elem
34%
28%
16%
12%
4%
4%
3%
629
184
Middle
37%
33%
11%
8%
5%
2%
4%
933
160
Public or Private
High
28%
28%
14%
8%
10%
6%
6%
2,240
215
Public Private
32%
30%
31%
22%
13%
19%
11%
4%
6%
6%
3%
6%
4%
15%
842
5,912
189
237
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Geographical Region
Midwest
22%
27%
24%
14%
7%
1%
4%
872
258
Northeast
43%
24%
14%
4%
3%
2%
9%
2,159
141
West
37%
26%
10%
14%
7%
0%
6%
1,460
173
South
31%
35%
11%
11%
6%
6%
1%
623
183
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
29
School libraries’ ebook collections have been growing substantially over the past
four years. In 2010, the median number of ebook titles in schools’ collections was
under 50. Today, that number is over 150 for all school grades—and over 200 for
high schools. The growth curve remains steep, and even if the number of schools
offering ebooks is not rising as dramatically, those who do offer ebooks continue
to expand their collections.
Figure 16. Median number of ebooks library has access to
by type of school, 2010–2013
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Demand for Ebooks
Demand for ebooks has increased in the last year, but is less dramatic than last
year. In 2014, 45% of respondents reported an overall increase in demand for
ebooks, up a tick from 44% last year. However, this year the split was 4%
dramatic/41% slight, compared to a 9%/35% dramatic/slight ratio last year. Thirtyfour percent of respondents reported that demand is unchanged, up from 27% last
year. “We received no requests for ebooks” has been on a downward trajectory:
from 58% in 2011 to 26% in 2012 to 23% in 2013 to, finally, 20% in 2014.
Figure 17. Have you experienced a change in demand for ebooks since this time last year?
% of school libraries, 2014
Interestingly, middle schools reported the most dramatic increase in demand
(10%).
Table 13. Have you experienced a change in demand for ebooks since this time last year?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Dramatic increase in
demand
Slight increase in
demand
Demand is unchanged
Decreased demand
We received no requests
for ebooks
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
4%
4%
5%
2%
3%
40%
39%
46%
28%
43%
43%
36%
2%
35%
1%
28%
7%
34%
1%
43%
3%
33%
0%
31%
2%
24%
20%
22%
15%
22%
22%
20%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
5%
10%
5%
3%
45%
44%
33%
32%
1%
23%
2%
17%
20%
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Elementary schools and especially middle schools are seeing an uptick in demand
for ebooks, even as demand—or at least dramatic demand—in high schools
appears to have peaked.
Figure 18. Have experienced a dramatic or slight increase in demand for ebooks
% of school libraries by type of school, 2011–2014
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Ebook Circulation
Ebook circulation, too, is on the rise in school libraries. For their last complete
school year (2012–2013), respondents reported a mean circulation/usage of 652
ebooks (median 100)6, up from 405 ebooks (median 25) the previous year. Overall,
just over one-half (52%) reported that they circulated fewer than 250 ebooks in the
most recent school year, down from 65%. Only 8% (down from 17% last year)
circulated no ebooks.
Figure 19. Approximately what was your total ebook usage/circulation for the last school
year?
% of school libraries, 2012–2013 school year
Mean: 652
Median: 100
Table 14. Approximately what was your total ebook usage/circulation for the last school
year?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2012–2013 school year
Type of School
0
Less than 250
250 to 499
500 to 999
1,000 or more
Don’t know
Very Low
Average usage (if
greater than 0)
Median usage (if greater
than 0)
6
Public or Private
Elem
6%
49%
9%
5%
13%
18%
1%
Middle
10%
59%
8%
2%
8%
11%
3%
High
9%
47%
8%
7%
9%
17%
1%
903
546
828
648
150
94
88
100
Geographical Region
Midwest
9%
39%
2%
1%
18%
31%
0%
Northeast
10%
51%
10%
2%
7%
19%
0%
West
17%
46%
2%
14%
9%
10%
2%
South
4%
60%
9%
6%
10%
8%
2%
841
1,303
390
786
481
150
151
110
43
100
Public Private
8%
12%
53%
33%
7%
9%
5%
6%
11%
12%
15%
27%
1%
0%
Mean and median ebook usage figures are for schools that reported circulations greater than 0.
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33
This year, median circulation is up across the board after having been generally
flat—particularly among middle and elementary schools—from 2011 to 2013. The
median ebook circulation among elementary students grew sixfold to 150.
Figure 20. Median ebook usage/circulation for the last school year
by type of school, 2010–2013
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2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
34
Changes in Circulation/Usage
One perennial survey question asks to what extent school library media specialists
expect ebook circulation/usage to change over the next year compared to the
previous year. We’ve seen usage increase in the past year compared to previous
years. Do school libraries expect this growth to continue?
Just over one-half (55%) expect ebook circulation to increase, while 42% expect it
to stay the same. Three percent expect it to decrease. Overall, however, when
asked to estimate the percentage increase or decrease respondents expect, the
answer was a net 29.4% increase in ebook circulation for next year.
Figure 21. Compared to last year, do you expect this year's usage of ebooks will increase,
stay the same or decrease?
% of school libraries, 2014
As we have been seeing throughout this section, middle schools expect to see the
greatest increase in ebook usage (net 35.1% increase, although that is down from
last year). The Midwest also looks to be a locus for anticipated ebook circulation
increases.
Table 15. Compared to last year, do you expect this year's usage of ebooks will increase,
stay the same or decrease?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Increase
Stay the same
Decrease
Overall % change
Elem
59%
39%
2%
25.1
Middle
61%
33%
6%
35.1
Public or Private
High
51%
46%
4%
34.6
Public Private
55%
55%
43%
38%
2%
8%
26.8
46.8
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Geographical Region
Midwest
64%
34%
2%
47.2
Northeast
56%
40%
4%
27.2
West
45%
48%
7%
16.4
South
53%
45%
1%
25.3
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
35
For this question, we created two time series figures to gauge the extent to which
ebook circulation is expected to change. In the first, we look at respondents who
expected ebook circulation/usage to increase. There is a sense that ebook
circulation usage has peaked among school library users.
Figure 22. School libraries that expect ebook circulation/usage to increase in the next year
compared to the previous year
% of school libraries by type of school, 2010–2014
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36
In the second time series, we look at the magnitude of that increase, or the overall
percent change in ebook circulation/usage.
Figure 23. Overall percentage change in ebook circulation/usage
by type of school, 2010–2014
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37
Ebook Access
A question we had added to the 2013 survey asked the extent to which students
had unlimited simultaneous access to their school’s ebooks, or if they were limited
to one user at a time. (Some ebook vendors do not allow multiple access of the
same title.) We reprised the question again this year, and found an approximately
50–50 split. This breakdown is completely unchanged from last year.
Figure 24. What percent of your library’s ebooks are accessed using each of the following
methods?
% of school libraries, 2014
Table 16. What percent of your library’s ebooks are accessed using each of the following
methods?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
One user at a time
Unlimited, simultaneous
access
Public or Private
Elem
45%
Middle
61%
High
52%
55%
39%
48%
Public Private
49%
41%
51%
59%
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Geographical Region
Midwest
61%
Northeast
41%
West
52%
South
45%
39%
59%
48%
55%
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
38
Access at Home
A new question added to the 2014 survey asked the extent to which students could
access their school library’s ebook collection from home. Virtually all libraries
(94%) said that they could. Of course, accomplishing this requires that students
have access to the Internet and ereading devices at home.
Figure 25. Can students access your library’s ebooks from home?
% of school libraries, 2014
Table 17. Can students access your library’s ebooks from home?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Yes
No
Elem
94%
6%
Middle
93%
7%
Public or Private
High
96%
4%
Public Private
94%
91%
6%
9%
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Geographical Region
Midwest
92%
8%
Northeast
90%
10%
West
98%
2%
South
96%
4%
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
39
Hindrances and Barriers
One of our perennial questions asks about the hindrances and barriers that students
encounter when trying to access ebook content. In short…what keeps kids from
using ebooks?
As we saw earlier in this section, lack of ereading devices—either school-provided
or student-owned—is a major impediment to offering ebooks in general, and here
we find that “limited access to ereading devices (at home or at school)” is the top
challenge, selected by 46% of respondents. This is up from 40% in 2012 (we did
not ask this question in 2013) and at an all-time high for this barrier.
However, a close second is “users prefer print books,” which was selected by 45%
of respondents and is up sharply from 2012, where it was at 26%. “Students
unaware of ebook availability” came in at 40%, up slightly from two years ago.
“Lack of training” is also on the upswing.
Figure 26. What hinders students/faculty from reading your media center’s ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2014
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40
One surprising finding is that “users prefer print books” is at its highest level
among high school students (61%), compared to middle school (44%) and
elementary school (40%) students. Whether that is related to the fact that “students
are unaware of ebook availability”—also at the highest level among high schools
(59%)—is not clear. (After all, you can’t have a preference for something if you
don’t know it exists.). Open-ended responses do shed some light on these numbers
and strongly suggest that, save for school projects and assignments, El-Hi students
still do prefer to read—when they read for pleasure—print books.
Table 18. What hinders students/faculty from reading your media center’s ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Limited access to
ereading devices (at
home or at school)
Users prefer print books
Students unaware of
ebook availability
Too few titles available
Lack of training
Technology issues (e.g.,
slow/complex to
download, district
restrictions, etc.)
In demand titles not in
ebook format for libraries
Limited access to
internet for off-site
access
Difficult to find/discover
ebooks
Difficult to read
onscreen/online
Ebook titles not available
concurrent with print
release
Ebooks not available for
preferred devices
Long wait times for
ebooks
Lack of
promotion/Students &
teachers forget we have
them
Difficult to annotate
Lack of interest
Cost of ebooks limits
what we can provide
Access to ebooks
unwieldy/passwords
different for each vendor
Other
None of the above
Public or Private
Public Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
Elem
Middle
High
47%
52%
36%
48%
15%
49%
31%
59%
46%
40%
44%
61%
45%
54%
46%
59%
51%
36%
35%
44%
59%
40%
61%
40%
41%
54%
35%
38%
32%
36%
28%
36%
38%
36%
32%
37%
33%
39%
29%
41%
28%
51%
39%
28%
33%
30%
30%
28%
33%
24%
31%
32%
28%
33%
31%
36%
29%
32%
28%
36%
32%
38%
27%
27%
21%
18%
27%
2%
20%
17%
32%
28%
14%
11%
19%
15%
24%
14%
18%
22%
12%
9%
8%
16%
11%
20%
9%
24%
18%
4%
9%
14%
12%
11%
9%
12%
18%
12%
7%
6%
10%
10%
9%
11%
6%
15%
13%
5%
8%
6%
3%
8%
4%
14%
5%
6%
6%
4%
2%
1%
3%
0%
1%
1%
3%
4%
1%
1%
2%
2%
6%
2%
2%
2%
9%
2%
3%
1%
2%
3%
2%
1%
2%
1%
2%
1%
0%
2%
0%
0%
5%
2%
0%
1%
3%
2%
2%
2%
0%
1%
0%
2%
2%
1%
6%
2%
5%
2%
3%
1%
7%
2%
4%
0%
2%
1%
2%
1%
3%
3%
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2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
Figure 27. Change in selected barriers/hindrances to accessing ebook content
% of school libraries, 2010–2014
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41
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
42
OPAC Discoverability
A question we added to the 2013 survey asked whether ebooks could be searched
using the library’s general online public access catalog (OPAC), perhaps to help
overcome the “students unaware of ebook availability” barrier we just saw. The
majority of respondents (91%) said that, yes, ebooks could be discovered via the
library’s OPAC.
Figure 28. Are ebooks discoverable through your library's general OPAC?
% of school libraries, 2013/2014
Table 19. Are ebooks discoverable through your library’s general OPAC?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2013/2014
Type of School
2014
Yes
No
2013
Yes
No
Public or Private
Elem
Middle
High
91%
9%
84%
16%
87%
13%
93%
7%
83%
17%
79%
21%
81%
19%
86%
14%
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
72%
28%
90%
10%
90%
10%
87%
13%
94%
6%
68%
32%
84%
16%
79%
21%
88%
12%
88%
12%
Public Private
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Geographical Region
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
43
In Summary
Two-thirds (66%) of the U.S. school libraries reporting offered ebooks to their
students in 2014, up from one-half a year ago. This suggests that ebook usage is
still growing in school libraries, even if overall penetration still lags behind public
libraries (94%). High schools have been ahead of the curve in terms of ebook
adoption, but demand and usage have leveled off in recent years. Despite this, we
found that more than six out of ten high school libraries reported that “students
prefer print books,” at least for certain types of books. Ebook growth in high
schools has slowed with 80% of high schools now offering access to ebooks. Will
they reach the 90%s? It’s possible, but it will likely take a few years.
Middle schools are up and coming in terms of ebook adoption and offering, and
could be the next frontier. Elementary schools still trail the pack, which has been a
consistent finding from survey to survey.
Across the board, lack of access to ereading devices is cited as the biggest
impediment to libraries adding ebooks in general, and to students accessing the
ebooks that libraries do offer. Indeed, it is surprising that this issue comes ahead of
economic challenges, although the two are not mutually exclusive.
Despite what appears to be a deceleration of ebook adoption and usage, the size of
school library ebook collections has grown substantially percentage-wise in the
past five years even if the overall numbers remain small, particularly compared to
public libraries.
Student demand has not been booming, but as devices become more common and
more schools adopt one-to-one device models (see Chapter 5), school libraries
expect ebook adoption to grow. For now, though, ebooks remain a choice.
Meanwhile, libraries still need to invest and maintain print book collections as well
as build out their nascent ebook collections. How to do this on a school library
budget is a major challenge.
In Their Own Words
Here is a selection of write-in comments from our survey respondents (lightly
edited).

“12-month access is not a purchasing plan that schools can afford. We are
eliminating books/vendors that do not give us simultaneous access. Because our
purchases are curriculum driven, we cannot afford to buy content that is not
perpetual. That is like throwing a book our after one year. We just cannot do that
with limited budgets.”

“Despite introducing access to these books to students, in general, they do not
use the ebooks from home or in school. Trying to promote what we have before
we purchase more.”

“Ebooks are hard to promote even though the link is on our library website,
Destiny catalog home page, and EACH title is accessible through the LMC
catalog. It is as if they don't exist to the student. Many students DO NOT WANT
to read ebooks; they want to read hard copy books and tell us this. They resist
having to go through the process of downloading a book. Students tell me if they
want to buy books to own and share, they want hard copy or paperback books.”
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
“Almost all of our ebooks are purchased through our school district. They are
not widely used at our school yet. We are hoping since all students will be getting
tablets next year, and the district has received a large e-book grant, this will
change.”

“If the ebooks titles were as available as print titles, the readership would
increase.”

“A colleague and I wrote a grant three years ago for 20 nonfiction ebooks
covering ‘hot’ topics. We purchased the multi-user ebooks and have been
extremely satisfied with them. We have a few fiction ebooks as well, but they are
single user. All the schools in our district share an Overdrive database of ebooks
as well. I will say that I have had a very hard time "selling" my fiction ebooks.
Although most students have either ereaders, tablets, smart phones, etc., they just
really prefer print books.”

“At first ebooks were very big, but students have their own devices now and
access on their own. Also, I have found that most students still prefer holding
books in their hands and use their ebook devices in certain circumstances...when
traveling etc. for convenience only.”

“I find that when doing research, students do not mind using the ebooks.
However, when reading for pleasure, they prefer to use the print edition. Much of
our problem also occurs because students need to have software installed on
their ereaders and sadly, many of them don't want to be bothered with the
installation.”

