Sejati E-Learning Center Librarie Should Provide More Books Rather Than Invest In New

Technology Such As E-books and E-jounals

Mr Ho Tat Chiang
Head of Department
8 October 2015

To

Ho Tat Chiang, Head of Department

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From
Date

:
:

Ling Nguk Fung, Head of Librarian

8 October 2015

Subject

Sejati E-Learning Center Librarie Should Provide More Books

Rather Than Invest In New Technology Such As E-Books And EJournals.

1.0

INTRODUCTION

In the 21st century, with the development of the Internet and the use of tools of advanced
technology has brought transformation to our lives. The use of concepts such as E-shopping, elearning, e-banking, e-ticketing, e-mail, e-journal, e-government, e-billing and e-book are having
great impact in our daily life. With technology surrounding us, it does have powerful effect on
our daily lives either socially, economically and in our education especially in the books we read.
Basically, there are two particularly types of books we would engage with:
Firstly, Traditional paper or printed books;
Secondly, Electronic books (e-books), which can be viewed on a computer or on tablets.
There are hundreds and thousands of articles in magazines, newspapers and advertisements that
trying to draw our attention to the advantages of the so called e ways of living our lives. This
includes the shifting habit from reading printed books to e-books. As we search on the Internet,
we will notice that there are so many college libraries that have adopted e-book collections on a
large scale. It is also so easy to locate any information on the advantages of e-books online. On
the other hands, the challenges or the disadvantages of e-book can be hardly found as we click on
the Google search.
As a librarian in charge, I would like to present a report on why Sejati E-Learning Center
Librarie should provide more books rather than invest in new technology such as e-books and
e-journals. The objective of this report is not to discourage the appropriate use of e-books but it
is written to librarians and management of our center of the problems associated with investing
in large-scale of e-books in the academic environment.

I believe this report will be useful for our E-learning center when considering of investing in
new technology such as e-books and e-journal instead of traditional printed books. This report
may serves as a background for senior administrators who see the advantages of e-books but who
fail to see the way how e-books are actually different from other online resources.
In this report, I will describe the present situation, identification of problems and a description of
the need for changes, the costs involved and expected benefits when our library provide more
books rather than invest in new technology such as e-books and e-journals.

2.0

PRESENT SITUATION

Today, Internet seems to play a major role in every aspect of our lives especially in
communication. It is a great invention. For instance, communicating with someone even abroad
or oversea, via a simple email we can send mails to reach others in just few minutes. Lately,
several company budgets were used for digital reading resources such as eBook and e-journals. It
may seem that more and more people would prefer eBooks for reading rather than paper or
printed books. E-Books are electronic books in electronic format usually downloaded to a
computer, PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone or any other kind of reading device, and is read on the
monitor. Like printed books, EBook also consist of numbered pages, table of contents, pictures
and graphics, exactly like a paper book. It can be downloading and purchase through the Internet.
However, it is questionable that whether a person could learn as much as reading from printed
books. Furthermore, the number of hours one has to spend in front of the computer screen is also
another concern. Undoubtedly, there are pros and cons; advantages and disadvantages; negative
and positive effect of eBooks in regards to our public library.

In addition to that, there are also reports showing that our readers are not utilizing these
resources fully. Usages of eBooks are relatively low. Both students and staff generally liked
eBooks and many had used eBooks in their subject area, but not within the context of resources
for courses. Most would still prefer the library to purchase books in both print and eBooks.
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One of the main reasons for this is that students do not have easy access to the electronic
resources. They prefer to read print books because it is less hassle. E-books has different
definitions from different sources. According Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, e-book
is defined as an electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a computer or a
specifically designed handheld device. Today Internet is becoming very popular. Nowadays more
and more people prefer eBooks for reading only because of Internet as it can be less time
consuming. For students, they prefer internet for increasing their knowledge. You can download
these books directly from internet. Some book are available free of cost on various websites.
Thus, it's to be expected that although eBook become the additional common and wide used
variety of reference materials, paper books can still exist. Some people assert that the future of
written textbook is going to be just like the fate of cassettes which is so popular in the 70s and
80s. Once CDs 1st became known, there have been still several people who do not abandon
container players and tapes. Nevertheless, eventually, CDs apparently became increasingly
popular and used. In the case of paper or printed textbooks versus eBook, several are still
thinking it is not possible for written textbooks to become obsolete and abandon. However, many
would carry the view that those Library that only provides paper and printed books and materials
are considered outdated. Many feel that there is a need to upgrade our library in terms of technology
such as providing more computer software, videos, DVDs for library users. One of possible reasons

