Mobile Access to E-books at Yale

Lisa Carlucci Thomas

Digital Collections Librarian

Yale University Library

September 2009

I. Introduction

At the Yale University Library, e-books collections increased from approximately 475,000 titles

in 2005 to over 1,000,000 titles in 2009. Concurrently, the demand for mobile access to

information and e-books in particular has grown; fueled by technological developments and by

the expanding number of digitized and born digital e-books readily available to consumers.

This study explores the use of mobile devices to access the e-book collections of the Yale

University Library; with the objective of identifying the percentage of e-book collections that

can be accessed using such devices. The Yale University Library currently provides access to

over one million e-books through subscription or purchase. E-book collections include content

from ABC-Clio, ebrary, Elsevier, NetLibrary, Oxford University Press, Springer, and many

more. With an increasing amount of library funds allocated to e-books, and ongoing

advancements in the mobile technology and the e-book industries, it is important for us to be

aware of how well mobile devices support access to library electronic collections. This study

examines access to of a subset of e-book collections of the Yale University Library using four

mobile devices.
 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 2

II. Technology

The term ‘mobile devices’ refers broadly to any portable digital apparatus used to facilitate

reading e-books, from smart phones to pocket personal computers to handheld e-book readers.

For the purpose of this study, four devices were selected from the spectrum of mobile readers on

the market: the commercially popular Amazon Kindle 2 and Sony Reader PRS-500; the robustly

featured iRex iLiad 2nd edition; and the multi-purpose Apple iPod Touch (with identical

firmware to the iPhone). These devices, selected for this study in 2008, offer varying advantages

depending on the needs of the user.

 Amazon Kindle 2.0

The Amazon Kindle 2.0 is the e-reader device with the most widely popular following.

Kindle has an eInk screen; and it offers direct purchase of e-book titles from the Amazon

store, and wireless content delivery through Amazon’s proprietary Whispernet cellular

network . Drawbacks of the Kindle are the requirement of a personal account for e-book

purchases, clunky workarounds for downloading non-Amazon books into the required

Amazon file format (AZW), and the lack of full web browser.

 Sony Reader PRS-500

Like the Amazon Kindle 2.0, the Sony Reader PRS-500 is a dedicated e-reader equipped

with an eInk screen, though slightly smaller than the Kindle 2.0. The Sony Reader requires a
 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 3

computer connection with specialized Sony e-book software to download content; there is no

option for wireless functionality and no web browser.

 iRex iLiad 2nd edition

The iRex iLiad 2nd edition offers similar features to the Amazon Kindle 2.0 and Sony Reader

PRS-500, with more advanced capability. The iLiad has an eInk touch screen, stylus

annotation, and it supports many common formats. The iLiad is wi-fi compatible, but does

not contain a fully functional browser. It is one of the most expensive of the dedicated e-

book readers, and is not readily available in the US market and must be purchased online

from iRex (and shipped to the US from the Netherlands).

 Apple iPod Touch

The Apple iPod Touch, and its firmware equivalent, the iPhone, are becoming increasingly

common on campus. Its small size, wireless access to content, Safari mobile browser, and

application store provide the convenience and opportunity to access e-books of multiple

format types. This device connects seamlessly to the Yale wireless network, and offers VPN

functionality. Of all mobile devices tested, the Apple iPod Touch is the only device with an

LCD touch screen; it is also the smallest and most lightweight of the four devices.

III. Methodology

Sample
 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 4

Once the devices were chosen, the first step was to select the sample to be tested. We used a

locally created spreadsheet of e-book packages in the Yale University Library collection as the

source document and considered several sorting options to determine the sample group: by

publisher, by platform, by product size, or random selection. For this project, we decided to

organize the spreadsheet by platform and select one e-book resource from each platform. The

following 25 resources made up the sample group:

1. History Reference Online

2. Digital Library of Classic Protestant Texts

3. Blackwell Reference Online

4. Books24x7 ITPro Collection

5. Cambridge Histories Online

6. Literature Online

7. Perseus Project

8. ebrary

9. ENGnetBASE: Engineering Handbooks Online

10. Eighteenth Century Collections Online

11. Gutenberg-e

12. ACLS Humanities E-Book

13. Knovel

14. Madame Curie Bioscience Database

15. Medieval Sources Online

16. NetLibrary (OCLC)

 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 5

17. SourceOECD

18. Oxford Reference Online

19. Patrologiae Graecae

20. Past Masters

21. Safari Books Online

22. Early English Books Online, 1475-1700

23. Methods in Enzymology

24. Springer Protocols

25. World Bank e-Library

Testing

We tested each mobile device to see whether it could be used to access the e-book resources in

the sample. Using the Amazon Kindle 2.0, Sony Reader, iRex iLiad, and Apple iPod Touch, we

tested the following criteria:

 Could you access e-book using device?

 Could you use an additional method to access Yale licensed e-books on the device (for

instance: bookmark, email, download, copy, or other)?

 What was the format type?

 Rate ability to access using following scale:

1. Able to access, but unreadable, unusable

2. Able to access, may be readable, difficult to view or navigate

 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 6

3. Able to access, fairly readable, content viewable

4. Able to access, overall readable, sized to fit screen and can navigate without

difficulty

5. Able to access, very readable, very easy to view content and navigate

We tested “Could you access e-book using device?” by attempting to directly access Yale’s e-

book resources with each device and its unique features. In the event that we could not directly

access the e-book resources, we tested “Could you use an additional method to access Yale

licensed e-books on the device?” by using a desktop computer to explore whether there was any

means of providing mediated access to the Yale licensed e-book (e.g. bookmark, email,

download, copy, or other), based on our knowledge of the technological functions of each

individual device. Concurrent with this step, we took note of “What was the format type?”