“There is no denying this is the future of libraries. We still have many, many
students and teachers who prefer to have print books, but because of cost and
maintenance, constant care, and a NEVER increasing budget, it makes more
sense to purchase digital books that can’t be lost, destroyed, or held hostage by
the patron. Given that we provide all students with an iPad, NO student is denied
access to the digital collection while MANY students seldom make it to the
physical library because of scheduling or lack of interest.”

“Ebooks have not been very popular so far. Students find it easier to buy the
books on their own rather than use FollettShelf. I am also discouraged by the fact
that so many publishers are going to one and two year lease type agreements. At
that rate schools won't be able to afford to buy very many ebooks.”

“Maybe I'm just unsure how to market them, but it’s very difficult to get students
to even recognize that we offer ebooks. Most of our students aren't really
interested in looking for them—they want ‘real’ books.

“Ebooks in schools will take off if two things happen. 1) Prices need to come
down so more materials can be purchased to support student learning. Publishers
don’t want to make ebooks cheaper because they feel they would lose sales. In
reality they might sell more. I would buy more copies of a title like Divergent if it
was cheaper and my budget could go further. I am leaning to ebooks simply
because they don’t get stolen. But with them so expensive, where I might like to
buy 5 copies of an ebook rather than a print book, I can’t. I can buy two in print
for the cost of an ebook. Change the pricing structure and I’ll buy more 5 ebooks
just for accessibility. 2) Despite what is thought, students don’t have as much
access to technology as they need to read ebooks. When that changes, students
will adopt ebooks.”

“I discovered many of my students who are avid readers do not have a device or
are interested in reading ebooks and prefer print books. I am hoping to continue
growing and marketing our ebook collection to entice other students to use
them.”
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45

“I find that my students prefer a hard copy over the ebooks.”

“Publisher licensing continues to be a big issue. It’s hard to spend money on
these titles when multi-users can’t check out. Studies still show youth prefer print
materials. Hard to spend money when our population isn’t begging for it.”

“Even with demonstration and time to read ebooks from the school library media
center, students prefer to read print books. Part of the problem is that there is
little time at school to read ebooks and they might not have access at home.
Students prefer to read books online at sites such as Tumblebooks and Raz Kids,
which are not paid for thru the library budget per se. But most of their time spent
on these sites seems to be playing the games on the sites.”

“I am the first one in my district to purchase fiction ebooks to check out. I was
tired of waiting for the district to get on board. There has been an enormous
learning curve for me. Frustrations include, numerous books are not available to
school libraries, some are but for a limited time. It has taken me months to
navigate. Vendors haven't been totally upfront. We have a serious demand, but
getting the books so late in the year, I’ve not had time to work with as many
students as I’d like. Our students are unable to check the books out IN school,
creating another set of difficulties. We are on our way, but still working things
out.”

“Though students own devices, they prefer to read fiction in print. For school
assignments, they much prefer electronic resources.”

“Our students are grades 3 to 6. Most prefer print over ebook.”

“I am in a K-2 school. I primarily bought non-fiction resources for the classroom
teachers to support curriculum. Due to the age of the students, at this time,
primarily for the teachers. However, teachers are not using them as much as I
had hoped.”

“I still struggle to see them as having a place in an elementary school. We can
get them through our public library, also, so it makes me wonder why I should
spend additional budget on them. The ones we have were either a promotion from
Mackin or through our Title I for staff.”

“Our main issue with ebooks is access. We are a rural Title I school. Many
students do not have Internet at home. Many do not have smartphones. We also
do not have open wireless in our school. As for the ebooks themselves, I refuse to
buy any ebook that is not a one time purchase (absolutely NO 12 month access
books). It seems like ebook prices at my vendor have risen dramatically this year
so I will probably go back to ordering more physical books. I refuse to pay four
times the price of a hardback for a digital book.”

“Our kids prefer to research with Google and read for pleasure in print—unless
they have their own ereader and can brag about what they’ve purchased for
private use.”

“When unlimited access for ebooks are available (fiction and non-fiction) I will
purchase. I am very disappointed in the 12 month/24 month access that has just
started. I will not purchase ebooks that I need to repurchase the following year.”

“I’m disappointed with the publishers who offer the most popular YA titles as a
yearly subscription/title. This doesn’t work very well for schools that are dormant
during two months of the year.”

“Love ebooks as options. Do NOT want a library which is entirely ebooks. Many
students and staff do not enjoy them, find them unsuitable for their purposes and
will not use.”
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46

“I don’t know why...but students have shown very little interest thus far. We may
have to publicize the possibilities and see what happens.”

“Ebooks are really expensive so I haven’t been very interested in purchasing
them. Also, many students don’t have devices they use to read them. Additionally,
students who have devices just check out ebooks from the public library.”

“The students really enjoy reading for the ereading devices we have. One of
things that is beneficial for lower level readers is the availability do audio with
book titles so they can follow along with the text.”

“I feel that if I were given more time with students during orientation, our ebook
circulation would go up. Right now I only have time to mention that we have
ebooks, show them where to access, and state that if they need help with ebooks,
to speak to me. Our other problem is that our school does not permit ereaders of
any type, so I feel that is a hindrance. I am looking into grants to obtain iPads for
in-library use.”

“They are nice to have but at the elementary level students still like to hold the
book in their hand and I have not yet found an ‘easy’ way for young students to
easily login into the system for access vs. just pulling a book off the shelf.”

“One of the questions I’d like to ask our student patrons would be: Does the
increase of computer use for all purposes including homework, testing, etc.
impact your decision to read a book on a computer or electronic device? I ask
this, because I feel that I spend too much time in front of computer and when it
comes to reading a book, I sometimes prefer traditional reading. It gives me a
break and some control over my technology infused environment.”

“I see ebooks as a growing portion of our library reading selections. Customers
still prefer print.”

“I will not ever ‘lease’ an ebook. Period.”

“I will only purchase ebooks that belong to me. I do not pay per use or pay
hosting fees. I need to encourage kids to use our ebooks because at this time they
seem to prefer physical books.”

“As I teach K-5, only students comfortable with ebooks at home tend to take
ebooks from the library. Working with teachers who have iPads in their rooms, to
allow students to use them for ebooks. Just getting started with ebooks.”

“My students don’t show a great deal of interest in using ebooks—when they
read most want a print version—when they do research they tend to use the
schools databases or Google.”

“Most of our students, including the grades with iPads and those who own their
own devices, still say they prefer to have a book in their hands to read.”

“I am surprised that the ebooks have not taken off. I have to question the
purchase of new materials given the small percentage of usage compared to print
materials.”

“We would like to incorporate ebooks more in our collections, but our school
populations simply have limited access to internet capabilities away from school.
Our school resources are limited as well.”

“Ebooks are here to stay. They are difficult to promote because of fear of
technology, separate access portals, and lack of DSL/WiFi access in rural
homes.”

