Digital Book World (@DigiBookWorld) editorial director Jeremy Greenfield (@JDGsaid) says, “Publishers worried that readers who borrow ebooks from libraries don’t buy books can put those worries to rest."
According to a new study from the The Pew Research Center's (@PewResearch) Internet & American Life Project (@pewinternet), those who borrow ebooks from libraries also purchase ebooks. When ebook borrowers were asked by Pew how they acquired the last ebook they read, 41% said they bought it.
“Ebook borrowers are book lovers,” says Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet project. “They the heaviest book-reading cohort of the ones we measured. They are more into books than even ebook readers, the larger group they fall into.”
Findings from the study:
· 12% of readers of ebooks borrowed an ebook from the library in the past year.
· But 58% of all library card holders say they don’t know if their library provides ebook lending services.
· 55% of all those who say the library is “very important” to them say they don’t know if their library lends ebooks.
· 53% of all tablet computer owners say they don’t know if their library lends ebooks.
· 48% of all owners of ebook reading devices such as original Kindles and NOOKs say they don’t know if their library lends ebooks.
· 47% of all those who read an ebook in the past year say they don’t know if their library lends ebooks.
· E-book borrowers appreciate the selection of ebooks at their local library, but they often encounter wait lists, unavailable titles, or incompatible file formats.
· Many Americans would like to learn more about borrowing ebooks.
· 58% of Americans have a library card, and 69% say their local library is important to them and their family.
· Leading-edge librarians and patrons say the advent of ebooks has produced a major transformation in book searching and borrowing at libraries.
Read the study, Libraries, Patrons, and Ebooks, in full.
In his blogpost, “Does Pew study prove ebooks in libraries are safe for publishers?,” Mike Shatzkin (@MikeShatzkin) says, “The latest Pew ebook study seems to me to confirm that the publishers are doing the right thing for sales by constricting the availability of many of the most attractive books from library shelves.”
Also see PBS’ MediaShift (@PBSMediaShift), “What Is the Role of Libraries in the Age of Ebooks and Digital Information?” and FOX News’ (@FoxNews) article, “How to borrow Ebooks from the library.”
Also see our previous blogposts, “Ebooks Projected to Comprise 50% of US Trade Book Market By 2016” and “Extensive New Study: The Rise of E-reading.”
Contact Somersault (@smrsault) to help you publish and market your brand’s content in pbooks and ebooks.
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