EDUCAUSE | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and E-Books

Ithaka’s 2006 Studies of Key Stakeholders in the Digital Transformation in Higher Education

ckeller — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:51:48 -0500

Ithaka's 2006 survey of faculty members sought to determine their attitudes related to online resources, electronic archiving, teaching and learning and related subjects. This study affords the opportunity to develop trend analysis of many measurements collected in the 2003 and 2000 faculty surveys. As in the past, Ithaka developed a robust set of disciplinary and other demographic analyses that have allowed them to learn more about how best to serve the needs of different types of faculty members. Findings include;

Attitudes towards the possibility of a transition away from print format, both for scholarly journals and monographs
Perceptions of libraries and their value, including specific library functions, and how these perceptions are changing
Preferences in research practices, including disciplinary differences and changes over time
Attitudes towards archiving of both print and electronic resources
Preferences that lead authors to choose among scholarly journals in which to publish their articles, as well as attitudes towards digital repositories

Next Steps for E-Texts

ckeller — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:20:49 -0500

Predicting when e-textbooks will become a viable alternative to the dead-tree variety churned from printing presses to millions of college students a year is a bit like asking whether newspapers will give way to the Internet. Everyone thinks they will, but it’s a question of when, and what the new paradigm will look like.

Free digital texts begin to challenge costly college textbooks in California

ckeller — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:53:43 -0500

Would-be reformers are trying to beat the high cost -- and, they say, the dumbing down -- of college materials by writing or promoting open-source, no-cost online texts.

Market Formation for E-Books: Diffusion, Confusion or Delusion?

ckeller — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 17:11:43 -0600

The issues addressed in this article are not about the E-Book market outcome, but the factors influencing the process of E-Book adoption.

E-Textbooks — for Real This Time?

ckeller — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:41:53 -0600

For years, some have predicted a shift — and then not seen it take place. But changes in technology, ventures by publishers and worries over textbook prices might make this the time.

e-Books for the Future: Here But Hiding?

drupal — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 17:01:12 -0600

The author outlines some developments in e-book technologies and links them to existing ways of presenting textbook information.

Compaq founder pushes for academic library online

drupal — Tue, 14 Mar 2006 14:18:46 -0600

Ever wonder where Compaq founder Rod Canion is? He's with Questia Media, which wants to bring a university-class library to a high school near you.

Libraries Fear Digital Lockdown

drupal — Tue, 07 Feb 2006 10:15:59 -0600

In comments submitted to the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group, which is investigating digital rights management (DRM) technologies, the British Library has expressed strong concerns about the long-term viability of electronic resources. Content producers increasingly use DRM to limit unauthorized access to electronic materials, but officials from the library said the protections also threaten legitimate uses of content. Use of materials held by libraries constitutes an important exception to copyright laws, according to Clive Field, the British Library's director of scholarships and collections, but DRM tools inadvertently upset the balance between appropriate exceptions and the rights of content owners. Moreover, long-term access is at risk. Even when copyright expires for a work, the DRM tools applied to its electronic version will still be in place. If the owner cannot be contacted, there might be no way to unlock materials that are no longer covered by copyright. "This will fundamentally threaten the longstanding and accepted concepts of fair dealing and library privilege," according to the British Library's statement, "and undermine...legitimate public good access."

Survey of the Providers of Electronic Publications Holding Contracts with Spanish University Libraries

drupal — Wed, 18 May 2005 11:07:36 -0500

This article describes a qualitative analysis of the electronic scientific contents distributed by the main providers of electronic publications subscribed in the Spanish academic libraries. The purpose of the analysis was to define the providers' global coverage, access architecture, search benefits, interface characteristics, functionalities and services of added value.

Ebooks in UK Public Libraries: where we are now and the way ahead

drupal — Tue, 14 Sep 2004 11:24:20 -0500

An issue paper from the Networked Services Policy Task Group.