“I have been surprised at how many students choose print books over ebooks
when both are available.”
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
47
“Students right now seem to gravitate more to print books. That may change as
students moving up in the grades are exposed more to ebooks in their school
careers. They seem to like browsing the shelves. They also say it is easier to flip
through a physical book to find the info that they need for projects and classes.”
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48
3. EBOOK COLLECTIONS AND CATEGORIES
This section looks at the specific ebooks held by the school libraries who
responded to our survey. What categories and genres are in demand by school
library users and students?
Ebook Categories
Each survey, we tweak the categories to better reflect the ebook offerings out “in
the wild,” adding new categories, dropping others (so as to keep the questionnaire
from becoming long and unwieldy), and renaming others. This can make
comparisons from year to year a bit of a challenge, but we can glean some general
trends in the types of ebooks that are in demand and circulating in school libraries.
This year’s survey was a bit more stable compared to previous years’, and the top
category for the second year in a row is “elementary nonfiction,” selected by 91%
of all respondents (up from 62% last year). “Picture books” came in at number two
at 89% (up from 51%), while “easy readers” came in at 83% (up from 45%), and
“chapter books” came in at 80% (up from 49%). All other categories came in at
under 40%. So you can see where school libraries and media centers have been
directing their ebook investment.
Figure 29. Which categories of ebooks does your school library media center currently
offer?
% of school libraries, 2014
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49
The top three ebook categories carried by each school type are:
Elementary school:
•
elementary nonfiction, picture books, and easy readers
Middle school:
•
easy readers, chapter books, and middle grade fiction
High school:
•
classic literature, easy readers, and young adult fiction
Table 20. Which categories of ebooks does your school library media center currently
offer?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Elementary nonfiction
Picture books
Easy readers
Chapter books
Graphic novels
Middle grade fiction
Middle grade nonfiction
Classic literature
Reference ebooks
Young adult fiction
Young adult nonfiction
Other
Elem
96%
90%
84%
82%
38%
33%
30%
27%
23%
15%
10%
3%
Middle
66%
71%
89%
86%
63%
86%
83%
71%
37%
80%
66%
3%
Public or Private
High
55%
68%
87%
71%
42%
55%
55%
87%
58%
84%
81%
3%
Public Private
92%
69%
89%
88%
84%
69%
81%
63%
39%
19%
31%
44%
30%
50%
30%
38%
26%
38%
15%
31%
12%
25%
4%
0%
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Geographical Region
Midwest
96%
90%
87%
82%
44%
49%
49%
29%
16%
21%
9%
9%
Northeast
93%
80%
82%
81%
14%
25%
27%
25%
36%
3%
2%
0%
West
78%
85%
72%
72%
40%
45%
43%
36%
25%
29%
28%
0%
South
91%
93%
85%
81%
41%
22%
20%
29%
27%
13%
11%
4%
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
50
The top four items were up steeply in the past two surveys and the top two have
been the top growing categories since we began our survey in 2010. Note the
decline in general reference. What is taking the place of reference books? One
word: Google.
Figure 30. Change in ebook categories school library carries
% of school libraries, 2010–2014
From 2010 to 2012, “elementary nonfiction” was referred to as “children’s nonfiction.” From 2013
to 2014, “children’s picture books” was referred to as “picture books.”
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51
Fiction vs. Nonfiction
Last year, we added a new question that asked school libraries to estimate what
percentage of their ebook collections comprised fiction vs. nonfiction titles.
Nonfiction comprises more than one-half (56%) of school libraries’ ebook
collections, across all school grade levels. These numbers are virtually unchanged
from last year.
Figure 31. Approximately what percent of the ebooks you have available are fiction titles
versus nonfiction titles?
all school libraries, 2014
Table 21. Approximately what percent of the ebooks you have available are fiction titles
versus nonfiction titles?
school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2013
Type of School
2014
Mean % Fiction
Mean % Nonfiction
2013
Mean % Fiction
Mean % Nonfiction
Public or Private
Elem
Middle
High
43%
57%
52%
48%
39%
61%
44%
56%
44%
56%
48%
52%
41%
59%
43%
57%
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
32%
68%
55%
45%
37%
63%
42%
58%
41%
59%
39%
61%
52%
48%
36%
64%
43%
57%
42%
58%
Public Private
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Geographical Region
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
52
For the sake of comparison, a new question we added to the 2014 survey asked
school libraries to estimate what percentage of their print book collections
comprised fiction vs. nonfiction titles. Here, we see a precise 50/50 split.
Figure 32. Approximately what percent of the print books you have available are fiction
titles versus nonfiction titles?
all school libraries, 2014
High schools pull away from the pack with a greater percentage of nonfiction
titles—likely because high school students need to do more essays and other
special projects and assignments compared to students in the lower grades who
may still be mastering the “mechanics” of reading.
Table 22. Approximately what percent of the print books you have available are fiction titles
versus nonfiction titles?
school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Mean % Fiction
Mean % Nonfiction
Elem
52%
48%
Middle
51%
49%
Public or Private
High
43%
57%
Public Private
51%
42%
49%
58%
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Geographical Region
Midwest
51%
49%
Northeast
46%
54%
West
51%
49%
South
52%
48%
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
53
In-Demand Ebook Genres
In this year’s survey, we drilled down deeper into the general categories and asked
about specific genres. We divided the results by fiction and nonfiction.
Fiction
The top fiction genre reported by school library respondents was “realistic fiction,”
selected by 41%, unchanged from last year. “Fantasy” came in at 36%, down from
40% last year. “Adventure/thrillers” notched up one point to 34%, and “graphic
novels” held relatively steady at 29%. We added “dystopian fiction”—one of last
year’s write-in responses. It officially places fifth “in demand” as it was chosen by
about one-fourth of libraries surveyed.
Figure 33. What five ebook fiction genres or categories are most in demand in your library?
% of school libraries, 2013/2014
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Nonfiction
In terms of in-demand nonfiction genres, “animals” is again number one, selected
by 52% of school library respondents (down three points). A distant second is
“science/math/technology” (35%, unchanged from last year), followed by
“biography” (30%, down three points) and “history” (29%, down substantially
from 37%). We added “general reference”—a top write-in genre last year—and it
came in at 14%.
Figure 34. What five ebook nonfiction genres or categories are most in demand in your
library?
% of school libraries, 2013/2014
The top three fiction and nonfiction genres carried by each school type are:
Elementary school:
•
Fiction: realistic fiction, adventure/thrillers, fantasy, and graphic
novels
•
Nonfiction: animals, science/math/technology, and biography
Middle school:
•
Fiction: dystopian fiction, fantasy, realistic fiction
•
Nonfiction: history, science/math/technology, and biography
High school:
•
Fiction: dystopian fiction, realistic fiction, fantasy
•
Nonfiction: general reference, history, and biography
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Table 23: What five ebook fiction and nonfiction genres or categories are most in demand
in your library?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
NET NONFICTION
Animals
Science/Math/
Technology
Biography
History
Sports
Nature
General reference
Humor
Geography/Travel
Social situations
Crafts/Hobbies
Health
Literary Criticism
Careers
Language learning
Transportation
Study aids
Other
NET FICTION
Realistic fiction
Fantasy
Adventure/Thrillers
Graphic novels
Dystopian fiction
Mystery
Folktales, fables, myths
Horror
Science fiction
Classic literature
Historical fiction
Romance
Poetry & Drama
Other
None are in demand
Public or Private
Public Private
92%
90%
55%
20%
Geographical Region
Midwest
94%
64%
Northeast
89%
41%
West
89%
43%
South
93%
54%
Elem
93%
70%
Middle
93%
26%
High
92%
8%
37%
30%
18%
35%
24%
20%
38%
37%
40%
32%
23%
28%
29%
9%
14%
13%
5%
9%
3%
0%
4%
4%
3%
0%
1%
89%
43%
32%
35%
32%
8%
18%
21%
10%
9%
9%
8%
3%
4%
10%
2%
30%
49%
28%
8%
26%
8%
6%
6%
4%
8%
5%
7%
1%
1%
1%
3%
87%
38%
42%
33%
23%
64%
26%
7%
20%
15%
10%
8%
17%
1%
5%
1%
30%
36%
16%
4%
44%
3%
4%
15%
2%
20%
26%
15%
2%
1%
9%
3%
84%
42%
32%
23%
15%
58%
16%
2%
11%
19%
21%
5%
20%
3%
4%
2%
30%
27%
25%
23%
13%
11%
10%
7%
7%
5%
4%
5%
3%
3%
2%
2%
88%
42%
36%
35%
30%
24%
20%
18%
11%
11%
9%
7%
6%
4%
7%
2%
37%
59%
20%
14%
41%
8%
6%
8%
2%
14%
29%
4%
0%
0%
4%
2%
76%
37%
35%
18%
12%
35%
16%
2%
4%
12%
22%
10%
8%
4%
10%
2%
31%
29%
34%
17%
12%
15%
8%
10%
6%
4%
4%
4%
6%
8%
2%
3%
94%
49%
45%
42%
25%
24%
22%
18%
12%
10%
3%
9%
5%
8%
6%
0%
29%
38%
17%
21%
18%
10%
16%
6%
9%
6%
7%
3%
0%
1%
2%
0%
79%
47%
34%
29%
21%
21%
18%
10%
7%
9%
9%
14%
5%
1%
11%
3%
22%
34%
20%
20%
15%
13%
9%
4%
5%
6%
5%
5%
0%
1%
3%
5%
84%
32%
39%
36%
27%
30%
16%
10%
8%
15%
11%
2%
7%
2%
5%
3%
34%
23%
25%
27%
13%
9%
8%
7%
7%
6%
6%
7%
4%
1%
2%
2%
90%
38%
32%
30%
34%
23%
21%
21%
14%
10%
13%
6%
7%
3%
7%
2%
Table 24 below shows last year’s data for comparison purposes.
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Table 24: What five ebook fiction and nonfiction genres or categories are most in demand
in your library?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2013
Type of School
NET NONFICTION
Animals
History
Science/Math/
Technology
Biography
Sports
Nature
Geography/Travel
Social situations
Humor
Health
Transportation
Crafts/Hobbies
Language-learning
Study aids
Games/Activities
Other
NET FICTION
Realistic fiction
Fantasy
Adventure/Thrillers
Graphic novels
Mystery
Science fiction
Classic literature
Horror
Folktales. fables, Myths
Historical fiction
Poetry & Drama
Other
None are in demand
Public or Private
Elem
90%
71%
28%
Middle
82%
25%
42%
High
84%
10%
51%
35%
36%
32%
35%
33%
28%
23%
13%
5%
9%
1%
6%
5%
3%
1%
2%
6%
86%
38%
36%
31%
33%
24%
11%
11%
13%
15%
9%
4%
9%
4%
33%
23%
10%
9%
14%
6%
11%
3%
4%
3%
4%
3%
11%
87%
45%
52%
42%
30%
26%
26%
12%
24%
2%
10%
3%
9%
4%
31%
11%
6%
10%
23%
1%
22%
1%
1%
4%
9%
1%
19%
77%
48%
45%
34%
12%
21%
26%
24%
11%
1%
10%
4%
7%
3%
33%
25%
19%
12%
10%
8%
6%
5%
5%
3%
2%
2%
8%
86%
41%
40%
32%
30%
22%
16%
13%
14%
13%
11%
4%
9%
3%
Midwest
88%
49%
35%
Northeast
94%
51%
51%
West
85%
58%
32%
South
92%
60%
33%
30%
26%
40%
30%
41%
35%
20%
13%
20%
11%
2%
13%
4%
2%
4%
7%
2%
24%
70%
41%
35%
35%
13%
24%
22%
20%
0%
7%
13%
9%
7%
4%
36%
30%
20%
18%
8%
9%
5%
6%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%
92%
51%
45%
40%
32%
30%
16%
10%
12%
12%
14%
5%
10%
3%
36%
20%
21%
20%
14%
2%
14%
2%
4%
3%
1%
4%
16%
70%
45%
35%
24%
12%
18%
10%
14%
10%
12%
12%
6%
6%
2%
35%
18%
18%
5%
11%
6%
6%
6%
5%
2%
3%
0%
10%
85%
36%
44%
25%
24%
25%
16%
21%
10%
12%
10%
1%
17%
4%
30%
29%
18%
10%
9%
11%
4%
5%
6%
4%
3%
2%
8%
90%
37%
38%
36%
41%
19%
19%
12%
17%
13%
8%
4%
7%
4%
Public Private
89%
96%
56%
22%
36%
57%
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Geographical Region
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
57
Academic or Pleasure Reading
A new question we added to the 2014 survey asked school libraries whether ebook
collections were used for pleasure reading or for academic purposes. Almost four
out of 10 respondents said that students used school ebooks for recreational or free
reading, while 34% used them for specific school lessons. Eighteen percent said
both were about equal.
Figure 35. Are your ebooks more commonly used for lessons/assigned reading or for
recreational/free-choice reading?
all school libraries, 2014
High school students were the most likely to use school ebook collections for
specific lessons/assignments. One-half of middle schoolers read ebooks
recreationally, although only 36%of elementary school students read school
ebooks for pleasure.
Table 25. Are your ebooks more commonly used for lessons/assigned reading or for
recreational/free-choice reading?
school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2013
Type of School
Lesson-driven (teacher
selected/assigned title)
Recreational/free-choice
reading
About equal
Don’t know
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
43%
16%
56%
21%
39%
37%
30%
62%
25%
39%
30%
18%
11%
13%
13%
15%
6%
11%
9%
26%
14%
19%
13%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
33%
27%
41%
34%
36%
51%
37%
18%
13%
12%
10%
15%
8%
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2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
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In Summary
Nonfiction ebooks edge out fiction in school library collections. Animals,
science/math/technology, and history are the top nonfiction subjects. Realistic and
dystopian titles are the top fiction ebook genres. A preponderance of our verbatim
commenters point out that students generally prefer print books for fiction and/or
pleasure reading, and ebooks for nonfiction/academic purposes. In the data, we
found a fairly even mix of respondents who found that students read school ebooks
for pleasure compared to schoolwork (with a slight emphasis on the latter).
Middle school students were the most likely to read ebooks for pleasure.
In Their Own Words
•
“Students and teachers still prefer print books to ebooks. Students struggle with
ebooks and become tired quickly when working with them. Although they are very
useful and wonderful for new release fiction, the transition to them is very slow.”
•
“Overall, fiction titles are more popular than nonfiction/reference/research titles.
I’m noticing increased interest in ebooks as more students own devices.”
•
“I treat purchasing ebooks for nonfiction research purposes the same as print for
the research purchases. I'm looking to broaden our students’ exposure to print
and ebooks in preparation for college. Fiction is an entirely other story that I'm
very frustrated with. I’m thinking it only works well in large schools with 1 to 1.
Fiction publishers are very frustrating. In nonfiction I’m very frustrated with
Gale/Cengage not offering their best books as ebooks for perpetual purchase.
(They offer them for subscription) I'm finding other publishers to replace them
and limit Cengage to some print.”
•
“Ebooks have been a great asset to our school library. We are reaching more
students because they can access ebooks at any time, not just when the school
library is open. We now have circulation stats for school breaks and summer.”
•
“I spend a lot of time introducing ebooks and showing students how to access
eBooks during library time. We have a fabulous public library system that has a
great ebook collection—with mobile apps. I feel like I do not need to purchase a
lot of fiction novels because of their excellent collection. I do like our reference
collection for research—we do a lot of research in grades 6 and 8.”
•
“Our district does not plan to buy any more physical textbooks, but they will not
buy etextbooks. The expectation is that teachers will create their own content.”
•
“We are beginning to investigate using a variety of nonfiction ebooks in place of
textbooks in science and social studies.”
•
“Our students love ebooks for research, but do not want to check out pleasure
reading in e-format. They demand print for their fiction and extracurricular
reading needs.”
•
So far ebooks have been purchased at the district level for elementary and
dropped onto sites without much input or coordination. We have not had a print
budget for 5 years due to state budget cuts and district decisions. Middle and
High Schools in our district used supply money and fundraising to purchase
OverDrive, but it is not available yet at the Elementary level. At the behest of our
Superintendent, we are about to develop an ebook/print collection development
plan, and expect it to be heavy on the ebook side. We expect to use bond funds to
purchase eBooks, which cannot be used for print.”
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•
“I believe that purchased ebooks are impractical for our library. The students
who read them for pleasure have never requested them from us (they prefer to
purchase them and read on their personal devices) and the few ebooks we have
are only used when the print version is unavailable.”
•
“Students when given a choice in our library prefer the print copy. Therefore I
always purchase a print copy for every ebook I purchase.”
•
“I have Gale eBooks because of state of Oregon consortium. They are great for
reference needs and research needs. I have almost no other ebooks except for a
few nonfiction titles and free classics. However, just bought 6 Kindles to loan to
teachers and students and I plan to circulate them with Amazon ebooks loaded on
them. We have a proposal in to our district to pilot a subscription to OverDrive
next year. No word yet on funding.”
•
“When surveyed, a majority of students indicated they liked print better. I think
for now, print, especially in fiction, would be more popular until a one-to-one
program is implemented. For now, there is no money or plans for such a
program.”
•
“I have purchased multiple nonfiction titles to complement the curriculum and
encouraged teachers to use them via their LCD projectors. They are not
interested. I have demonstrated how easy they are to use for both students and
teachers but both groups are reluctant and uninterested. It has been a waste of
my library budget to make ebook purchases.”
•
“I did not buy ebooks this year because many have gone to limited use or time
periods. I will not buy any ebooks that don't remain a permanent part of the
library's collection.”
•
“Ebooks have been a fabulous addition to our collection! They allow for easy
(and quick) purchasing/acquisition and many students prefer the ebook format,
for a variety of reasons. Our fiction collection can continue to grow without
taking up additional shelf space!”
•
“Our students did not like using the etextbooks during the trial period. Ebooks
for research is more manageable; many have their own ereaders and often buy
books for them. We have had no requests for fiction ebooks.”
•
“More would be purchased if newer titles were available as well as high demand
such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Another issue is to purchase simultaneous
access perpetually with budgets being very little to nonexisting.”
•
“I’d love to buy more titles but it is currently hard to ‘advertise’ their existence
and how to get students to know and use them more often. I think once they start
finding/using them they will want to more often.”
•
“Ebooks are rarely circulated in our grade 3 to 5 school. I will not purchase
additional ebooks from Follett in the upcoming school year unless the demand for
ebooks increases. The two teachers with 1:1 iPad classrooms in our school
attempted to use Follett ebooks with their classes. Both complained about the
slow speed, problems with downloading, etc. We successfully used Scholastic’s
Trueflix and Freedom with classes in our computer lab.”
•
“To get money to introduce ebooks, two of our district librarians wrote a grant
on their own time. After we got the grant, the district chipped in other grant
money to support ebook purchases. We have no budget allocated for ebooks, and
after this year we have no idea if we can get more ebooks. This situation makes it
difficult to dedicate a lot of time to training staff, students, and parents in ebook
use: it may all be wasted time.”
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•
“Students are quick to use nonfiction ebooks with research projects. For fiction, I
find that students are more likely to use devices already loaded (NOOKs). Our
public library offers ebooks through OverDrive so I try not to duplicate those
services.”
•
“I have found the transition to ebooks to be very frustrating. I seem to be more
excited about them than the students are! Leasing the books which may or may
not be checked out for a year is not realistic to the budget, and titles available for
purchase are not desirable to the students.”
•
“Currently, the only ebooks we purchase are for student recreational reading.
We have tried to purchase ebooks to be used in the classroom with teachers but
we cannot seem to generate enough interest. The teachers claim there is no time
to use them during their planned time with students.”
•
“We have added ebooks mainly to give students immediate access from home to
materials that support specific project assignments. Even with library instruction
to make them aware of the materials, the electronic resources are not being used
for this purpose. Students seem to always prefer to read a print version of their
fiction favorites so those selections are not being used either. Our few students
who own reading devices purchase books to read on their devices, they do not
seem to want to borrow them. Most kids tell me that they prefer to read or study
from a print book.”
•
“They have been wonderful for reluctant readers and below average readers.
