Exploring faculty experiences with e‐books: a focus group
| Date | 13 June 2008 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830810880342 |
| Published date | 13 June 2008 |
| Pages | 244-254 |
| Author | Danielle M. Carlock,Anali Maughan Perry |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Exploring faculty experiences
with e-books: a focus group
Danielle M. Carlock
Polytechnic Campus Library, Arizona State University, Mesa,
Arizona, USA, and
Anali Maughan Perry
Arizona State University Libraries, Arizona State University, Tempe,
Arizona, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe how, in the spring of 2007, Arizona State
University Libraries held a focus group of selected faculty to discover their perceptions and use of
electronic books (e-books) in their research and teaching.
Design/methodology/approach – The services of the Institute of Social Sciences Research were
employed to recruit and moderate the focus group. Major themes explored were: use of e-books as
textbooks; use of e-books for personal research; comparison between e-books and print; disciplinary
differences in perceptions of e-books; and motivators for future use.
Findings – Overall, the focus group revealed that faculty had generally unsatisfactory experiences in
using e-books in their research and teaching owing to the unreliability of access, lack of
manipulability, and the steep learning curve of the various interfaces. However, most faculty agreed
that e-books would be a very viable and useful alternative if these issues were resolved.
Research limitations/implications – The focus group consisted of only six faculty members and
hence is not representative of faculty as a whole. A larger survey of a more diverse faculty population
would greatly serve to clarify and expand upon the findings.
Practical implications – The implications for academic libraries include providing better outreach
and training to faculty about the e-book platforms offered, provide better course support, and advocate
to e-book vendors to consider faculty’s teaching and research needs in their product development.
Originality/value – This is believed to be the first published study of faculty opinions and use of
e-books utilizing focus group methodology and offers detailed information that would be useful for
academic libraries and e-book vendors for evidence-based decisions.
Keywords Electronic books,Academic staff, Focus groups, Academic libraries
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Research I institution, Arizona State
University (ASU) has been undergoing massive growth in the last decade and is now
one of the largest universities in the nation in terms of enrollment. In the Fall 2007
semester, ASU enrolled nearly 65,000 students. ASU has been working towards a new
model of higher education, a “New American University”, defined as “a single, unified
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
The authors would like to thank their colleague, Sheila Hofstetter MLS, Health Sciences
Librarian at ASU Libraries, for reviewing this manuscript and providing very valuable feedback.
They would also like to thank Christopher Perry for his editing skills. Additionally, they are
indebted to Michael Levine-Clark, Collections Librarian for the University of Denver, who shared
invaluable data.
LHT
26,2
244
Received 6 December 2007
Revised 26 January 2008
Accepted 29 January 2008
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 26 No. 2, 2008
pp. 244-254
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/07378830810880342
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