eBook is popular comparing to paper book; it could be that not everybody is able to purchase
more printed or paper books. EBook are easily available on the internet. You can save your time
in searching for the books you are interested and wants to purchase. Sometimes, you can easily
download these books directly from internet. Some book can even be free of charge on various
websites. EBook is also easy to store and doesnt requires more space whereas paper books
would need big bookshelves and relatively big area for storage. Hundreds and thousands of
eBooks can easily be installed on your computer or laptop. Furthermore, you can often find free
eBooks online, whereas for paper books, you will always need to pay for them. With an eBook,
you can easily change the lettering or the size of your font to suit the comfort of your reading.
With an eBook, you can just adjust the font size and continue reading. Thus, this is also a great
feature for those who need large print books. Purchasing and download eBooks is very simple
and easy over the Internet like purchasing any other product.
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Often, after payments has been made you will be directed to certain link and website and all you
have to do is click on the link and the eBook will automatically download to your computer, to a
folder of your own choice. Usually, after downloaded you can read them offline and also easily
make copies by printing them. Information can be obtained easily from eBooks too by merely
Google the related topics and titles you would like to search and acquire. Another good thing
about EBooks is that it is portable and you can copy them on CD, pen- drive, in a laptop,
notebook or any eBook reader, without worrying about their weight. Multimedia is, in many
ways, indeed superior to the books in terms of entertainment, attraction, and functionality. It
helps assist and provide people to have a first-hand experience even though they have not
physically visited or seen the objects which are introduced in the books. Even though there are
many great aspects and positive factors that surround E-Books but we cant deny the fact that
there are also some negative factors and challenges related to eBooks in regards to our libraries.
Libraries still face numerous challenges in their decision-making process as to whether to adopt
e-readers or continue to invest on print books.
3.0

PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED

a)

Rapid Change of E-readets and Cost Involved

Some libraries invested in e-readers as soon as they appeared on the market. Public libraries and
those academic libraries with budgets large enough to sustain e-reader-specific collection
development observed heavy circulation of the devices. E-reader models are changing rapidly.
Look at the record, within four years, the Amazon Kindle has evolved three times. The Amazon
Kindle is a series of e-book readers designed and marketed by Amazon.com. Amazon Kindle
devices enable users to shop for, download, browse, and read e-books, newspapers, magazines
and other digital media via wireless networking. Its third-generation model can now access PDFs
through e-mail, although higher quality resolution is limited to its proprietary e-books. The Sony
Reader has also gone through at least one model change per year, and even the Barnes & Noble
Nook, within two years, has developed a new model that can read e-books in color. The Barnes

& Noble Nook is a brand of e-readers developed by American book retailer Barnes & Noble,
based on the Android platform.
As new versions of the three main brands of e-readers appear on the market nearly every year,
with upgrades to existing features or completely new features to improve accessibility, libraries
may need to continue to upgrade their hardware to be compatible. The relevance of an e-reader
device for an academic library will depend on the number of e-book formats it can upload and
the number of sources from where the device can upload an e-book in the first place. Insufficient
funding is the most frequently cited reason for the lack of investment by libraries in e-readers.
EBooks reader can be costly. For readers to access into eBooks on a computer or laptop, certain
software programs are needed and will need to be compatible with the computer or device used.
E-book selection, acquisition, and management can be complex and expensive. Some of this
software programs are either free or commercialized programs where you need to purchase
them. EBook can cost more than printed books. Many would assume that the low prices of mass
market e-books and assuming that the same pattern must hold true for scholarly titles. There is
also an assumption that e-books are less expensive for publishers to produce. That assumption is
usually inaccurate. However, the writing, editing, and formatting processes are the same whether
the final product is issued in print, in digital format, or both.
E-Books have their own unique costs such as online hosting, server and network maintenance,
reformatting for multiple platforms or file formats, customer service, and technical support.
Sometimes we will need to pay a much higher price to purchase an eBooks. Thus, the library
might need to have a financial budget and allocation each year to either purchase new software
or upgrade the existing one. Additional computer will need to be purchased for more readers to
be able to read eBook. This will increase the financial burden of the Management. Furthermore,
some material might only be accessible to readers unless it is connected to internet. Electronic
devices such as computers are also vulnerable to failures, and malfunction. This would increase
the maintenance charges for the library computers each year. A paper book can be read without
worrying that the words on the page will disappear. E-Book readers might experience frustration
if there is a power failure and spoiled batteries on the computer. Technically there are risks
involved too.
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b)

