Checking out e-books<\/h3>\n\n
How they find out about the process<\/strong><\/p>\n\n The patrons who responded to our online questionnaire generally learned about e-book lending at their library either at their library\u2019s physical branch or through direct online communication from the library. One patron learned about e-book lending from signage inside the library, but added, \u201cOur library director uses the Facebook page to communicate, which works really well for me.\u201d (About seven in ten libraries use social networking tools such as Facebook, according to the ALA.[40. numoffset=”40″ \u201cLibraries Connect Communities: Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study 2011-2012,\u201d the American Library Association and the Information Policy & Access Center (University of Maryland), June 19, 2012.\nhttp:\/\/www.ala.org\/research\/plftas\/2011_2012<\/a>]) Additionally, many patrons heard about e-book lending from their library\u2019s newsletters (both print and email).<\/p>\n\n Some patrons saw announcements on their library\u2019s websites\u2014especially patrons who were already using the library\u2019s website regularly to reserve books. Still others simply noticed the option for e-books in online catalogues by chance. \u201cI heard libraries starting to lend e-books in the general media, so I went to my library website to see if they offered that service. The library doesn’t communicate with me very well, except for overdue\/pickup notices,\u201d one e-book borrower in our online panel told us, adding that she wished the library would make use of social media. \u201cI want to feel more connected to what is happening there, but don’t find out about anything until I visit the branch and see posters on the walls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Others learned of the program through word-of-mouth or local newspaper ads. \u201cA friend told me,\u201d one patron told us. \u201cIn a small town word of mouth is always the most effective way to communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Finally, many had been unaware of whether or not their library offered e-books, but started seeking out information on e-book borrowing once they had purchased an e-reader (or were thinking of getting one).<\/p>\n\n Many librarians told us that they wanted to increase their advertising efforts. \u201cI’d like to partner more with local business to get the word out and do some more in-house advertising,\u201d one said.<\/p>\n\n Another librarian pointed out that while the local library system publicized its e-book collection on the library\u2019s website and social media accounts, these methods were best at reaching patrons who were already \u201cplugged in\u201d to the library\u2019s services:<\/p>\n\n \u201cWe publicize on the library website, the library’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, and in house. The trouble is that libraries don’t tend to have money available for marketing. We’d love to spread the word in places where we might catch the attention of people who don’t regularly use the library; we just can’t afford to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Another respondent described the struggle to reach new audiences:<\/p>\n\n [money]<\/p>\n\n\n For some e-book borrowers, however, system labels and nomenclature was not necessarily intuitive. One patron wrote, \u201cI was with a friend at the branch who told me. I then picked up a card with the URL. The name of the program is OverDrive which makes no sense. I would have had no idea of what it was if the person I was with had not given me the hint.\u201d A librarian also mentioned that awareness was not everything. \u201cI think most patrons know about the services, but some are not quite sure how to go about actually downloading titles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n Finally, though many library staff members said that they could do more to raise patrons\u2019 awareness of e-book lending, some said that there was no need to bring in more e-book borrowers until their e-book holdings could handle them. \u201cI am concerned that demand so far outstrips the availability in our community that I will create too many dissatisfied users with more publicity and no more funds or availability of titles,\u201d one director told us. Another respondent added, \u201cAt this point we are almost able to keep up with demand for titles with no special promotion. There is no plan for a special promotion until collection is larger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n The checkout process<\/strong><\/p>\n\n Among the librarians who took our online questionnaire, the most common platform for e-book lending mentioned was OverDrive, although many said they used services such as TumbleBooks, NetLibrary, and Project Gutenberg.[41. Note: This was not an exhaustive list, and respondents could choose multiple answers. And though our opt-in online questionnaire focused on public libraries, staff from many types of libraries participated.]<\/p>\n\n Some patrons gave an overview of the sometimes complicated process and their reactions:<\/p>\n\n Most respondents said their e-books could be checked out for two or three weeks on average, and many could choose how long they wanted that period to be (one, two, or three weeks). In general, our e-book borrowers said that 21 days was usually enough time to read a book, but many wished for the ability to renew. Many also mentioned that they can\u2019t or don\u2019t know how to return e-books before the check-out period is up, which could contribute to longer wait lists for other patrons.