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Introduction
From time to time libraries find themselves in the crossroad of change. For the last four decades technology has been the main source driving libraries to its outer limits and boundaries of innovation. More recently, the development of e-books has been forcing libraries to review collection development policies and rethink how they build collections, organize OPACs and how they provide information services to their patrons. All of these factors push libraries to adopt different and innovative collection management strategies.
Academic libraries have traditionally played an important role in providing access to and disseminating information across learning and research communities. That role has now been extended to facilitating access to electronic resources such as e-journals and e-books through innovative technologies. Although both publishers and libraries are unsure about the future for and the impact of e-books, there is increasing awareness that e-books demand further attention ([77] Vassiliou and Rowley, 2008). Studies show that librarians are only partially aware of student's perceptions about e-books and that there are conflicting priorities among students, faculty, and librarians ([74] Soules, 2009, p. 7).
It is in this context that James White Library conducted a research to better understand how students at Andrews University were using the e-textbooks that were being sold at the university's book store. More specifically, the objective was to identify the student's acceptance level and their attitudes and behavior towards e-textbooks (and e-books in general), independently whether or not their teachers had recommended or required their use.
The first major developments in the field of e-books began in the 1970s with Project Gutenberg and the Oxford Text Archive. Project Gutenberg was founded in 1971 by Michael Hart at the University of Illinois. As the use of the internet became more widespread in the late 1980s, book vendors (publishers and aggregators) recognized the possibilities of providing content in digital form.
In 2004, e-books represented the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry. During the first quarter of the year, more than four hundred thousand e-books were sold, representing a 46 percent increase over the previous year's numbers. E-books continue to gain acceptance with some readers, although their place in history is still being determined - fad? Great idea too soon? Wrong approach at any time? The answers partly...