Children in 3rd grade are especially helped because they can read at their level
without being embarrassed that they aren’t reading at a friend’s level.”
•
“Concerns that funding will be made available only for ebooks and new
technologies, and not for other necessary materials. E.g., our print collection has
an average copyright date of 1980.”
•
“My main difficulty—and this is why I have purchased no fiction ebooks—is that
most students at my small, rural high school are living below the poverty level,
and have no access to devices or even to home computers. My reference ebooks
are mainly used in-library for research projects, or for the very few AP students
who use them for We the People or other special projects.”
•
“Each vendor has different methods of access via browsers, apps, etc. so we have
no good way yet to standardize access with library card number, etc. Students
and staff have to know dozens of logins and passwords to access their digital
content. Creating solutions to solve this issue is often very-time consuming and
expensive but we are trying to do that to increase usage.”
•
“Still have not found best model for adding fiction to ebook collection. Public
library system uses OverDrive, many of our students have their own ereaders and
purchase or check out books if not available in print from our library. Students
don't mind print, and many prefer reading print fiction. Nonfiction ebooks are
preferred because of ease of access/searching. Moving to replacing nonfiction
with ebooks when affordable, feasible, and available—emphasis on current
issues, health, science, etc. History and literature areas too expensive to
completely replace with ebooks.”
•
“They have been the most useful for History Day projects where a large number
of students can access the information at once. No students have requested them
for pleasure here. I have also bought English Department required novels to help
Special Education students read on iPads.”
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61
4. EBOOK BUDGETS AND BUYING
This section looks at ebooks in the context of school libraries’ budgets. How much
is spent on ebooks? How much do they expect to spend on ebooks? Where does
funding for ebooks come from? What purchasing terms do they typically employ?
Which vendors do school libraries use, and which do they prefer?
Ebooks and Library Materials Budgets
In this section, we look at the percentage of school libraries’ materials budgets
dedicated to ebooks last year, this year, and predicted for five-years ahead.
Last Year’s Budget
Ebooks represented a mean of 4.1% (median 1.7%) of the last school year’s
materials budget. Three out of ten respondents (30%) said that none of their
materials budget went for ebooks. Note that ebooks often come out of other
budgets (like technology) or special fundraising initiatives like book fairs,
donations, or grants (see later in this chapter). Some—although not many—obtain
ebooks solely through their consortium (see below).
Figure 36. Approximately what percentage of your library's materials budget did ebooks
represent last year?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean: 4.1%
Median: 1.7%
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Table 26. Approximately what percentage of your library's materials budget did ebooks
represent last year?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
0%
1% to 2%
3% to 5%
6% to 10%
11% to 15%
16% to 20%
More than 20%
Mean %
Median %
Elem
32%
34%
15%
8%
3%
4%
4%
3.7%
1.5%
Middle
24%
29%
21%
13%
4%
3%
6%
4.6%
1.9%
Public or Private
High
22%
25%
18%
15%
7%
6%
6%
5.6%
3.2%
Public Private
30%
18%
29%
30%
17%
24%
12%
8%
4%
4%
4%
12%
3%
4%
4.1%
5.6%
1.7%
3.2%
Geographical Region
Midwest
22%
34%
21%
7%
6%
6%
5%
4.9%
1.8%
Northeast
26%
22%
18%
20%
5%
7%
2%
5.1%
3.2%
West
45%
31%
6%
12%
3%
1%
2%
2.6%
1.1%
South
29%
30%
20%
11%
4%
3%
3%
3.8%
1.7%
This Year’s Budget
In the current (2013–2014) school year, the percentage of materials budgets spent
on ebooks increased, representing a mean of 5.8% (down slightly from 6.1% who
said this in last year’s survey) and a median of 3.4% (down from a median of 4.0%
in last year’s survey). Also note that 20% said that ebooks did not represent any
part of the materials budget (up from 18% who said this in last year’s survey).
Figure 37. Approximately what percentage of your library's materials budget did ebooks
represent in 2013–2014 school year?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean: 5.8%
Median: 3.4%
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Table 27: Approximately what percentage of your library's materials budget did ebooks
represent in 2013–2014 school year?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
0%
1% to 2%
3% to 5%
6% to 10%
11% to 15%
16% to 20%
More than 20%
Mean %
Median %
Elem
22%
31%
19%
12%
3%
2%
10%
5.3%
1.9%
Middle
15%
24%
16%
20%
8%
8%
9%
7.1%
4.4%
Public or Private
High
12%
21%
19%
17%
11%
8%
12%
8.1%
4.8%
Public Private
20%
4%
26%
28%
19%
20%
15%
24%
7%
6%
5%
8%
8%
10%
5.9%
7.6%
3.4%
4.8%
Geographical Region
Midwest
15%
21%
22%
20%
8%
5%
10%
6.8%
4.3%
Northeast
11%
30%
18%
24%
8%
3%
6%
6.0%
4.0%
West
32%
38%
11%
9%
3%
5%
2%
3.4%
1.5%
South
23%
22%
21%
12%
6%
6%
9%
6.1%
3.4%
Interestingly, ebook spending as a percentage of the overall materials budget has
dropped precipitously among elementary schools, even if the y-axis on the chart
below is pretty narrow. As we’ll see later in this section, elementary schools are
more likely than other school grade levels to avail themselves of alternate sources
of funding for ebooks, such as book fairs, donations, fundraising efforts, grants,
and so forth. So this may be less of a story about declining demand and usage of
ebooks than it is about creative financing of ebook acquisition.
Figure 38: Median percentage of current materials budget represented by ebooks
by type of school, 2010–2014
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2019 Budget
How much of the materials budget will ebooks represent in five years (2019)? On
average, school libraries say that ebooks will account for 13.0% of the materials
budget in five years (median 13.4%—a case where the median is higher than the
mean, which is actually common for this question). Only 5% of respondents
believe that ebooks will not represent any part of their materials budget in 2019.
Figure 39. Approximately what percentage of your library's materials budget do you predict
ebooks will represent in 5 years?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean: 13.0%
Median: 13.4%
High schools and middle schools are pretty closely matched in their expectations
of future spending on ebooks. Not unexpectedly, elementary schools trail behind,
but not by very much.
Table 28. Approximately what percentage of your library's materials budget do you predict
ebooks will represent in 5 years?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
0%
1% to 2%
3% to 5%
6% to 10%
11% to 15%
16% to 20%
More than 20%
Mean %
Median %
Elem
5%
4%
16%
24%
10%
16%
25%
12.4%
11.3%
Middle
1%
5%
12%
12%
15%
26%
29%
14.7%
16.8%
High
3%
3%
9%
16%
13%
29%
29%
14.9%
17.0%
Public or Private
Public Private
5%
0%
5%
9%
14%
6%
19%
11%
11%
13%
20%
32%
25%
30%
12.9% 15.3%
13.3% 17.5%
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Geographical Region
Midwest
2%
3%
12%
27%
7%
18%
31%
13.8%
14.4%
Northeast
4%
8%
9%
19%
11%
27%
22%
13.2%
14.6%
West
12%
6%
20%
20%
7%
9%
26%
11.0%
8.6%
South
3%
5%
16%
14%
16%
22%
24%
13.2%
14.0%
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
65
Looking at five surveys’ worth of five-year projections, we see that school
librarians are increasingly certain that ebook expenditures will grow relative to
their materials budgets. In 2010, respondents felt that in five years (that is, in 2015)
ebooks would represent 7.3% of their materials budgets. Three years later, that
projection had doubled, but is more tempered in the most recent survey.
However, 2015 is only a year away, and ebooks’ current median percentage of the
materials budget is only 3.4% (as per the previous question), so actual growth of
ebook spending as a percentage of the materials budget remains below previous
expectations. These lower than expected numbers are definitely driven by
elementary schools (the largest chunk of our sample and schools nationwide).
Middle and high schools are actually on track with their previous projections. As
we said earlier, this can be the result of sources for funding other than the materials
budget, especially in elementary schools.
Figure 40: Median percentage of materials budget represented by ebooks in five years
by type of school, 2010–2014
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Current Volume and Spending
Volumes Purchased This Year
A new question we added in the 2014 survey asks how many ebook volumes
libraries purchased in the 2013/2014 school year. Mean volumes purchased were
225 ebooks (median 42). Almost one-half of respondents (45%) purchased fewer
than 50 ebook volumes in the 2013/2014 school year.
Figure 41. How many ebook volumes did your library purchase and/or license
independently in the 2013/2014 school year (not including consortium- or state-supplied
ebooks)?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean: 225
Median: 42
Table 29. How many ebook volumes did your library purchase and/or license independently
in the 2013/2014 school year (not including consortium- or state-supplied ebooks)?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
19%
10%
13%
31%
21%
37%
35%
29%
47%
39%
36%
26%
21%
19%
21%
22%
10%
23%
16%
15%
13%
13%
25%
7%
5%
11%
5%
4%
7%
4%
4%
10%
4%
2%
4%
500 to 999
2%
4%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
4%
1%
1,000 to 2,499
2%
0%
1%
1%
2%
0%
0%
3%
2%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
None
18%
20%
17%
18%
Under 50
36%
37%
30%
50 to 99
20%
20%
100 to 249
15%
250 to 499
2,500 or more
4%
1%
2%
4%
6%
3%
6%
6%
3%
Mean volumes
217
150
206
220
357
200
266
309
188
43
41
57
43
44
76
39
25
40
Median volumes
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This Year’s Spending
In the school year surveyed (2013–2014), school libraries spent on average $1,199
(median $402) on ebooks. However, note that just under one-fifth of respondents
(18%) said that all ebooks are provided by the state, school district, or consortium.
Figure 42. How much would you estimate your library spent on ebooks for the current
school year (2013–2014)?
% of school libraries, 2014
Mean: $1,199
Median: $402
Even looking at median spending, high schools spend more than twice as much on
ebooks as elementary schools.
Table 30. How much would you estimate your library spent on ebooks for the current
school year (2013–2014)?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Public or Private
Northeast
West
South
11%
9%
31%
21%
15%
19%
17%
23%
15%
22%
18%
16%
9%
6%
13%
15%
15%
12%
18%
17%
16%
22%
13%
18%
10%
17%
16%
9%
1%
9%
9%
2%
12%
1%
4%
3%
2%
1%
1%
5%
2%
5%
3%
3%
5%
$1,104
$1,518
$2,423
$1,195
$2,338
$1,515
$1,362
$848
$1,094
$358
$475
$903
$418
$750
$492
$552
$202
$309
Elem
Middle
High
$0 (all ebooks provided by
state/district/consortium)
20%
15%
13%
18%
8%
Less than $200
20%
17%
14%
18%
23%
$200 to $499
13%
18%
13%
15%
$500 to $999
12%
16%
12%
14%
$1,000 to $2,499
19%
17%
21%
$2,500 to $4,999
8%
11%
16%
$5,000 or more
2%
5%
Don't know
5%
Mean $
Median $
Geographical Region
Public Private
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Midwest
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
68
Although on average, median school library spending on ebooks is essentially
unchanged, that figure is skewed by elementary schools whose spending is flat.
High schools, and to a lesser extent middle schools, are on an upward trend with
ebook spending.
Figure 43: How much would you estimate your library spent on ebooks for the current
school year?
median $ by type of school, 2011–2014
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Source(s) of Funding
We added a new question to our 2014 survey that asked specifically where funding
for ebooks was coming from. Note that multiple responses were allowed—and
libraries typically avail themselves of as many sources as they can find—but far
and away the materials budget was the biggest source of funding for ebooks.
Eighteen percent have participated in book fairs, 14% have turned to donations or
other types of fundraising efforts, and 12% have received grants. The scramble for
money to build out ebook collections—and perhaps even provide ereaders (see
Chapter 5)—is acute, as these schools also need to keep print book collections up
to date (see next question).
Figure 44. Where did the money to purchase ebooks come from?
% of school libraries, 2014
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Elementary schools are the least likely to rely (or be able to rely) on their materials
budgets, and are thus the most likely to avail themselves of alternate sources of
ebook funding. Middle schools are slightly more likely to obtain grants.
Table 31. Where did the money to purchase ebooks come from?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
85%
84%
75%
81%
58%
18%
10%
20%
4%
11%
26%
9%
13%
13%
12%
19%
8%
13%
15%
14%
11%
4%
8%
12%
9%
15%
8%
4%
10%
0%
10%
5%
24%
6%
11%
6%
8%
9%
6%
10%
18%
8%
4%
7%
3%
5%
7%
2%
7%
1%
3%
11%
Vendor credits
6%
5%
3%
5%
4%
1%
8%
0%
5%
Other
8%
7%
4%
8%
0%
6%
5%
10%
8%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
Materials budget
63%
76%
78%
70%
Book fair money
Donations/Fundraised
money
21%
13%
3%
17%
11%
Grant(s)
12%
PTA/PTO
11%
Technology budget
State/County/District funds
(write-in)
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71
Impact on Print Books
Another new question added this survey asked if adding ebook collections has had
an impact on school libraries’ print book purchasing. In general, it has had a small
impact; one-fourth (24%) of school libraries say they purchase fewer print books
now, while 65% say that their ebook collections had no influence on their print
book purchasing. And from what we have seen throughout this survey, libraries
still need to offer print as an option since student preference for print—especially
among fiction titles—remains strong. Happily, almost no libraries say they no
longer purchase any print titles.
Figure 45. How has the addition of ebooks to your collection influenced your purchase of
print book formats?
% of school libraries, 2014
Table 32. How has the addition of ebooks to your collection influenced your purchase of
print book formats?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
No influence on print
book purchasing
Buy fewer print books
now
Buy no print books now
Other
Public or Private
Elem
Middle
High
63%
63%
50%
65%
26%
0%
11%
27%
0%
10%
29%
1%
20%
24%
0%
11%
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
50%
64%
60%
61%
68%
25%
4%
21%
26%
0%
10%
28%
1%
11%
22%
0%
17%
22%
1%
10%
Public Private
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Geographical Region
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
72
Purchasing Terms
If you read through some of the verbatim responses in previous chapters of this
report, you’ll find some fairly pointed comments directed toward ebook vendors
and publishers about the purchasing terms that school libraries are forced to choose
from. Although we found that public libraries have largely made their peace with
purchasing terms, or have at least resigned themselves to the current state as a
trade-off for finally being able to offer ebook content from the Big Five publishers,
school libraries remain less sanguine about the alternatives. And many school
library media specialists bristle at the idea of a subscription model especially since,
due to schools being out of session two or three months of the year, there is the
sense that annual subscriptions are a raw deal for school libraries. There remains a
strong desire to, as with print books, buy them once and keep them in circulation.
When acquiring ebooks, the majority of libraries—61%—say they “purchase with
perpetual access.” This has generally been unchanged for the past four years.
Meanwhile, almost a third (30%, up from 26% last year) “purchase with perpetual
access through self-hosting (local ownership).” That has certainly been the more
appealing option, which is why it is at a record high. Twenty-four percent purchase
a “subscription,” which troughed two years ago but has been on the rise again. Not
unexpectedly, “patron-driven acquisition”—popular in public libraries—is only at
8% in school libraries.
Figure 46. What type(s) of purchasing and/or licensing terms does your library typically use
when acquiring ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2014
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Table 33. What type(s) of purchasing and/or licensing terms does your library typically use
when acquiring ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Purchase with perpetual
access
Purchase with perpetual
access through selfhosting (local ownership)
Subscription
Concurrent use/access
Upfront purchase with
maintenance fee
License with set # of
circs model
Patron-driven acquisition
Bundled with other
content
Pay-per-use ($1 per circ,
for example)
Other
Public or Private
Public Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
Elem
Middle
High
59%
67%
65%
61%
67%
54%
62%
70%
61%
31%
26%
20%
31%
18%
36%
29%
17%
31%
26%
19%
15%
24%
22%
27%
23%
20%
31%
27%
26%
16%
34%
22%
26%
22%
16%
22%
5%
13%
21%
6%
24%
8%
9%
12%
4%
6%
7%
8%
6%
12%
9%
5%
9%
5%
8%
5%
9%
5%
12%
6%
2%
7%
7%
3%
8%
6%
2%
14%
3%
2%
3%
3%
1%
1%
2%
1%
4%
1%
3%
0%
2%
5%
3%
4%
4%
2%
4%
5%
11%
1%
The figure below tracks five selected purchasing terms over four years of surveys.
Concurrent use/access has had the steepest rise.
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Figure 47. What type(s) of purchasing and/or licensing terms does your library typically use
when acquiring ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2010–2014
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75
Consortium Membership
Over the past four years, a minority of school libraries has been part of a
consortium licensing program. This year, only 13% said they currently are
consortia members, 75% are not, and 4% plan to join one. Consortium membership
is at its lowest point since 2010.
Figure 48. Is your library part of a consortium license program for its ebook collection?
% of school libraries, 2014
Consortium membership doesn’t vary appreciably by type of school, although
schools in the Northeast are a bit more likely to be members.
Table 34. Is your library part of a consortium license program for its ebook collection?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Yes
No, but planning to join
one
No
Don't know
Public or Private
Elem
11%
Middle
14%
High
19%
4%
7%
5%
4%
77%
8%
74%
5%
71%
5%
75%
9%
Midwest
14%
Northeast
23%
West
6%
South
11%
4%
3%
5%
7%
2%
72%
0%
79%
3%
67%
4%
79%
8%
75%
12%
Public Private
12%
24%
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Geographical Region
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76
The figure below shows that consortium membership has risen and fallen over the
past five years, peaking in 2012 at nearly 20%. High schools have generally been
more likely than other schools to be part of a consortium.
Figure 49. Yes, library is part of a consortium license program for its ebook collection
% of school libraries by type of school, 2010–2014
Consortia are popular among public libraries (two-thirds of public libraries are
members of a state or regional consortium that pools resources to provide ebook
titles and collections to consortium members), but not so much among school
libraries, and that is largely because schools—and school districts—tend to have
their own missions that may be incompatible or work at cross-purposes with other
schools and districts. School libraries do, however, develop cooperative ventures
with local public libraries. In fact, some school libraries have shifted some of the
responsibility for providing ebook titles and other related resources (like ereaders)
to their public libraries. This helps preserve school library resources for schoolspecific supplies and initiatives while at the same time not duplicating the efforts
of others.
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Vendors Used and Preferred
What ebook vendors do school libraries use and which do they prefer? If you read
the verbatim comments presented at the end of each chapter of this report—and
have read them going back to our first survey—you know that libraries have often
had an adversarial relationship with their ebook vendors, typically involving
purchasing terms and the perceived high cost of ebooks, as well as access
restrictions placed upon ebooks. We asked specifically in this survey what school
libraries liked about their preferred vendor, and we included a smattering of these
comments in the “In Their Own Words” section at the end of this chapter. School
libraries are, on the whole, happier with vendors than has historically been the
case. Selection, support, and other elements have all been improving, although
some sticking points remain.
Although OverDrive has come to dominate the ebook space for public libraries,
schools are far more likely to use FollettShelf—63% of all school libraries use
Follett. A distant second is MackinVIA, used by 20% of school libraries.
Figure 50. From which vendor(s) does your library acquire ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2014
