Since we launched our annual survey of ebook trends in libraries in 2010, we have
seen ebook usage explode among the general public and in public libraries, while
ebook adoption by U.S. school libraries has expanded more slowly. Currently 66%
of schools nationwide offer ebooks, an increase of ten percentage points over last
year’s survey. Tallies of the number of ebooks available and their usage, however,
remain low.
Several factors are driving the slow rate of ebook adoption in school libraries and
among children in general. Our data shows that limited access to ereading devices
and cost (school library budgets are decidedly less than lavish) are keeping school
librarians from investing more in ebooks. In addition, student demand for ebooks
is not as robust as the demand for them in public libraries. School librarians
reported that often student awareness of school ebook collections is low, and many
students have a clear preference for print books, at least for certain types of
reading. Indeed, one recurring comment is that school library staff and faculty are
more excited about ebooks than the kids are.