to lend . . . or not

To Lend…

or notrobyn andrews

furman universityrobyn.andrews@furman.edu

Once upon a time…

• Early 2009 - Furman University’s James B Duke Library acquired 2 Amazon Kindle2’s followed several months later by 2 Amazon Kindle DX’s

• Two-week trials were offered to campus faculty and staff over a 3-month period to assess using Kindles on campus either departmentally or in the classroom.

• At the end of the trial, participants were asked to complete a short survey about their experience using the Amazon Kindle.

Kindle DX (1st Gen):June 10, 2009

3rd Generation:August 27, 2010

2nd generation:February 9, 2009

1st generation:November 19, 2007

14 months

4 months

18 months

33 monthsand we’re not done . . .

• Before the trial, 90% of participants had heard of the Kindle but had not used one.

• Participants were evenly divided as to their perception of the ease of use of the Kindle, ranging from “somewhat difficult” to “very easy” to learn.

• All participants found the readability of the Kindle to be good or excellent due to e-ink technology.

• Of those who downloaded sources to the Kindle, the majority reported this process to be “easy.”

Survey Says . . .

• Responses were mixed as to using the Kindle in lieu of Pascal or ILL—38% responded that they would not use the Kindle for these purposes.

• In open ended responses all but one participant suggested that we should continue to investigate using the Kindle.

• Using the Kindle for ILL, reserves and for the general purpose of learning this new technology were suggested.

Survey Says . . .

=

The amazon kindle is great for leisure reading but not yet ready for the academic environment.

My Kindle

1984

amazon

amazon

EXPLOS

ION!

the e-reader killers?!?!

iPhoneiPod

iPad

aycaramba!

et al . . .

e-book reader apps

The Sequel• In April, 2010, the James B Duke Library

at Furman University acquired 8 Apple iPads

• An E-reader Committee was formed to assess possible academic and/or library applications for iPads and they were distributed to committee members for review.

• The committee met several times to create policies and considerations for future acquisition of e-reading devices.

The Decision“The libraries will build and promote digital collections and will develop

expertise to become a campus

resource in the applications of

digital e-readers.”

KINDLE

NOOK

iPAD

ROCKET

The Decision• The library will focus on building a digital

collection that is accessible regardless of the electronic device used.

• The library will actively develop expertise on the use of e-reading capable devices

• Judiciously purchase a small number of representative e-reading capable devices for evaluation when significant product advancement warrants.

who?what?

when?where?

why?

Ask the questions:

who?• is the end user? • will manage devices?• will fix broken devices?• decides what content to

download?

what?• is the purpose of acquiring e-

reading devices?• level of service (expertise)

will be expected from the patron as individual device owner or as device borrower?

when?• will your e-reading device

become obsolete? will it?• do we purchase a new device

that’s introduced to the market? or a new version of existing purchases?

where?• will content reside? are you

sure?

• will the devices circulate - in library use only? outside?

why?• are we getting into the

electronic device lending business?

the world may never know