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Different vendors are more suited to different types of libraries. Middle and high
schools require greater access to reference materials, hence they are more likely to
use Gale Virtual Reference Library, and TumbleBooks offers a greater selection of
children’s titles, so they are more likely to be used by elementary schools.
Table 35. From which vendor(s) does your library acquire ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
FollettShelf
MackinVIA
TumbleBooks
Abdo Digital
Capstone myON
Gale Virtual Reference
Library
OverDrive
Barnes & Noble
Direct from publisher
Lerner Digital
Amazon.com
Project Gutenberg
EBSCOhost
Infobase eBooks
Rosen
Scholastic Storia
ABC-CLIO
Brain Hive
Baker & Taylor Axis 360
Britannica Digital
Learning
Big Universe
eSebco
Rourke Educational
Media
StarWalk Kids Media
Ingram MyiLibrary
Other
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
60%
19%
25%
10%
4%
Northeast
61%
9%
16%
10%
9%
West
73%
26%
7%
14%
8%
South
62%
22%
16%
20%
26%
56%
13%
21%
19%
11%
11%
8%
8%
7%
4%
4%
4%
3%
3%
3%
2%
1%
1%
13%
21%
15%
4%
19%
13%
21%
17%
0%
2%
13%
8%
6%
19%
12%
6%
2%
6%
3%
1%
1%
0%
4%
1%
2%
1%
9%
13%
15%
12%
9%
3%
7%
6%
12%
1%
6%
4%
2%
10%
7%
8%
6%
7%
7%
6%
0%
1%
1%
1%
1%
2%
10%
6%
5%
9%
2%
6%
5%
5%
1%
3%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
4%
0%
0%
0%
3%
1%
0%
0%
0%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
3%
0%
1%
2%
1%
0%
0%
1%
0%
3%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
5%
0%
1%
3%
0%
0%
8%
1%
0%
4%
0%
2%
17%
0%
0%
5%
0%
1%
5%
0%
0%
8%
1%
0%
3%
Elem
59%
22%
23%
17%
19%
Middle
67%
21%
5%
9%
6%
High
59%
16%
6%
5%
1%
Public Private
64%
42%
22%
2%
17%
10%
16%
2%
16%
0%
6%
22%
46%
13%
11%
7%
8%
9%
2%
3%
3%
1%
2%
3%
1%
1%
1%
12%
16%
5%
2%
11%
9%
8%
8%
4%
3%
4%
1%
4%
18%
11%
9%
3%
12%
13%
8%
7%
3%
1%
6%
0%
5%
2%
1%
1%
1%
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In terms of preferred vendor, FollettShelf is far and away the top choice among
libraries that have a preference, cited by 30%. The next most preferred,
MackinVIA, trailed with ten percent. One-third (32%) of respondents had “no
preference.”
Figure 51. Which is your preferred ebook vendor?
% of school libraries, 2014
Table 36. Which is your preferred ebook vendor?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
FollettShelf
MackinVIA
OverDrive
Capstone myON
TumbleBooks
Gale Virtual Reference
Library
Direct from publisher
Amazon.com
Abdo Digital
Brain Hive
Barnes & Noble
EBSCOhost
Baker & Taylor Axis 360
Project Gutenberg
Rosen
Infobase eBooks
Other
No preference
Public or Private
Public Private
31%
9%
11%
0%
6%
11%
5%
0%
4%
0%
Geographical Region
Midwest
42%
15%
8%
0%
0%
Northeast
20%
1%
7%
5%
0%
West
43%
2%
4%
0%
1%
South
25%
14%
7%
8%
8%
Elem
30%
12%
7%
7%
5%
Middle
28%
10%
10%
3%
0%
High
17%
7%
16%
1%
1%
0%
8%
14%
3%
20%
3%
7%
4%
3%
3%
1%
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
33%
1%
3%
1%
0%
7%
1%
1%
0%
1%
0%
1%
26%
0%
2%
1%
0%
2%
2%
1%
2%
0%
1%
2%
35%
2%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
32%
0%
9%
0%
0%
6%
3%
3%
3%
0%
0%
3%
37%
0%
6%
0%
0%
1%
0%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
30%
5%
1%
0%
5%
0%
1%
0%
1%
1%
1%
1%
45%
1%
0%
1%
0%
1%
2%
2%
0%
0%
0%
7%
32%
2%
1%
2%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
30%
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In Summary
Among school libraries, ebooks as a percentage of the materials budget are holding
steady after having increased substantially in the past few years. In upper grades,
especially high schools, ebook spending has grown more strongly. Elementary
schools, however, are more likely to finance ebooks through other means, such as
book fairs, donations and fundraisers, and grants. Vendor freebies are often a relied
upon means of starting an ebook collection.
On average, school libraries spent $1,200 (median $402) on ebooks in the 2013–
2014 school year, which translates to a $92 million school ebook spend
nationwide. Schools have acquired an average of 225 (median 42) ebook volumes,
loosely averaging $5.33 to $9.57 per title. This does not account for titles schools
access for free or through consortia, so the per title calculation seems likely to be
on the low side.
Given that there remains an articulated preference among kids of all ages for
printed books, few school libraries have purchased ebooks at the expense of
printed books, and for the foreseeable future, p- and e- formats will exist side by
side in school libraries.
Unlike public libraries, school libraries have not generally availed themselves of a
consortium—consortium membership peaked in 2012 at just 19% of all school
libraries. That said, anecdotal evidence suggests that some school libraries have
allied themselves with public libraries to complement and supplement what school
libraries can offer in the way of ebooks (such as access to popular fiction titles and
so forth).
FollettShelf remains the most widely used and most preferred school ebook
vendor. MackinVIA trailed in second place.
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In Their Own Words
In this survey, we asked school libraries to explain why they chose their preferred
vendor. Here is a sample of their comments (lightly edited).
Abdo Digital
•
“Nonfiction ebooks which middle school students want to read.”
Amazon.com
•
“We have Kindles in the library and I purchase ebooks from Amazon. Our school
system has a license with OverDrive. However, my particular school has input
into what is purchased but no budget for OverDrive. The budget comes from the
system. Also, with OverDrive the books are not purchased so if we decided not to
renew the license the books are no longer available whereas with Amazon, the
books are ours.”
B&T Axis361
•
“Format best for all types of ereaders, phones, computers. Does not rely on
school to supply ereaders. Checked out for a certain time period only. Cost of
service is less expensive than OverDrive.”
•
“I am in control of each title purchased with B & T. With Gale I get a package of
titles, many of which don’t fit in my collection.”
Barnes & Noble
•
“Students would rather check out a device such as a NOOK than read ebooks on
their computer or iPad like the FollettShelf books.”
•
“We are a decade behind with technology and the NOOKs support ebooks which
the XP computers without Flash players and iPad will not.”
Bookflix
•
“I cannot view the ebooks I purchased from Abdo, and students prefer BookFlix
because they can hear the books read to them.”
Capstone myON
•
“They had the highest quality fiction and nonfiction resources for my
kindergarten–second grade students.”
EBSCOhost
•
“Comprehensive nonfiction ebook collection subscription. There’s no way I can
develop a nonfiction collection as comprehensive as EBSCO’s. Don’t have the
money or resources.”
•
“They not only have graphic novels and fiction with cross-over appeal to our
low-level and English-language learners, but their nonfiction research and
resource material is excellent. I am constantly amazed at what I can pull out of
EBSCO’s catalog.”
FollettShelf
•
“Best source for a variety of materials, and mostly fiction titles.”
•
“Ease of ordering books for FollettShelf plus seamless integration into our
library automation system.”
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•
“Follett is the vendor we use most often to purchase electronic and print
materials. We use Destiny as our circulation system so we have great customer
support if there are access issues with electronic materials.”
•
Follett offers a wonderful helpline available anytime I call and they stay on the
phone with me until all my questions are answered; they are reliable. OverDrive
changes our various customer reps approx. every 8 weeks; the reps are very
young and have no understanding of school needs. They usually cannot answer
our questions, nor is there a readily accessible helpline. OverDrive is very
difficult to deal with. I trust Follett; I don’t trust OverDrive. We are only using
OD because Follett did not have enough current fiction. They are doing better
with that, and I am hoping we can drop OverDrive in 2 years when our contract
runs out.”
•
“I prefer Follett shelf because good Marc records are included with purchase
and their eBooks work seamlessly with Destiny. However, I prefer the OverDrive
ereader app.”
•
“They have better prices, better ease of use, more multiple user formats
available, more nonfiction titles than OverDrive (second choice).”
•
“We operate on the Follett Destiny system, so it’s easy to use the FollettShelf
ebooks with it—no additional websites or passwords.”
•
“We use the Destiny system and it connects right in to the school's OPAC for
easy access by students. Simply put, it was easy to do and was not another login
for student to remember.”
Gale Virtual Reference Library
•
“Ease of use. Gale provides great reference materials, but we have a demand for
popular fiction. Neither Gale nor Follett works very well with our Horizon
circulation software. Both products are problematic for different reasons.”
•
“Gale has easy access and an easy process for obtaining the ebooks. Most
importantly, we don’t encounter technical issues with access, and we OWN the
content.”
•
“I prefer their business model; the ability to have a multiple user title within my
budget is a defining feature. The delivery system is easy to use from both admin
and end user perspectives. The content is well aligned to the curriculum,
therefore the nonfiction needs of my students/staff.”
•
“Outstanding service, ease of purchase, excellent preview selection program,
choice of titles.”
•
“Reference is what we are replacing and Gale has a great selection and good
publishers to choose from including their own imprint. Service is great.”
•
“Students have one access point to find over 600 ebooks. It is easy to teach them
where to go to find these books. The collection is so large that they are usually
successful when searching for information.”
•
“The interface is much easier to use and requires no individual user names and
passwords.”
Infobase Ebooks
•
“They offer reasonably priced books (buy ebook get print free). They also have a
nice platform.”
Mackin VIA
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•
“Because VIA allows for all ebooks regardless of the provider to be accessed
through a portal with one username and password. Our biggest roadblock to
usage is that teachers and students can’t keep up with all the different usernames
and passwords they need to use electronic resources.”
•
“Greater availability of simultaneous/multi-use purchase at a price comparable
to print books. MackinVia provides an easy access point for all of the ebooks
from different publishers logging in one time. Marc records are also provided to
add the eBooks to the OPAC.”
•
“I buy my own library’s books through Mackin because I buy my print books
from them. The Gale and OverDrive books are purchased through the
consortium.”
•
“I can get TumbleBooks from Mackin and they put things all in one place on
their platform.”
•
“I like the platform and the fact that I received free ebooks when I converted to
them. They also agreed to host my FollettShelf books for free (initial migration
only).”
•
“Our district purchases books for OverDrive, and I purchase books for my
school library. I prefer MackinVIA because I can get nonfiction and fiction titles,
and they can be multi-user and mostly because they are easily accessible through
our MackinVIA.”
•
“They have made a huge effort for consistency. Support is great and it always
works.”
•
“They made it easy for us to try it out, gave us a number of free ebooks and free
audio books, and made it easy to shop. They have good customer service and an
easy interface.”
OverDrive
•
“GVRL is used primarily for research and therefore more as a database than for
individual titles. OverDrive is used for recreational reading and is the newer and
more popular service.”
•
“Our district just purchased a contract with OverDrive and we are in the process
of implementing the start-up.”
•
“Our OverDrive subscription started in January. I chose this because I’m
encouraging the reading of ebooks for pleasure. GVRL and Project Gutenberg
have always been accessible. GVRL is primarily for research/reference
purposes.”
•
“OverDrive books are easier to access on a variety of devices, and the system is
easy to use when Internet access is not a problem.”
•
“OverDrive offers a very quick turnaround, four hours or less, in loading ebooks
to our server. Time is so important for teachers and students in receiving
materials. I also feel that the prices they offer are very good in comparison with
other vendors. FollettShelf does offer some great titles but most are expensive.”
•
“OverDrive provides the formats I need for my students. I want my kids to have
ebooks for their Kindles, NOOKs, iPads, smartphones, iPods, and other Android
devices.”
•
“Somewhat easy for the students to access ebooks, either on their iPads (Kindle
app or Bluefire app, or OverDrive app) or directly from their Kindle. The web
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interface is also very user-friendly. Super expensive, though, and our library is
basically just renting the books.”
•
“The OverDrive ebooks are easier for the students to use. FollettShelf is
improving, but not yet as simple.”
•
“This is the company we’ve fully committed to this past year. We chose them
because they can provide books for a variety of formats and also offer Audiobook
downloads. There are definite downsides to this vendor, but they are the vendor
that feels most ebook-like and provides the largest range in access.”
•
“We are moving to OverDrive 100% next year. App is great, ease of use, good
selection and also able to connect to public library and other schools in our
district.”
Rosen
•
“Great sales staff, responsive to the needs of educators and creates products
specifically for school libraries.”
TumbleBooks
•
“I find that the single login, multiple access usage is the most viable for school
needs, especially since most of our kids do not have iPads, which is the easiest
device to use with the various educational vendors. Training them how to use a
product when there’s a single login is easier as well. I find that TumbleBooks
provides the easiest access and best content for the price point.”
No Preference
•
“We own 36 Kindle ereaders. We purchase Amazon books which we preload onto
the Kindles. Then we allow the students to check out the readers for a week. We
also have FollettShelf. I like these because any student can check out a book and
read it on their device. We have become a BYOD district and this allows students
to have access to a book for two weeks. The downside is that if a student does not
have a device that will download the reader they are unable to enjoy the books.”
•
“I’m dissatisfied with them all in one way or the other. I’m moving toward
ProQuest for nonfiction because EBSCOhost can’t create a separate account
apart from the consortium collection. Baker & Taylor I’m using for fiction but
I’m very unhappy with publishers so I’m in a holding pattern for new purchases.
I want to develop a fiction collection to keep not lease books for 1 year or so. It
doesn’t make sense with our small 260 enrollment to lease books for 1 year there
wouldn't be enough circulations.”
•
“No preferred vendor yet. In a way, I’m happy that I do not purchase ebooks
from my budget (only purchased with parent-donated Amazon gift cards),
because I am wary of vendors’ terms of service and rules regarding ebooks.”
•
“There are some pros and numerous cons to each vendor at this point. There is
no vendor ideally suited to a school library.”
•
“They are all very different. FollettShelf integrates best with Destiny, but Project
Gutenberg is free. MackinVIA and TumbleBooks are harder to integrate into
Destiny and require user names and passwords, but they are easy to search and
use as a stand alone service.”
•
“The two have different advantages. BrainHive has a fairly comprehensive
collection for many ages covering many subjects and genres, and slowly making
headway into the ‘Big Six (Five? Four?).’ Follett has a comprehensive selection
of solid nonfiction for middle school and higher research. I did not explore their
fiction because BrainHive is simpler in its funding method and access points.”
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5. EBOOKS AND EREADERS
This chapter looks at preferred ereaders and school libraries that circulate ereading
devices. This section also looks at the transition to etextbooks, as well as the
proliferation of “one-to-one schools.”
Ereaders Used
Every survey, we ask about the devices on which students read ebooks, and the
rate at which new devices and models have appeared to some extent makes
historical comparison difficult. For example, in our 2010 survey, the options were:
•
Library computer
•
Personal laptop/Computer/Netbook
•
Other portable device
•
Dedicated ebook reader
At that time, “dedicated ebook reader” essentially referred to the NOOK or the
Sony Reader, both black-and-white devices at the time. Kindle would not allow for
library lending and the first-generation iPad had just been released.
What a difference four years makes.
The number of tablets and ereaders has expanded greatly, and there are color and
monochrome devices at all price ranges and levels of capability. At the same time,
smartphones have become larger and tablets have become smaller—the
portmanteau word “phablet” has been coined to refer to those devices that exist in
the space where phones and tablets overlap.7
There is also greater interest in the cloud, or having content of all kinds stored
virtually and then streamed to a device. This precludes the need to download
content like an ebook directly to a device. Of course, this means that to read such
an ebook, you need to have a constant and reliable Internet connection.
Let’s see how things have changed since 2010.
Even given the preponderance of models,8 last year, we changed the way we asked
this question, dividing each selection into “school/library-owned” and “studentowned.” For the sake of clarity, in the figure on the next page, school/libraryowned devices are in red, student-owned devices are in blue.
7
After Apple’s announcements in September, it is entirely possible that in a future survey we will be asking about
students reading ebooks on their watches.
8
We ask more model-specific device questions in the Public Library Survey.
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The “school desktop computer” is the top method by which students access the
library’s ebook collection, selected by 68% of respondents, down from 76% last
year. “Student tablet” was selected by 52%, up from 39% last year. More and more
kids have their own iPads or other tablet computers. A “school laptop” was
selected by 50% (up from 48%), with “student dedicated ebook reader” at 48%.
Generally, school-owned devices are used more often than student-owned devices.
Figure 52. What device(s) are most commonly used by students to read ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2014
As there was no legible way to include 2013 data into the above chart, Figure 53
below provides ereader usage data from last year’s survey for comparison
purposes. The usage of student-owned devices jumped from 57% in 2013 to 72%
in 2014.
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Figure 53. What device(s) are most commonly used by students to read ebooks?
% of school libraries, 2013
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2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
88
Elementary school students are the most likely to use school-owned devices for
ebook reading, while middle and high school students have a higher prevalence of
reading on their own devices. School desktop computers are much more common
in elementary schools than in the higher grades. Student tablets and dedicated
ebook readers are most popular in middle schools.
Table 37. What device(s) are most commonly used by students to read ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
NET SCHOOL-OWNED
DEVICES
NET STUDENTOWNED DEVICES
School desktop
computer
Student tablet
School laptop
Student dedicated ebook
reader
School tablet
Student smartphone
School Interactive
whiteboard
Student laptop
Student desktop
computer
Student iPod Touch or
similar
School dedicated ebook
reader
School iPod Touch or
similar
School Other
Student Other
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
76%
92%
97%
93%
89%
71%
88%
75%
72%
86%
66%
55%
70%
35%
56%
76%
70%
69%
69%
38%
61%
37%
51%
51%
71%
45%
53%
43%
63%
51%
53%
52%
47%
53%
47%
62%
54%
47%
63%
45%
45%
69%
44%
42%
28%
33%
60%
26%
67%
38%
38%
37%
41%
45%
36%
51%
27%
25%
42%
35%
43%
44%
28%
15%
34%
29%
27%
45%
22%
38%
30%
33%
34%
29%
45%
34%
36%
34%
22%
27%
24%
23%
28%
12%
32%
30%
27%
23%
25%
31%
25%
22%
27%
24%
21%
23%
24%
10%
25%
24%
14%
25%
19%
14%
17%
12%
5%
5%
3%
5%
2%
6%
1%
5%
6%
1%
0%
1%
1%
1%
1%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
1%
0%
0%
1%
0%
2%
1%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
93%
88%
87%
93%
68%
88%
85%
73%
54%
51%
55%
Table 38 below provides these data from last year’s survey for comparison purposes.
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Table 38. What device(s) are most commonly used by students to read ebooks?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2013
Type of School
NET SCHOOL-OWNED
DEVICES
NET STUDENTOWNED DEVICES
School desktop
computer
School laptop
School Interactive