<\/p>\n\n [can be checked out for]<\/p>\n\n\n [Two weeks is]<\/p>\n\n\n As one patron said, \u201cyou are constantly watching the calendar, because if the checkout period expires while you are reading it, it could be months before you are able to check it out again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Selection of e-books in libraries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n In our nationally-representative phone survey, the 12% of e-book readers who borrow e-books from libraries are generally positive about the selection they are offered. Among those who borrowed e-books from a public library in 2011, almost two-thirds say the selection at their library is \u201cgood\u201d (32%), \u201cvery good\u201d (18%), or \u201cexcellent\u201d (16%). Some 23% say the selection is only \u201cfair,\u201d and 4% say it is \u201cpoor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Though the samples of subpopulations were usually too small to do detailed analysis, the people who were most tied to their libraries and felt most strongly about the library were more satisfied with the selection of e-books that was available to them.<\/p>\n\n All this evaluation by patrons comes amidst growing demand for e-book lending by libraries. According to the \u201c2011 E-book Penetration & Use in U.S. Libraries Survey\u201d by Library Journal<\/em> and School Library Journal<\/em>, 66% of public libraries \u201creported a steep increase in e-book requests\u201d in the previous year; they generally expect e-book circulation to double in the coming year.[42. http:\/\/www.thedigitalshift.com\/2011\/10\/ebooks\/dramatic-growth-ljs-second-annual-ebook-survey\/<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n Issues patrons have encountered<\/strong><\/p>\n\n We asked those who borrowed e-books whether they had experienced several of the difficulties that could be associated with such borrowing and found that:<\/p>\n\n For the sake of comparison, we asked in our December 2011 survey if those who had read an e-book in the past year had experienced several e-book problems at bookstores or online retailers and found that 30% of e-book readers found the store or website did not carry the e-book they wanted and 8% found that the store\/website version was not compatible with their digital-reading device.<\/p>\n\n \u00a0<\/strong>Availability<\/em><\/p>\n\n The most common complaint among those who checked out e-books from their public library was lack of availability, with 56% of e-book borrowers saying that a book they wanted to borrow was not carried by their public library.<\/p>\n\n Our online patron focus groups frequently spoke of wanting more e-books available at their libraries, especially for bestsellers\u2014\u201cMore copies of books, more books available, longer checkout times,\u201d one suggested. However, despite patrons\u2019 frustrations, they were often aware of the constraints (budgetary and otherwise) their libraries faced. One respondent wrote, \u201cThe collection could be improved, but I trust the collection will grow as the technology becomes more ingrained into society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n The average public library has 4,350 e-books available for check-out.[43. \u201c2011 E-book Penetration & Use in U.S. Libraries Survey\u201d from Library Journal and School Library Journal<\/em> http:\/\/www.thedigitalshift.com\/2011\/10\/ebooks\/dramatic-growth-ljs-second-annual-ebook-survey\/<\/a>] As OverDrive spokesman David Burleigh told the Washington Post<\/em>, it is possible that the relative scarcity of digital titles may be unavoidable due to the rate of technological change. \u201cLibraries have had decades to build their physical catalogues,\u201d he said, while the demand for e-books is a relatively recent phenomenon.[44. Christian Davenport, \u201cAs demand for e-books soars, libraries struggle to stock their virtual shelves.\u201d Washington Post<\/em>, A20, January 14, 2012. http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/as-demand-for-e-books-soars-libraries-struggle-to-stock-their-virtual-shelves\/2012\/01\/13\/gIQAkIOXzP_story.html<\/a>] For instance, at the Chicago Public Library, Computer World reported in January that \u201cthere are currently 6,443 e-book titles for borrowing, comprising about 3% of the total collection.\u201d[45. http:\/\/www.computerworld.com\/s\/article\/9223535\/E_book_library_borrowing_hits_record_pace<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n Perhaps unsurprisingly, availability was a less of a problem for e-book purchasers. Among all e-book readers, 30% had found that an online store did not carry a particular e-book they wanted to purchase.<\/p>\n\n Waiting lists<\/em><\/p>\n\n Even when a library has a digital title in its holdings, the e-book may still be unavailable for quite some time due to long wait lists. In our survey, 52% of e-book borrowers in 2011 had found that there was a waiting list for an e-book they wished to borrow from the public library. Of course, it is often the case that popular titles in printed books are also subject to wait lists.<\/p>\n\n Among the library staff who responded to our online questionnaire, a majority said that on average the waiting lists for the most popular books were a few weeks, although many also said that waiting lists were often several months for the most popular titles.