Not Every Latest Book Released Is On Digital Format

Building a strong e-book collection is difficult, however, since many academic titles are not
available in any e-book format. This has been a major factor in librarians reluctance to commit
to e-book collections because most e-book publishers and vendors focus on popular titles rather
than the academic market. Scholarly titles account for just one-tenth of all e-books. Moreover,
the major library e-book vendors also offer just a fraction of the titles that academic librarians are
likely to need.
Though many materials and articles can be easily found online, yet not every book published is
put into a digital format especially the new bestselling book. They are usually release in
paperback form and not in digital form. In addition to that, several academic or scholarly titles
are not available in any e-book format. Licensing issues can influence the availability of e-books
across national boundaries.This has been one of the major factors that many Libraries are
reluctance to commit totally to e-book collections. The absence of reliable selection tools also
remains a significant problem for majority in identifying the e-books that are most relevant for
academic libraries.Preserving of eBooks can be complicated because each e-book consists of
several distinct elements such as the content and formatting of the work itself, the file format, the
software needed to access and use the file, the operating system needed to run the software, and
hardware compatible with the operating system.

c)

E-books Needs Constant Checking For Security Vulnerabilities

Libraries must be safe from security threats and vulnerability. Library collections are broad and
varied. A socio-economic advancement. Gelfand (2005) calls the library, the only centralized
location where new and emerging information technologies can be combined with knowledge
resources in a user-focused, services-rich environment that supports today's social and
educational patterns of learning, teaching and research.
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Libraries are faced with the

challenges of managing resources and are challenged to acquire the necessary skills. One
challenge is the issue of collection security for print and non-print resources.
Chaney and MacDougall (1994) state that, collections are very vulnerable to abuse of one sort
or another and library managers need to keep this characteristic well to the forefront of the
library. In order to ensure effective use and longevity, an effective program of collection
security is necessary. This program must include assessment of collection security issues and the
measures use in curbing security breaches as adopted by the Malaysian university libraries to
curb security breaches. Every computer program can be risky to the computer when it is
connected to the internet, vulnerable for attack by virus and spyware. Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware
and Spyware may change registry information.
Basically, the registry is the components that allow a program to work. Thus, anytime a software
program is updated, the registry entry will change. Often times after an update, the registry will
allow the program to continue running. If the library is planning to increase the usage of eReaders and EBooks, staff and users should have adequate knowledge of the importance of how
to monitor and supervise all the electronic devices used. Any carelessness will eventually make
the program malfunction or infected by certain virus. The user may not understand the change,
mistake the update for a virus, and deny a crucial registry change that allows the E-Book reader
to work. Extra cost will be involved in providing training and upgrading our staff with computer
knowledge. Computers maybe abused by users but paper books help people to focus and
concentrate. Reading online tends to distract readers from searching for new books, visit
websites, and look up links rather than focus on the books they are reading.
c)

Physiological Effect

Prolong reading and focusing on a computer screen can actually affect our eyes and cause
headaches and even mild migraine. This is one of the physiological effects of watching too much
computer. Our eyes can become strained and fatigued though it won't permanently damage your
eyes. Possible Symptoms of eyestrain may include headache, tired eyes, light sensitivity,
temporary blurred or double vision and sore or itchy eyes. Eye strains can also lead to reduction
in productivity and ability to concentrate and may even negatively impact our eyesight. As the
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presence of technology increases, so do the chances for our vision to worsen. While difficulty in
reading from the screen for extended periods of time was the main reason for disliking eBooks.
Few would read an entire eBook on the screen.
d)