whiteboard
Student tablet
Student dedicated ebook
reader
School tablet
Student laptop
Student desktop
computer
Student smartphone
School dedicated ebook
reader
Student iPod Touch
School iPod Touch
School Other
Student Other
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
87%
90%
96%
89%
95%
56%
87%
68%
50%
55%
56%
67%
77%
51%
73%
82%
65%
80%
45%
44%
48%
36%
46%
58%
41%
48%
50%
25%
10%
41%
19%
44%
42%
23%
47%
33%
50%
49%
38%
60%
42%
35%
42%
38%
27%
47%
39%
30%
43%
38%
24%
34%
27%
31%
22%
26%
29%
21%
39%
27%
25%
26%
57%
38%
28%
17%
22%
26%
21%
27%
30%
25%
23%
24%
25%
28%
22%
22%
24%
30%
16%
27%
43%
22%
47%
24%
22%
30%
21%
17%
25%
27%
17%
34%
16%
19%
17%
17%
13%
5%
4%
2%
24%
3%
4%
2%
17%
3%
3%
2%
16%
5%
4%
2%
19%
0%
0%
0%
16%
6%
4%
0%
16%
5%
2%
2%
19%
4%
5%
0%
14%
5%
4%
4%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
95%
88%
88%
93%
51%
71%
76%
76%
65%
49%
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2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
90
Transition to Electronic Textbooks
In last year’s report, we identified an emerging trend in schools, which is the
replacement of printed textbooks with electronic textbooks, delivered as ebooks,
apps, or other digital content. Many schools are also becoming what are called
“one-to-one schools,” where each student is given a tablet computer (examples: an
iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tablet) or, more recently, a Google Chromebook, and
learning and assignments take place largely via these devices. A detailed look at
one-to-one schools is beyond the scope of this report, but there is no denying that
they will have an impact on ebooks, as with these initiatives, one of the biggest
stated challenges to ebook use—lack of ereading devices—is overcome.
Related to, or part of, this initiative is a transition to etextbooks. The advantages of
etextbooks for schools are obvious: information in etextbooks can be updated
regularly, they can be accessed from anywhere, take no shelf space, are lighter to
carry and result in no lost books. Much of that likely adds up to lower costs for
texts in the long run. Last year, Florida made waves by becoming the first state to
mandate a transition to etextbooks by 2015. But how common is such a transition?
Has that become the norm, or an outlier?
Last year, we added a survey question about plans for a transition from print to
electronic textbooks, which we reprised this year. And we don’t find that
etextbooks have become all that great a force in El-Hi schools—seven out of ten
have no plans to transition to etexts (that’s up three points), and while 15% say that
“some new textbooks are purchased digitally,” a further 14% are considering it.
Only 1% reported that all new textbooks are purchased digitally.
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Figure 54. Has your school implemented a transition from print textbooks to digital delivery
of texts?
% of school libraries, 2013/2014
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Florida has become the poster child for schools transitioning to all-digital
textbooks (3% of respondents in the South region reported their state had
mandated such a transition). The Northeast appears to be the most resistant to
etextbooks, while the Midwest and the West have made some higher-than-average
strides in that direction.
Table 39. Has your school implemented a transition from print textbooks to digital delivery
of texts?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2013/2014
Type of School
2014
No, and no plans for
digital textbooks
No, but the school is
considering a transition
Not yet, but it is
mandated
Yes, some new
textbooks are purchased
digitally
Yes, all new textbooks
are purchased digitally
2013
No, and no plans
No, but the school is
considering a transition
Not yet, but it is
mandated
Yes, some new
textbooks are purchased
digitally
Yes, all new textbooks
are purchased digitally
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
41%
64%
76%
65%
69%
14%
9%
17%
7%
15%
15%
1%
1%
0%
0%
1%
1%
1%
25%
25%
14%
48%
19%
16%
18%
12%
1%
2%
1%
1%
2%
1%
1%
1%
3%
70%
57%
53%
68%
36%
62%
77%
55%
68%
14%
22%
24%
15%
26%
17%
10%
26%
13%
6%
2%
3%
5%
2%
6%
0%
10%
5%
9%
18%
19%
12%
34%
14%
13%
9%
13%
0%
0%
1%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
1%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
75%
55%
52%
70%
13%
15%
20%
1%
2%
10%
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93
For the 15% that said that a transition to etextbooks is mandated or at least
planned, it is being staved off for a few years: 22% said it will take place in 2015
to 2016, and 42% said it will take place a year after that.
Figure 55. If it is planned or mandated, by what year?
% of school libraries, 2013/2014
Table 40. If it is planned or mandated, by what year?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2013/2014
Type of School
2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
Later
2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
Later
Public or Private
Elem
Middle
High
13%
25%
38%
13%
13%
7%
21%
50%
7%
14%
3%
38%
34%
7%
17%
2%
17%
44%
15%
22%
14%
38%
38%
10%
0%
9%
41%
38%
6%
6%
0%
36%
33%
21%
10%
12%
37%
35%
12%
3%
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
0%
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
16%
51%
0%
32%
0%
33%
56%
0%
11%
9%
14%
43%
0%
35%
0%
26%
29%
36%
9%
9%
18%
55%
18%
0%
27%
42%
29%
3%
0%
9%
28%
43%
20%
0%
8%
30%
42%
17%
2%
6%
36%
37%
13%
8%
Public Private
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Geographical Region
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
94
One-to-One Device Programs
An educational initiative that is gaining some traction and has the potential to
impact—positively—the further penetration of ebooks in school libraries is one-toone (aka “1:1”). This is a device program whereby a school provides a tablet or
laptop computer to each student, and assignments, class readings, homework, etc.,
are accomplished digitally on these devices. One-to-one programs can be thought
of in the same context as—but exist in contrast to—BYOD (“bring your own
device”) programs, where students are required or encouraged to bring their own
portable devices to school.
A detailed look at one-to-one initiatives is beyond the scope of this report, but for
our purposes here, just under one-fifth (17%) of school library respondents say
their schools currently have a one-to-one device program in place, while a further
15% are planning to offer one. This means that about one-third of schools have, or
will have, such a program in place in the near future (see next question). However,
the majority of schools—nearly seven out of ten (68%)—do not have, nor
currently plan to have, a one-to-one device program. However, as more schools
adopt these initiatives—and more (or any) success stories emerge—more schools
may go this route.
Figure 56. Does your school have a one-to-one device program currently in place or
planned?
% of school libraries, 2014
Not unexpectedly, high schools are the most likely candidates for one-to-one
device programs, with one-fourth (24%) already having implemented one, and a
further 24% currently planning to.
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Of the 15% of schools that plan to implement a one-to-one device program, most
plan to do it at some point in the next five years. In fact, 60% of them plan to
implement it by the end of the 2016–2017 school year. Another 28% say they
“don’t know.”
Figure 57. If yes, when?
% of school libraries, 2014
Table 41. Does your school have a one-to-one device program currently in place or
planned?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Currently offer one-toone
Planning to offer one-toone
When?
2014-2015 school year
2015-2016 school year
2016-2017 school year
2017-2018 school year
2018-2019 school year
Other
Don’t know
No, and no plans
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
53%
19%
20%
11%
17%
16%
18%
20%
10%
11%
17%
29%
5%
24%
3%
10%
1%
29%
70%
67%
11%
22%
0%
0%
0%
0%
29%
52%
0%
18%
3%
19%
0%
8%
61%
29%
15%
29%
6%
0%
0%
21%
70%
14%
7%
57%
7%
0%
7%
7%
77%
19%
7%
19%
0%
7%
0%
49%
64%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
16%
20%
24%
14%
13%
22%
24%
27%
13%
27%
0%
7%
0%
27%
71%
52%
12%
9%
3%
6%
3%
15%
57%
45%
7%
14%
5%
9%
0%
20%
52%
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One-to-one programs can work in a variety of ways: devices can be given to all
students for the entire school year, they can be given to students in select classes
and kept for the entire year, or they can be given to students in select classes and
then returned at the end of class. The current M.O. of one-to-one programs is
evenly divided between giving devices to all students for the year (32% of the 17%
of schools that have a one-to-one program) or to students in select classes for the
year (35%). Only 13% collect the devices at the end of each class.
A large percentage of respondents responded with “Other,” and a look at the text
responses shows a large number of schools assigning a device to students to keep
for the duration that they remain in the school. Most of the differences center
around specific grades being assigned devices.
Figure 58. How does your school’s one-to-one program work?
% of school libraries that have a one-to-one device program, 2014
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Table 42. If yes, how does your school’s one-to-one program work?
% of school libraries that have a one-to-one device program, by type of school and
geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Students in select
classes are assigned a
personal device for the
year
All students are
assigned a personal
device for the year
Devices are distributed
in certain classes but
returned at the end of
class
Other
Public or Private
Public Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
Elem
Middle
High
40%
15%
20%
35%
26%
31%
43%
41%
31%
35%
59%
49%
35%
37%
47%
17%
23%
35%
10%
18%
10%
16%
4%
0%
13%
12%
22%
25%
24%
24%
22%
48%
35%
41%
30%
16%
IPad tablets are the top device used by elementary schools that have implemented a
one-to-one device program (72%). Laptops are distributed slightly more often than
iPads in high schools and equally as often as iPads in middle schools with 1:1
programs.
Figure 59. If yes, what type(s) of one-to-one devices does your school provide for
students?
% of school libraries that have a one-to-one device program, 2014
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Table 43. If yes, what type(s) of one-to-one devices does your school provide for students?
% of school libraries that have a one-to-one device program, by type of school and
geographic region, 2014
Type of School
iPad tablets
Laptops
Chromebooks/Netbooks
(write-in answer)
Other tablets
Other
Public or Private
Public Private
69%
46%
39%
62%
Geographical Region
Midwest
85%
12%
Northeast
58%
48%
West
31%
69%
South
64%
53%
Elem
72%
39%
Middle
47%
47%
High
43%
50%
11%
19%
12%
16%
4%
3%
10%
44%
11%
0%
0%
0%
0%
2%
2%
1%
1%
0%
4%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
6%
2%
3%
Availability of Reading Devices
About one-fourth (24%) of school libraries make ereading devices available to
students, with only half of those allowing for take home use. Meanwhile, 26% are
considering providing them, and the remaining 50% have no plans to add them.
The time series on the next page shows that interest in providing ereaders to
students is on the decline, due to a) the expense of buying them, b) the time and
expense of maintaining/repairing them and/or replacing lost or manhandled
devices (these are kids we’re talking about), and even c) one-to-one device
programs precluding the need for the library to supply ereaders. At the same time,
more and more of the students themselves have their own ereaders, tablets, or
smartphones.
Figure 60. Does your library have ereading devices available for students to borrow?
% of school libraries, 2014
Over a third of middle and high schools make ereaders available for students.
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Table 44. Does your library have ereading devices available for students to borrow?
% of school libraries by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
NET YES
Yes, but for in-library or
classroom use only
Yes, for school and take
home use
Not currently, but
considering
No and no plans to
acquire
Public or Private
Public Private
23%
44%
Geographical Region
Midwest
24%
Northeast
26%
West
26%
South
23%
Elem
20%
Middle
36%
High
37%
14%
9%
11%
13%
10%
12%
6%
12%
16%
6%
27%
26%
10%
35%
11%
20%
14%
7%
26%
24%
26%
27%
12%
23%
16%
32%
29%
54%
39%
37%
50%
44%
53%
58%
42%
48%
Back in 2010, less than 10% of school libraries circulated ereaders, although by
2013, more than one-fourth did—including almost 40% of high schools.
Elementary schools and even high schools have started cutting back on their
ereader circulation. Middle schools are a year out of phase with the other schools,
and we’ll have to see how things shake out next year.
Figure 61. Libraries that provide ereaders
% of school libraries by type of school, 2010–2014
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Which Ereaders Do Libraries Lend?
Of the 24% of school libraries that lend ereaders to students, the iPad or iPad Mini
surpasses all other as the top device, offered by 54%. The Kindle is a distant
second at 28%, followed by the Barnes & Noble NOOK at 24%.
Figure 62. If yes, which ereading device(s) does your library currently have available?
% of school libraries that circulate ereaders, 2014
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School library iPad collections are more likely to exist in elementary schools. Of
the twenty percent of elementary schools that lend ereaders, 70% offer iPads. The
iPad, Kindle, and NOOK are offered about evenly in the upper grades.
Table 45. If yes, which ereading device(s) does your library currently have available?
% of school libraries that circulate ereaders, by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
iPad or iPad Mini
Kindle
NOOK
NOOK Color
Other tablet
Kindle Fire tablet
iPod Touch or similar
NOOK tablet
Sony Reader
Nexus tablet
Galaxy tablet
Kobo Reader
3M Cloud Readers
Other
Elem
70%
26%
26%
22%
19%
7%
7%
0%
4%
0%
0%
0%
4%
0%
Middle
33%
39%
34%
15%
3%
11%
7%
8%
5%
2%
0%
0%
2%
3%
Public or Private
High
28%
38%
31%
15%
6%
6%
6%
9%
8%
1%
3%
0%
1%
5%
Public Private
54%
39%
26%
48%
20%
43%
23%
13%
13%
9%
8%
13%
9%
4%
3%
9%
1%
4%
1%
0%
1%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
3%
0%
Geographical Region
Midwest
42%
39%
16%
37%
24%
15%
17%
2%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
8%
Northeast
45%
37%
30%
6%
4%
8%
4%
6%
0%
2%
0%
0%
0%
2%
West
54%
28%
19%
34%
17%
6%
4%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
3%
South
65%
17%
27%
18%
9%
8%
8%
4%
3%
0%
2%
0%
0%
2%
The iPad has pulled away from the other classes of device (driven by elementary
schools, where it finds the highest level of circulation). The Kindle and NOOK are
falling out of favor, although the NOOK Color and Kindle Fire tablet are
ascendant.
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Figure 63. If yes, which ereading device(s) does your library currently have available?
% of school libraries that circulate ereaders, 2010–2014
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102
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
103
How Many Ereaders?
Even if fewer libraries are circulating ereaders, those that are (24%) are circulating
more of them, with libraries that circulate ereaders to students having a mean of
23.4 devices on hand (up from 21 last year). They have a median of 12 devices on
hand, up from 10 last year.
Figure 64. If yes, how many ereading devices does your library have available for students
to borrow?
% of school libraries that circulate ereaders, 2014
Mean: 23.4
Median: 12.0
Table 46. If yes, how many ereading devices does your library have available for students
to borrow?
% of school libraries that circulate ereaders, by type of school and geographic region, 2014
Type of School
Under 5
5 to 9
10 to 19
20 or more
Mean # devices
Median # devices
Elem
8%
31%
31%
31%
17.0
10.5
Middle
19%
24%
29%
29%
21.1
10.0
Public or Private
High
13%
17%
29%
41%
31.8
15.0
Public Private
9%
17%
25%
22%
25%
30%
41%
30%
24.2
33.7
13.0
12.0
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Geographical Region
Midwest
10%
43%
15%
32%
22.9
7.0
Northeast
19%
30%
29%
22%
13.6
10.0
West
10%
18%
56%
16%
13.7
10.0
South
6%
17%
10%
66%
33.3
30.0
2014 Survey of Ebook Usage in U.S. School (K-12) Libraries
104
The number of ereading devices made available per school for students’ use has
consistently increased since we began asking this question in 2011, with all three
school types upping the number of devices available.
Figure 65. If yes, how many ereading devices does your library have available for students
to borrow?
no. of ereaders by type of school, 2011–2014
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105
Preloaded Apps
Do school libraries that circulate ereaders add any kind of supplementary content
or apps on circulated devices? This year, all school libraries that circulate ereaders
(24% of respondents) do. That content can be “interactive educational tools”
(60%), “book apps/enhanced ebooks” (54%), or “productivity tools for teachers,
administrators, etc.” (36%).
Figure 66. If your library has tablets, do you load any of the following educational apps or
enhanced ebooks on your school's tablets?
% of school libraries that circulate tablets, 2012–2014
Book apps/enhanced ebooks are popular in middle and high schools and have
become less so in elementary schools in 2014.
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Table 47. If your library has tablets, do you load any of the following educational apps or
enhanced ebooks on your school's tablets?
% of school libraries that circulate tablets, by type of school and geographical region,
2012–2014
Type of School
2014
Interactive educational
tools
Book apps/Enhanced
ebooks
Productivity tools for
teachers, administration,
etc.
Games
Other
Do not load tablets with
apps
2013
Book apps/Enhanced
ebooks
Interactive educational
tools (e.g., TouchPress)
Productivity tools for
teachers, administration,
etc.
Games
Other
Do not load tablets with
apps
2012
Book apps/Enhanced
ebooks
Interactive educational
tools (e.g., TouchPress)
Productivity tools for
teachers, administration,
etc.
Games
Other
No, we do not load
devices with apps
Public or Private
Geographical Region
Midwest
Northeast
West
South
62%
46%
55%
70%
64%
53%
77%
75%
53%
39%
53%
27%
36%
31%
44%
39%
11%
42%
37%
19%
27%
30%
23%
23%
38%
46%
12%
16%
37%
21%
25%
34%
22%
27%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
75%
67%
62%
65%
100%
64%
59%
74%
68%
64%
67%
41%
55%
100%
54%
43%
69%
61%
46%
57%
41%
44%
43%
30%
38%
69%
55%
36%
4%
33%
10%
21%
0%
32%
4%
43%
0%
22%
6%
38%
10%
28%
0%
51%
0%
11%
14%
24%
19%
0%
19%
24%
5%
20%
75%
60%
48%
60%
64%
42%
58%
62%
77%
75%
53%
32%
54%
64%
46%
64%
46%
64%
38%
67%
28%
37%
57%
27%
61%
25%
45%
38%
13%
33%
7%
16%
8%
27%
9%
29%
0%
5%
5%
41%
5%
21%
17%
40%
4%
13%
20%
32%
26%
14%
34%
17%
38%
12%
Elem
Middle
High
Public Private
59%
59%
57%
61%
41%
63%
70%
27%
37%
23%
18%
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What are some of the specific apps that can be preloaded? There are hundreds of
possibilities, many class or topic specific, such as Shakespeare or Edgar Allan Poe
apps for English class, science apps that explain bodily systems or the solar
system, math apps, history apps, and so forth. Some common “general purpose”
apps that our respondents indicated that they use heavily include:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
DestinyQuest (accessing Follett ebooks)
Dropbox (file-sharing)
eBackpack (education-specific file-sharing)
Edmodo (teacher-student collaboration)
Evernote (organization, project-management)
Google Drive (file-sharing)
iMovie (video editing)
Keynote (presentation)
Kindle (ebook reader)
MackinVIA Reader (ebook reader)
Nearpod (mobile presentations for education)
NOOK app (ebook reader)
Notability (note-taking on mobile devices)
OverDrive (accessing OverDrive ebooks)
Pages (word processing)
Prezi (presentation)
QR code reader (reading Quick Response codes)
Socrative (teacher-student interactivity)
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In Summary
We have seen earlier in this report that the challenge faced by school libraries, both
in terms of offering ebooks at all and facilitating access to their ebook collections,
is the lack of ereading devices among students. As a result, the burden of providing
ereaders largely falls on the school library, and school-owned devices are the
default ereading devices.
That said, fewer school libraries overall are circulating ereaders, but those that do
have made more devices available to students. The iPad is far and away the most
popular device for accessing ebooks among elementary schools. The iPad, Kindle
and NOOK reside about evenly in middle and high school libraries.
In terms of larger-scale educational initiatives—such as a transition to etextbooks
and implementation of one-to-one device programs—so far among our response
base, these programs have yet to see anything approaching widespread adoption,
and their impact on ebook usage rates remains to be seen. The schools in this study
that have 1:1 programs in place do report a larger demand for ebooks than those
without.
In Their Own Words
More of the write-in “verbatim” comments from our survey:

“Next week I will be taking 3 classes to our computer lab once a week and we
will be using our ebook collection. We have no ereaders in our building and
about 12 iPads. Desktop use of ebooks is awkward but that is what’s available. I
tried getting 25 to 30 iPads for library use and use within the building when no
being used during library time but the grant was denied by our local public
school fund until the district has a technology plan in place.”

“We just became a one-to-one school with iPads this year, so though I’ve
increased my spending on ebooks recently, the vast majority of the materials I
buy are still in print form. This isn’t because I’m old or afraid of technology or
change in general. It’s because I genuinely believe in the necessity of children
feeling the heft of a book, turning real pages, and having the opportunity to
literally stick their noses inside one. At this point, experiencing books like
Journey by Aaron Becker or anything by Steve Jenkins on a small, rectangular
screen, just can’t compare to the real thing.”

“We are a poor district so many of our students do not have their own tablet to
read ebooks on...the ones that do have tablets are taking advantage of the
ebooks...others are/cannot.”

“I would love to provide more ebooks to our students and faculty. The biggest
issues that prevent this are money and availability of devices to students.”

“Students who try out the Kindles rarely ask to read more on a Kindle. There are
students who have their own ereaders or tablets.”

“We have had no demand for them. Our students are disadvantaged and many do
not have reader devices or Internet access outside of school. I have not invested
much in ebooks yet, waiting for our district to decide how they be providing etextbooks in the near future. Once that has been determined, I will know how best
to provide ebooks in the library.”
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
“This is our first year with iPads given to all 3rd and 4th graders and we have
seen a huge increase in the use of ebooks in the classroom.”

“This is our 2nd year of 1:1 iPads for the high school and our students are slowly
developing the interest and knowledge of ebooks and audiobooks. This year we
started 1:1 with the junior high students, so my hope is they will be more familiar
with the devices and easier to train.”

“The county is pushing technology (ebooks) but teachers aren’t on board. Also,
our school doesn’t have enough hardware to really promote ebooks to all
students.”

“I’m looking into FollettShelf for next year. We have NOOKs now, but they’re
not getting checked out. Many of our students have their own devices they want to
read on, not the old (four years old) NOOKs.”

“I like ebooks but wish that the students would use them more. They still prefer
Google or Wikipedia. There are sometimes connectivity issues with the Internet
when using FollettShelf. They do look good for the Library to own.”

“Although we have advertised heavily, students do not have WiFi access on their
personal devices at school, so showing them how to use their devices has been a
challenge. Also, we rely primarily on databases for our electronic nonfiction
access, rather than ebooks, as students mostly use ebooks for recreational
reading, which includes some nonfiction but mostly fiction.”

“As more students are assigned tablets, ebook usage should increase
tremendously.”

“Our biggest barrier to student use is device-driven and accessibility. I
purchased ebooks from FolletShelf which are good titles, but kids do not have
devices to access them.”

“Students have limited to access to devices at home so it’s been difficult to really
launch ebooks. Many prefer print books, but the non-fiction collection has been a
great asset for faculty.”

“The only ebook content we have is from Gale Virtual Reference Library; no
fiction. Even though we are a 1:1 school, and most of our students have
smartphones, there is very little demand for ebooks. Students this age still prefer
print books for pleasure reading. I anticipate that as younger students (who have
learned to read on devices and reading on devices is more organic to them) come
up through the grades, the demand will increase. By the time today’s 2nd graders
are in high school, they will probably be doing most of their reading—pleasure
or otherwise—in e-format. I am monitoring my students’ preferences and as soon
as the demand for ebooks is there, I will not hesitate to implement a
comprehensive ebook circulation program.”

“Our school system just went to BYOD for middle schools this February. Prior to
that time there was no need or request for ebooks. We are hoping our district will
purchase ebooks for us on a district wide basis. We definitely will purchase more
ebooks in future years.”

“The administration has been pushing the idea of purchasing ebooks as we are a
one-to-one iPad school. Most of my students do not like ebooks and prefer print
books. There have been countless occasions when I would offer the ebook version
of a book they want and they will wait for the print version (especially for
graphic novels/manga). Many students tell me they prefer holding a book, find it
easier to read, and the ability to share with friends. Ebooks though are great for
my students who have reading issues. As a low income area, some of my students
cannot afford glasses so the larger font size can help and for reluctant readers it
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can feel not as tedious as when holding a book. For my LGBT club I have
purchased ebook materials for them as many students would not want to check
out a book about coming out (even though I carry them in print) or books that
feature gay characters. My LGBT students do not face harassment in our school
but at home, so having an ebook version helps them read LGBT literature without
their parents knowing.”

“Once we move to a 1 to 1 environment, I expect ebook usage to dramatically
increase, but many students still prefer print books, even those with ereading
devices.”

“The biggest issue is always devices. I love Myon, and it ought to replace our
nonfiction guided reading collection, but it can’t until we have enough devices to
use it.”

“It is our hope that usage will increase when our library can provide devices.”

“Until we can be fairly certain that students will have comprehensive 1 to 1
access to devices and that most homes have adequate internet access, purchasing
of ebooks will probably continue at the pace of an old snail.”

“Even with our 1 to 1 initiative this year, where every student has a laptop, that
also swivels to a tablet, their preference is a hardcopy library book.
Overwhelmingly so. I have been surprised.”

“Until my school or my patrons have more hardware available, the usage of
ebooks will not rise. As the Testing Coordinator for the computer-based testing
that is now being required by our state, I can tell you it has already negatively
impacted access to all resources. Access to all resources will be blocked for at
least a fourth of the year next year if it continues as planned!!! Wi-fi is down for
all personal devices, district-owned devices are being used for testing, and print
resources are unavailable because the library is closed for testing.”

“I hope to use them more in the future, especially on kids’ phones. Unfortunately,
the student account import process is time consuming and complicated enough
that I haven’t had enough time to set it up properly!”

“I know the teachers use ebooks with their smart boards. They also have students
read them at desktops as part of center work. I don’t know if students do or are
able to access them at home due to lack of technology.”

“The students who have used the ereaders during the last two years are now
more excited about reading. They visit the library to check out print books;
whereas, they only came to the library if the teacher demanded they check out a
book.”

“We are just getting started. Expect greater circulation next year with 1:1 iPads
for students.”

“Right now use is still low because students generally prefer print books. those
who have ereaders are not all aware that books can be borrowed. Also, the
public library has a much larger selection for borrowing and many use that. I
publicize ebooks as much as possible. The concurrent use reference ebooks are
the most often used.”

“We had a disaster with Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360 which really set our program
back. We have since recovered during this second semester of the school year.
We anticipate much greater usage when students have 1:1 tablets next year.”