<\/p>\n\n The DC metro area offers one example of how the high demand for e-books is creating extremely long waiting lists. In Fairfax County, for instance, \u201cofficials more than doubled the inventory of e-book copies from 2010 to 2011, to more than 10,000, but demand for the books tripled in that time,\u201d according to the Washington Post, <\/em>resulting in an average wait time of about three weeks. The article cited Elizabeth Rhodes, collection services coordinator for the Fairfax library system, who said that while up to 85% of the system’s e-books are checked out on a typical day, this percentage grew to 98% after the holiday gift-giving season\u2014a time period when tablet and e- reader ownership nearly doubled among American adults.[46. http:\/\/libraries.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/internet\/2012\/01\/23\/tablet-and-e-book-reader-ownership-nearly-double-over-the-holiday-gift-giving-period\/<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n The patrons in our online panel had encountered many wait lists for popular titles. \u201cI don’t think I’ve ever found a single book I wanted to check out without a waiting list, and my tastes are pretty broad,\u201d one told us. The waits were not necessarily very long for some titles\u2014\u201ca week or two generally\u201d\u2014but they make it that much harder to find something available now<\/em>. Some patrons said they often put holds on a number of books with long wait lists, only to find that many of the books become available simultaneously: \u201cWait times are long for popular titles, no way to stagger requests (if waiting on 5 titles and all become available at once, it’s use it or lose it), and the selection isn’t real great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Many patrons found the specific restrictions on digital content counterintuitive. One mused that it \u201cseems absurd that there is only ONE copy of an e-book in demand and that only one person can use it at a time. That makes sense for a print copy, but not for an e-book.\u201d<\/p>\n\n Compatibility<\/em><\/p>\n\n With the wide variety of e-book reading devices and e-book formats available, compatibility between devices is a major concern for libraries with digital collections.<\/p>\n\n One way this issue is managed is by partnering with an e-book distributor such as OverDrive, which manages an array of digital content for 18,000 libraries and schools in 21 countries, including 15,000 in the United States.[47. http:\/\/lj.libraryjournal.com\/2012\/01\/industry-news\/adding-kindle-compatibility-expanded-overdrives-u-s-library-network-by-36-percent\/<\/a>] OverDrive generally charges public libraries a set fee for use of their checkout system, as well as a fee per title for patrons to borrow.[48. http:\/\/www.deseretnews.com\/article\/705394575\/SL-library-pays-more-for-e-books-than-for-print.html<\/a>] The OverDrive catalog for libraries now includes 700,000 copyrighted e-book, audiobook, music, and video titles in 52 languages. Some 35 million digital titles were checked out via OverDrive in 2011.[49. OverDrive Press Release, \u201ce-book Discovery and Sampling Skyrocketing at Public Libraries,\u201d January 19, 2012. Accessed January 19, 2012. http:\/\/www.overdrive.com\/News\/e-book-Discovery-and-Sampling-Skyrocketing-at-Public-Libraries<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n Prior to 2011, e-book borrowers were able to check out several formats of e-books from their local libraries\u2014including ePub, the free, \u201cuniversal\u201d e-book standard set by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) since 2007, used by Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Sony, and Google Books.[50. http:\/\/idpf.org\/epub<\/a>] However, e-book borrowers could not check out books on Amazon\u2019s Kindle, the predominant e-reader at the time.[51. http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/04\/21\/technology\/21amazon.html<\/a>] In 2011, however, Amazon partnered with OverDrive, and in September 2011 library patrons who own Kindles were able to borrow Kindle books from public and school libraries in the United States.[52. http:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20110420005787\/en\/Amazon-Launch-Library-Lending-Kindle-books<\/a> Kindles still cannot read ePub, although there are several programs available to convert ePub files to a Kindle-readable format.]<\/p>\n\n At the end of 2011, compatibility with the patron\u2019s e-reader was not the most prominent problem among those who borrowed e-books from a public library in the past 12 months; about one in five e-book borrowers (18%) said they had wanted to borrow a particular e-book from their public library and found that it was not compatible with their e-book reading device.<\/p>\n\n For many in our online respondent pool of e-book borrowers, tracking down the right file format was an occasional but persistent headache. \u201cThe muddling of different formats can be a pain,\u201d one wrote, \u201cEspecially if a book you want is available, but not in your preferred format. I always have to set my searches to leave out audiobooks, since I rarely am interested in those.\u201d Others found it difficult to locate the correct copy. \u201cOn numerous occasions I was not paying attention and checked out the wrong format for my reader,\u201d another respondent said.<\/p>\n\n\n
Borrowing e-books: The good, the bad, and OverDrive<\/h3>\n\n
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