The Piracy Problem of E-book

Software piracy is the illegal copying, distribution, or use of software and it affects the author
and Publisher. There will always be some people make our library eBooks for free download on
some torrent site or any other. This can be a very serious issue among author and publisher and
causes significant lost revenue for publishers, which in turn results in higher prices for the
consumer. Reports from the Business Software Alliance (BSA), who is a watchdog group
dedicated to fighting software piracy, reported that about 36% of all software in current use is
stolen.
Software piracy would include firstly, Soft-lifting in which you borrow and install a copy of a
software application from a colleague. It could be Client-server overuse. You installed more
copies of the software than you have licenses for. It can be Hard-disk loading in which you
install and sell unauthorized copies of software on refurbished or new computers. Counterfeiting
is also a form of software piracy, duplicating and selling copyrighted programs. Thus, this could
be a possible issue Library would need to face when having multimedia facilities in the library.

4.0

CONCLUSION

Generally, most of these challenges could be deal to the lack of uniformity in license terms, lease
conditions, access restrictions, and librarians expectations. Discussions of e-books often time
focus on the technological possibilities of the medium. But those possibilities are likely to be
realized only to the extent that they advance the economic goals of e-book suppliers and fit into
the legal framework that has been negotiated over time by publishers, vendors, libraries, and
readers. Librarians have an important role in shaping the e-book environment, especially since
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publishers have yet to agree on the best ways of providing and marketing e-books to academic
libraries.
Majority would felt that academic e-books will be successful perhaps only when publishers and
vendors adopt a business model that maintains their revenue while meeting the needs of libraries
and their patrons; or when the e-book becomes as sophisticated, fashionable and attractive as the
e-journal, without having peculiar features or formats that complicate readers and the content
they seek; or and when librarians make e-books easier for library user to identify and access.
Do schools, colleges and the public need libraries and do students need books? Of course they
do. There are the: Not everything is digitized yet, nor soon will be. A screen is less conducive to
deep concentration than the stillness of the page. I am among those who believe that in time, and
maybe soon, these arguments will be easily overcome than they do now. But Im also aware of
how deeply books, and metaphors of books, have penetrated our design of digital documents and
digital reading. Books and libraries are working models of knowledge formation. They are
hands-on. They are immersive. In the digital world, that proximity is less about geographical
locale than about licensing, digital rights management, and affordability; but all the more reason
for readers and library users to know that not everything is always within reach of a mouse. I
hope this proposal will benefit our organization and will inspired the management to consider
seriously in putting more investment on printed or paper books instead of merely focusing on
eBooks and e-Journals.

References

David Nicholas. Hamid R. Jamali. Ian Rowlands. Paul Huntington (2007). What Do Faculty And
Students Really Think About E-Books? [Online]. Available:
http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~uczciro/findings.pdf [5 October 2015].
Genevieve Marie Johnson (2014). Electronic Books Versus Paper Books Pre-Service Teacher
Preference for University Students and Recreational Reading. [Online].
Available: https://www.arcjournals.org/pdfs/ijhsse/v1-i8/3.pdf [5 October 2015].
Gonca Cumaoglu. Esra Sacici & Kerem Torun (2013). E-Book Versus Printed Materials:
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Preferences Of University Students [Online]. Available:

http://cedtech.net/articles/42/423.pdf [5 October 2015].
Murat Yalman (2014). Preserve Teachers Views About E-Books and Their Levels Of Use Of EBooks. [Online]. Available:http://www.tojet.net/articles/v13i2/13214.pdf [5 October
2015].
The Joint Information Systems Committee (2003). Promoting The Uptake Of E-Books In Higher
And Further Eduction. [Online]. Available:
http://observatory.jiscebooks.org/files/2011/01/Promoting-the-uptake-of-ebooks.pdf [5
October 2015].
Tosun Nilgun (2014).A Study On Reading Printed Books or E Books : Reasons For StudentTeachers Preferences. [Online]. Available:http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1018172 [5 October
2015]

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