“The only ebooks we have available are the ones that are currently on the
Kindles that are available for student check out. I didn't see an option to choose
this type of program early on in the survey.”
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111
“I’m waiting on ONE overall ebook format to emerge as the leader. Overall I
think it is Kindle, but to my knowledge there isn’t a ‘Kindle School’ platform
available. The fed or state government is going to HAVE TO come up with more
bandwidth and faster loading speeds for schools, too. My own district is so
conservative, there are too many filters and restrictions on what even staff can
access. We are a rural, low-income district, so not that many of our students even
have portable reading devices or access to them at home.”
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GENERAL CONCLUSIONS AND TRENDS
Up to two-thirds (66%) of the U.S. school libraries reporting now have ebooks
available for students. The median number of titles available has grown 39% since
last year to 189 titles. Median circulation is up three-fold over last year, but
circulation remains lower than the number of electronic titles available (meaning
that many ebooks in school library collections were not read even once).
Our study found that 45% of schools reported an increase in ebook demand, albeit
mostly a slight increase. Nearly half of schools indicated that one of the biggest
hurdles keeping students away from reading ebooks (behind “limited access to
ereading devices”) is that “users prefer print books.” Read just a sampling of the
open-ended comments sprinkled throughout this report and respondents state over
and over that many kids still prefer to read in print.
Students do and will need computer skills to succeed in an increasingly high-tech
world and job market. As computers evolve into tablets, that is where the skills
will need to go, and schools (and to a slightly lesser extent public libraries) are
often the only places poor and disenfranchised kids can get the kind of hands-on
technological experience that can help raise them out of poverty. A recurring
comment among respondents’ remarks was that their school district was in an
impoverished, often rural, area, with no Internet or ereading device access outside
the school.
Currently, 24% of school libraries reporting have ereading devices on hand for
students to borrow. One-to-one programs, whereby a school issues a tablet or
laptop to each student at least part of the school day, if not 24/7, are another way to
bridge the digital divide. In the 2013-2014 school year, about one-in-five schools
(17%) had some sort of one-to-one program in place and another 15% were
considering adding one. Our research shows that schools with one-to-one programs
experienced an elevated demand for ebooks.
School ebook collections lean more heavily on the nonfiction side (56%
nonfiction). Respondents’ comments would make it seem that students prefer using
ebooks for school projects and print for recreational reading. The answer to the
question, “Are your ebooks more commonly used for lessons/assigned reading or
for recreational/free choice reading?” was split almost evenly, with recreational
reading favored slightly.
Last year, a Pew Internet study confirmed that ereading was growing among
children, with little objection and much encouragement from parents, it also found
that parents on the whole still find that print books are important.
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More than nine in ten parents of minor children say it is important to them that
their children read print books—eighty-one percent say it is “very important,”
and an additional 13% say it is “somewhat important.” Very few say having their
children read print books is “not too important” (3%) or “not important at all”
(3%).9
An earlier Pew study found:
We asked people who read both print books and e-books in the past year which
format they thought was better for a variety of situations. We found that people
prefer e-books when they need a book quickly, when they want a wide selection,
or when they want to read “on-the-go” while commuting or traveling. Print,
meanwhile, is the preferred format for “social reading,” such as sharing books
with others or reading with a child.
And when it comes to the time-honored tradition of reading in bed? The verdict
was split: 45% say e-books are best here, while 43% prefer print.10
Print and electronic is not an either/or choice and school libraries, perhaps more
than other libraries, will need to offer a variety of formats to best suit user
preferences—and foster learning and nurture a love for reading, which should be
the primary functions of a school library. This means tough format choices for the
school librarian when allotting what is too often preciously little funding. In 20132014, almost 6% of school materials budgets were spent on ebooks, which was
expected to rise to 13% in five years.
Ebook Trends
What can we identify as the trends to watch?
•
The continued growth of ereading among children and adults of all ages.
•
Children growing up in an electronic world will be as used to reading on
devices as on paper.
•
Many children currently prefer print.
•
For the foreseeable future, it is likely that, in schools, ebooks and ereading
will be task-specific: students will prefer ebooks for research, school
assignments and projects, and other “nonfiction” uses. But will still tend to
gravitate to print for pleasure, leisure, and other “fiction” uses.
•
There is a continuing trend toward “one-to-one schools,” where each
student is given a tablet or laptop computer. This will increase exposure to,
and comfort with, electronic content.
•
As some schools shift to etextbooks, it will also have a positive impact on
the growth of ebook usage.
9
Kathryn Zickuhr, “In a digital age, parents value printed books for their kids,” Pew Internet & American Life Project,
May 28, 2013, http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2013/05/28/in-a-digital-age-parents-value-printed-books-for-their-kids/.
10
Kathryn Zickuhr, “Print books vs. e-books: Which is better for what,” Pew Internet & American Life Project, April
13, 2012, http://libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/04/13/print-books-vs-e-books-which-is-better-for-what/.
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•
Ebook demand has continued to slow when compared to previous surveys.
Last year, we suggested it was a temporary lull, but it could be indicative of
a larger trend.
•
Though the general economy is growing, it is still far from robust in many
communities. Economic hardship limits the ability of many to acquire
ereaders or otherwise engage with ebooks—except via their public
libraries.
•
Libraries will still be challenged by paying for new initiatives and
expanded collections.
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APPENDIX: SCHOOL LIBRARIES QUESTIONNAIRE
The Survey Methodology
The ebook survey was developed by Library Journal and School Library Journal
to measure current and projected ebook availability in libraries, user preferences in
terms of access and subjects, and library purchasing terms and influences. The
present report is one-half of an overall survey, the companion of which looked at
public libraries.
LJ’s school library ebook survey was fielded from April 4, 2014 to July 2, 2014. A
survey invite was emailed to all Library Journal and School Library Journal
newsletter subscribers. The survey link was advertised in School Library Journal
newsletters and via SLJ’s social media outlets in April and May. A drawing for an
Apple iPad mini was offered as incentive to reply.
Data presented in this report includes information from 835 U.S. school libraries.
The questionnaire was developed, programmed, hosted and tabulated in-house.
Numbers shown in total were weighted based on NCES (National Center for
Education Statistics) data to represent the percentage breakdown of U.S. school
libraries (Elementary, Middle School, High School) nationwide.
Previous data sets used for comparisons were comprised of 1,271 U.S. school
libraries in 2013, 1,427 U.S. school libraries in 2012, 905 U.S. school libraries in
2011, and 697 U.S. school libraries in 2010.
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School Library Ebook Survey
If you work in more than one school, please answer all questions for the
largest school you serve.
1. How long has your school offered ebooks?
 We do not offer ebooks [If your school has no ebooks, skip to Q 34]
 Less than 6 months
 6 to 12 months
 1 to 2 years
 3 to 4 years
 Longer than 4 years
2. How many ebooks does your library have in your total collection,
including ebooks available through your district, state or a consortium?
 Under 100, specify #________
 100 to 249
 250 to 499
 500 to 999
 1,000 to 2,499
 2,500 to 4,999
 5,000 or more, specify # _______
3. Is your library part of a consortium or state license program for its ebook
collection?
 Yes
 No, but planning to join one
 No
 Don’t know
4. Have you experienced a change in demand for ebooks since this time last
year?
 Dramatic increase in demand
 Slight increase in demand
 Demand is unchanged
 Decreased demand
 We received no requests for ebooks
5. What percent of your library’s ebooks allow for access in each of the
following methods?
One user at a time
_______%
Simultaneous access
_______%
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6. Are ebooks discoverable through your library’s general OPAC?
 Yes
 No
7. Can students access your library’s ebooks from home?  Yes  No
8. Approximately, what was your total ebook usage/circulation for the last
complete school year?
2012-2013 school year usage/circulation _______________
9. Compared to last year, do you expect this school year’s usage of ebooks
will have increased, stayed the same or decreased?
 Increased, by what percentage? ___________%
 Stayed the same
 Decreased, by what percentage? ___________%
10. Are your ebooks more commonly used for lessons/assigned reading or
for recreational/free-choice reading?
 Lesson-driven (teacher selected/assigned title)
 Recreational/free-choice reading
 About equal
 Don’t know
11. Has your school implemented a transition from print textbooks to digital
delivery of texts?
 No, and no plans for digital textbooks
 No, but the school is considering a transition by (specify
year)______________________
 Not yet, but it is mandated by (specify year)______________
 Yes, some new textbooks are purchased digitally
 Yes, all new textbooks are purchased digitally
12. Which categories of ebooks does your school library media center
currently offer? Check all that apply.
 Picture ebooks
 Young adult fiction
 Easy readers
 Young adult nonfiction
 Chapter ebooks
 Classic literature
 Elementary nonfiction
 Graphic novels
 Middle grade fiction
 Reference ebooks
 Middle grade nonfiction
 Other (specify)____________________
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13. Approximately what percent of the ebooks you have available are fiction
versus nonfiction titles? How does this compare to your fiction/nonfiction
breakdown for print books?
Ebooks
_____% fiction _____% nonfiction
Print books
_____% fiction _____% nonfiction
14. What fiction and nonfiction ebook genres or categories are most in
demand in your library? Please select up to three categories for each.
Fiction
Nonfiction
 Adventure/Thrillers
 Animals
 Classic literature
 Biography
 Dystopian fiction
 Careers
 Fantasy
 Crafts/Hobbies
 Folktales, Fables, Myths  General reference
 Graphic novels
 Geography/Travel
 Historical fiction
 Health
 Horror
 History
 Mystery
 Humor
 Picture books
 Language-learning
 Poetry & Drama
 Literary criticism
 Realistic fiction
 Nature
 Romance
 Science/Math/Technology
 Science fiction
 Social situations
 Other
 Sports
 Study aids
 Transportation
 Other
15. What hinders students/faculty from reading your media center’s
ebooks?
 Too few titles available
 Difficult to find/discover ebooks
 Difficult to read onscreen/online
 Difficult to annotate
 Ebooks not available for preferred devices
 Limited access to e-reading devices (at home and/or school)
 Limited access to internet for off-site access
 Users prefer print books
 In demand titles not in ebook format for libraries
 Long wait times for ebooks
 Lack of training
 Technology issues (e.g., slow/complex to download, district restrictions, etc.)
 Students unaware of ebook availability
 Ebook titles not available concurrent with print release
 Other (specify)_____________________________
 None of the above
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16. What device(s) are most commonly used by students to read ebooks?
Please select up to five devices.
School or
Student
library owned
owned
devices
devices


Desktop computer


Laptop


Dedicated ebook reader (e.g., Kindle,
NOOK, Sony Reader)


Tablet (e.g., iPad, Kindle Fire,
Galaxy, Nexus)


Smartphone


iPod Touch or similar


Interactive whiteboard


Other
17. Does your school have a one-to-one device program currently in place
or planned?
 Currently offer one-to-one
 Planning to offer one-to-one, when?_______________________
 No, and no plans [skip to Q20]
18. (If currently have 1:1) How does your school’s one-to-one program
work?
 All students are assigned a personal device for the term
 Students in select classes are assigned a personal device for the term
 Devices are distributed in certain classes but returned at end of class
 Other, please specify: ____________________________
19. (If currently have 1:1) What type(s) of 1:1 devices does your school
provide for students?
 Laptops
 iPad tablets
 Kindle Fire tablets
 Nexus tablets
 Samsung Galaxy tablets
 Other devices, please specify:______________________
20. Does your library have ereading devices available for students to
borrow?
 Yes, but for in-school use only
 Yes, for school and take-home use
 Not currently, but considering [go to Q23]
 No, and no plans to acquire [go to Q23]
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21. If yes, which ereading device(s) does your library currently have
available? Check all that apply.
 Kindle
 iPad or iPad mini
 Kindle Fire tablet
 Nexus tablet
 Kobo Reader
 Galaxy tablet
 Sony Reader
 3M Cloud Readers
 NOOK
 Other tablet, specify:_______________
 NOOK Color
 iPod Touch or similar
 NOOK tablet
 Other (specify) ________________________
22. [If Yes] How many ereading devices does your library have available for
borrow? ______
23a. [If Tablet in Q21 or have 1:1 tablets] Do you load any of the following
educational apps or enhanced ebooks on your school’s tablets? Check all
that apply.
 Interactive educational tools
 Book apps/enhanced ebooks
 Productivity tools for teachers, administrators
 Games
 Other, please specify _________________
 Do not load devices with apps
23b. Please name some of your favorite apps or apps that have been
especially useful:
_________________________________________________________________
24. Do you have a role in making purchasing recommendations/decisions
for ebooks in your school?
 Yes
 No (If No, go to Q33)
25. How has the addition of ebooks to your collection influenced your
purchase of print book formats?
 No influence on print book purchasing
 Buy fewer print books now
 Buy no print books now
 Other, specify:________________________________
26. Approximately what percentage of your library’s materials budget did
ebooks represent last year, in the current school year and what percent do
you predict ebooks will represent in 5 years?
0% 1%-2% 3%-5%
6%11%16%Over
10%
15%
20%
20%







Last year







Currently







In 5 years
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27. How many ebook volumes did your library purchase and/or license
independently in the 2013/2014 school year (not including consortium or
state supplied ebooks)?
 None
 250 to 499
 Under 50, specify #________  500 to 999
 50 to 99
 1,000 to 2,499
 100 to 249
 2,500 or more, specify #_______
28. How much money would you estimate your library spent on ebooks in
the current 2013/2014 school year?
 $0 – all ebooks provided by state/district/consortium
 Less than $200
 $200 - $499
 $500 - $999
 $1,000 - $2,499
 $2,500 - $4,999
 $5,000 or more (specify) $_______________________
 Don’t know
29. [If Q28 > $0] Where did the money to purchase ebooks come from?
Check all that apply.
 Materials budget
 Grant(s)
 Technology budget
 PTA/PTO
 Donations/Fundraised money
 Book fair money
 Vendor credits
 Other (please specify)________________
30. From which vendor(s) do you acquire ebooks for your library? (Check all
that apply)
31a. Which is your preferred ebook vendor?
Q30.
Q31a. One
Ebook
Preferred
vendor(s) used ebook vendor


ABC-CLIO


Abdo Digital


Amazon.com


Baker & Taylor Axis 360


Barnes & Noble


Big Universe


Brain Hive


Britannica Digital Learning


Capstone myON


EBSCOhost


eSebco


FollettShelf


Gale Virtual Reference Library
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Infobase eBooks
Ingram MyiLibrary
Lerner Digital
MackinVIA
OverDrive
Project Gutenberg
Rosen
Rourke Educational Media
Scholastic Storia
StarWalk Kids Media
TumbleBooks
Direct from publisher
Other
(Specify)___________________________
No Preference
122



























31b. Briefly, why did you name that company as your preferred vendor?
_________________________________________________________________
32. What type(s) of purchasing and/or licensing terms does your library
typically use when acquiring ebooks? Check all that apply.
 Purchase with perpetual access
 Pay-per-use ($1 per circ, for
example)
 Purchase with perpetual access
 License with set # of circs model
through self-hosting (local ownership)  Patron-driven acquisition
 Subscription
 Upfront purchase with maintenance
fee
 Concurrent use/access
 Other
(specify)_______________________
 Bundled with other content
33. If you have any comments about ebooks in your media center/school,
please write them below.
(after answering, please skip to Question 36)
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THE 2 NEXT QUESTIONS ARE FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT CURRENTLY
OFFER EBOOKS.
34. Why doesn’t your library offer ebooks? Check all that apply.
 No money for ebooks
 Lack of ereading devices
 Lack of technical support
 Don’t understand logistics of ebooks
 No demand for them from users
 Waiting to see what the best platform will be
 Staff/administrative resistance
 Other (specify)________________________
 We are in the process of adding ebooks
35. What are your library’s plans for ebook purchases in the next two years?
 We will definitely purchase ebooks to add to our collection
 We may purchase ebooks but it is not a priority
 We will definitely NOT purchase ebooks to add to our collection
 Other (specify)______________________________
DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS
36. What is the zip code at your school’s location? __________________
(U.S. only)
37. What type of school do you work in? Check all that apply.
 Elementary school
 Middle/Junior High school
 High school
 Other school (K-8, K-12, etc.), specify grades:________________
 District level/administration
38. Is your school public or private?
 Public
 Private
 Other
39. Which of the following comes closest to your job title?
 Library Media Specialist
 Library Media Generalist
 Teacher Librarian
 Librarian
 District library coordinator/supervisor
 Other (please specify)____________________
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40. Approximately how many students attend the school you work in? If you
work in more than one school or at the district level, please answer for the
largest school you serve.
 Under 200
 1,000 – 1,499
 200 – 499
 1,500 – 1,999
 500 – 749
 2,000 or more, specify #___________
 750 - 999
41. What is your library media center’s total materials budget for this school
year (2013-2014)? If you work in more than one school or at the district
level, please answer for the largest school you serve.
 $0 – no materials budget
 $15,000 - $19,999
 Less than $2,500, specify______
 $20,000 - $24,999
 $2,500 - $4,999
 $25,000 - $29,999
 $5,000 - $9,999
 $30,000 or more, specify:_____________
 $10,000 - $14,999
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