Abstract
Changes and advancements in information and communication technologies (ICTs) over the past two decades had a huge impact on all aspects of human life including education and the way academic libraries support teaching, learning and research. Related to the development and impact of ICT is managing the expectations of library users; therefore many libraries envisaged that going forward e-books would play a huge role in supporting the agenda of their parent institutions (Jbeen et al., 2021). In line with this strategy, the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Library invested in building a significant e-book collection. However, the perceptions of the librarians at the institution, early usage statistics and literature available at the time indicated that e-book collections are not used to their full potential. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors have an impact on access to and use of e-books by undergraduate students at the UJ.
The study was completed using pragmatism as the philosophical paradigm and sequential mixed methods as methodology for the data collection and analysis. This methodology allowed the researcher to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to determine why students prefer specific information resources and what factors have an impact on the use or non-use of e-books. The quantitative data were gathered using stratified sampling. The focus groups were compiled according to the faculty which allowed the researcher to determine if there are any significant differences or similarities in the use of e-books per faculty.
Although several studies have been done on the use of e-books globally, there seems to be little information available with regard to the use of e-books in Africa and South Africa. Furthermore, literature on the use of e-books at faculty level, in the African and South African context, seems to be limited. The findings of this study can therefore contribute to an understanding of this topic, in the context of the specific circumstances and challenges faced by South African and African academic libraries.
The findings of this study indicated that, in relation to the different formats of information resources the library offers to its users, students of this institution prefer to make use of e-books. However, there are significant barriers preventing the optimal use of e-books such as a lack of awareness of e-books provided by the library, the information-seeking behaviour of students as digital natives and the impact of the digital divide.
The researcher concluded that there were similarities in the use of e-books per faculty, but that distinct differences also existed and that these should be taken into account when developing e-book collections and creating awareness of this resource. An important recommendation made based on this research is that a holistic approach towards possible interventions should be considered when attempting to stimulate e-book use. Although students are regarded as digital natives, their needs for human interaction and support should not be underestimated.
Keywords: E-books, e-book usage, academic libraries, e-books and ICTs, e-book awareness, e-books and South African, e-books digital divide.