Finally, we “Rate[d] ability to access…” using the above scale grading. The tests were

conducted and results recorded in an Excel workbook with the help of the Electronic Collections

student assistant.

III. Findings

Through testing, we found that 84% of the e-book collections of the Yale University Library

could be accessed using at least one mobile device, specifically, the Apple iPod Touch. The

Apple iPod Touch was the only device that could directly access Yale’s licensed e-books.

Additionally, it had the highest-rated ability to access (64%), compared to the other e-reader
 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 7

devices tested. The tests indicated that the Amazon Kindle 2.0, Sony Reader PRS-500, and iRex

iLiad 2nd edition could technically be used to access 24% of Yale’s e-books, but required

additional methods, intermediate steps, and workarounds; along with a computer connected to

the Yale network, administrator privileges on the computer’s operating system, and custom USB

cable (specific to each individual device). Since the Amazon Kindle 2.0 requires an Amazon

account and charges a fee to convert downloaded files to the proprietary Amazon file format, no

files were accessed using the Amazon Kindle 2.0; though the findings indicated it would be

possible aside from these limitations.

APPLE IPOD AMAZON KINDLE SONY READER

IREX ILIAD 2ND ED.
TOUCH 2.0 PRS-500
Could you access e-book using device?

YES = 21/25 (84%) YES = 0/25 (0%) YES = 0/25 (0%) YES = 0/25 (0%)

NO = 4/25 (16%) NO = 25/25 (100%) NO = 25/25 (100%) NO = 25/25 (100%)

Could you use an additional method to access

YES = 6/25 (24%) YES = 6/25 (24%) YES = 6/25 (24%) YES = 6/25 (24%)
Yale licensed e-books on the device (for
NO = 16/25 (64%) NO = 16/25 (64%) NO = 16/25 (64%) NO = 16/25 (64%)
instance: bookmark, email, download, copy, or
N/A = 3/25 (12%) N/A = 3/25 (12%) N/A = 3/25 (12%) N/A = 3/25 (12%)
other)?

What was the format type? HTML = 10/25 (40%) HTML = 10/25 (40%) HTML = 10/25 (40%) HTML = 10/25 (40%)

HTML/PDF = 4/25 HTML/PDF = 4/25 HTML/PDF = 4/25 HTML/PDF = 4/25

(16%) (16%) (16%) (16%)

PDF = 7/25 (28%) PDF = 7/25 (28%) PDF = 7/25 (28%) PDF = 7/25 (28%)

N/A = 4/25 (16%) N/A = 4/25 (16%) N/A = 4/25 (16%) N/A = 4/25 (16%)
Rate ability to access using following scale:
1. Able to access, but unreadable,
3/25 (12%) 0/25 (0%) 0/25 (0%) 0/25 (0%)
unusable
2. Able to access, may be readable,
2/25 (8%) 0/25 (0%) 0/25 (0%) 0/25 (0%)
difficult to view or navigate
3. Able to access, fairly readable, content
0/25 (0%) 0/25 (0%) 2/25 (8%) 2/25 (8%)
viewable
4. Able to access, overall readable, sized
1/25 (4%) 0/25 (0%) 2/25 (8%) 2/25 (8%)
to fit screen and can navigate without difficulty
5. Able to access, very readable, very easy
16/25 (64%) 0/25 (0%) 10/25 (40%) 10/25 (40%)
to view content and navigate
[Blanks], n/a
3/25 (12%) 25/25 (100%) 11/25 (44%) 11/25 (44%)
 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 8

IV. Next Steps

This test examined the ability to access to e-book collections of the Yale University Library

using four mobile devices. Each device used in this study has unique technological strengths and

weaknesses, and these should be investigated further in the context of enhancing access to

electronic collections at Yale. Next steps should include exploring the specialized applications

of the mobile devices based on the proficiencies of each device. For example, some devices may

be better suited than others to provide access to course reserve, interlibrary loan, reference,

and/or instruction materials. Also suggested is a consideration of alternative acquisition models

to facilitate on-demand downloads and circulation of the devices. Finally, a study on mobile

device use and preferences of the Yale Library community is highly recommended.

V. Conclusion

The advancement of mobile technology will have lasting impact on libraries as patrons

increasingly employ new mobile methods of accessing library collections. Studies such as this

one establish a critical baseline for the development of future services which will meet this

growing demand. At the Yale University Library, the volume of e-book collections more than

doubled over the last five years. There are presently more than 1,000,000 titles in the collection;

and this study indicates that 84%, or approximately 840,000 titles can be accessed using an

Apple iPod Touch or iPhone. Likewise, 24%, or approximately 240,000 titles can be accessed

using the Sony Reader, iRex iLiad, and Amazon Kindle 2.0 (for a small file conversion fee per
 Lisa Carlucci Thomas 9

title). Further research is recommended to obtain information about the types of mobile devices

prevalent on the Yale campus (as of the time of this study, statistics of this type were not being

gathered by the Yale ITS department); the mobile library preferences of the Yale University

Library community; and the usability of iPod Touch and iPhone as e-book readers.

Librarians at Yale and elsewhere must be proactive in exploring these technologies, identifying

the inherent opportunities, and developing the expertise to promote and facilitate access to e-

book collections via mobile devices. Just as we expertly deliver content and services across

format and function, we can demonstrate leadership by promoting mobile access to e-books at

Yale. In order to do so, we must continue to build knowledge locally, expand upon the research

herein, and take the risk of advocating for and implementing innovative and timely mobile

services which support and maximize access to our e-book collections.