Status : Verified
| Personal Name | Davila, Rovan Benedict L. |
|---|---|
| Resource Title | A comparative study on the e-book file formats and their usage levels in selected universities in Metro Manila |
| Date Issued | 10 April 2013 |
| Abstract | Electronic books or e-books, is essentially a digital media format containing texts, images, and sounds about a certain field of knowledge. Its usage has steadily increased over the past years with the growth of sales and popularity of electronic readers and devices (e-readers) such as smart phones, tablet computers, etc. Thus, libraries in the United States and other countries have started to take advantage of this new format, and they are consistently improving their e-books, services and expanding their e-books collections. This research aims to describe the current trends of the e-book format in the Philippines, which is currently at its early stage and only adapted by a handful of private schools and universities in Metro Manila. It plans to describe the library processes involved in using, acquiring, and lending these materials, and to define any possible effects they may cause to library usage. The research also aims to provide in-depth analyses of the e-book collections of the selected library institutions, including policies being implemented to maintain the digital resources. It also plans to assess the current state of usage of the e-book resources, and their corresponding effects on library attendance and usage of printed materials. Additionally, the awareness, familiarity, perception, and preferences of users will also be determined in the study. Interviews with the academic heads, technical administrators, and librarians of each institution will be conducted in order to collect data on different e-book formats being used in each school, as well as information on methods of usage, and features and limitations of each file format. A statistical data on the number of students going to the library will also be collected in order to determine the possible effects of e-book usage to the library presence and usage of students. A statistical survey among the students of each selected university (UP, AdMU, DLSU, UST) will also be conducted in order to assess the awareness and satisfaction level of the students using the e-book materials. Unfortunately, the requests for interviews from DLSU and UST were refused so minimal information were collected from both universities. However, based on the responses from the librarians of UP Diliman College of Engineering and the AdMU Rizal Library, the use of e-book resources of the selected library institutions, along with the different file formats associated with the collection is very minimal. The library staff members admittedly stated that the service hasn't reached the target number of usage. The e-book resources in the institutions are rarely used at the moment and as such, the effect of e-book usage on user attendance and usage of printed materials is very little. However, the survey and the interviews suggested increased usage of the digital format in the near future. The survey specifically implied a very positive attitude among the respondents towards using e-books for academic purposes since the digital format is well-suited for academic topics like science, mathematics, engineering, and other technology-based subjects. The library policies of each selected institution on acquiring, lending/loaning, classifying, and maintaining e-book collections are at their early stages and as such, still somewhat limited. The marketing methods being implemented to promote the collection is continuously done by the library staff members. The level of awareness and familiarity of users towards using e-books are both very high. Users perceive e-books as a helpful media for academic-related works, but still prefer printed materials over the digital format. The survey also showed that the majority of users think that e-books are more effective and helpful when it comes to completing academic and research work, but overall they still prefer using the conventional printed materials over the digital ones. This fact also highlights the positive attitude of users toward using e-books, and also their reluctance to make full use of the digital format. |
| Degree Course | Bachelor of Library and Information Science |
| Language | English |
| Keyword | Electronic books; Metro Manila; Use studies |
| Material Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
Preliminary Pages
216.60 Kb