2008 eBook Study OverviewAre Librarians and Publishers on the Same Page?

Janet FisherSenior Publishing ConsultantPublishers Communications Group

Emilie DelquieHead of ResearchPublishers Communications Group

PublishersCommunicationGroup

E-Books in 2009Results of a telephone survey completed by Publishers Communication Group

Janet FisherMarch 18, 2009

Overview

About PCGMethodology and ScopeSurvey Results

Purchasing preferencesSubject areasEnd-users’ perspectiveLibrarians’ perspective

Q&A

About Publishers Communication Group

Consulting group based in Cambridge, MA and Oxford (UK) founded in 1990

Staff of 22 with either a publishing or library background

Offers marketing and research services for publishers

Works with over 30,000 libraries around the world

Survey Methodology & Scope

100 librarians in the US interviewed over the phone in February 2009

Same survey conducted a year ago

Sample selected at random, but all e-Books usersLibrarians held authoritative position in the e-Books acquisition decision-making process

11 questions: multiple-choice and open endedIncluded monographs, textbooks and reference works

Sample breakdown

Based on the 2007 Carnegie Classification

Institutions classified by the CC2000 field

SURVEY RESULTS

Purchasing Preference

89% do not have a formal migration plan

Librarians prefer to buy e-Books:By collection (71)By platform (66)As single titles (43)

79% focus on their frontlist collection

62% are unlikely to also buy the same book in print in 2009

Likelihood of buying print and online copies (n=100)

2009 2008

Most popular subject clusters

for e-Books purchases

End-users’ experience - Positive

Generally well-received (especially with younger users)Increased convenience with 24/7 and remote access

Searchability to get access to quick facts

Copy & paste functions

Breadth of collections

Ease of use for students rated by librarians

End-users’ experience – Less Positive

Lack of consistency across platformsLogistics of reading a whole book online

Software requirementsFirewall issuesComfort

Printing limitsConcurrent use limitationsFinding e-Book in library catalog

Libraries’ internal challenges

29% reported having no new challenges

Others commented on:Cataloging & software requirements Funds allocation & gaining administration and faculty’s supportGenerating usage & evaluating statsPerpetual access & license agreementsPricing modelsRedefining workflows and rolesYet…

How much has your book selection process in the STM changed due to the increase availability of e-Books?

1 - Not at all 2 3 -

Somewhat 4 5 – Completely

Doctoral / Research

Universities3 5 10 4 2

Master’s Colleges and Universities

18 3 7 1 1

Baccalaureate Colleges

19 5 2 3 -

Associate Colleges

11 3 - 3 -

Total 51 16 19 11 3

Opportunities for libraries

Faculty support for e-Books is on the rise in Doctoral / Research Universities and Master’s Colleges and Universities

47% will spend the same amount on e-Books in 2009 than in 2008 in spite of recent budget cuts

Publishers’ offerings are increasingly more flexible and uniform

Consortia offer interesting opportunities to test new pricing models

Conclusion

Evolving offeringsCommunication between librarians, end-users and publishers is keyFlexibility and standardization required from publishersOptions to unbundle and consider books at chapter level Opportunities for new content to be published and available more quickly

Thank you

Questions and comments are most welcome!

Janet FisherPublishers Communication Group

T: 617-395-4033E: jfisher@pcgplus.com

www.pcgplus.com