Scholarly e-books: the views of 16, 000 academics: Results from the JISC National E-Book Observatory

Purpose – This study, a part of JISC-funded UK National E-Books Observatory, aims to find out about the perspective of students and academics, the main e-book users, on e-books. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides an analysis of two open-ended questions about e-books, contained in a UK national survey conducted between 18 January and 1 March 2008. The survey obtained a response from more than 20,000 academic staff and students; 16,000 free-text responses were obtained to these two questions. Findings – The study discloses that convenience associated with online access along with searchability was the biggest advantage of e-books. The study shows a potential market for e-textbooks; however, e-books have yet to become more student-friendly by improving features such as printing and screenreading. Originality/value – This is the biggest survey of its kind ever conducted and it improves one’s knowledge of what the academic community thinks of e-books.