E-Book Collections in High School Libraries: Factors Influencing Circulation and Usage

When school librarians justify the purchase of electronic books (e-books) for their collections, they need to understand e-book usage patterns and whether or not e-books are meeting the recreational and informational needs of their students and teachers. Although a sizeable body of research is available examining the circulation and usage of e-books in academic and public libraries, there has yet to be a scientific study examining these variables in high school libraries. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of high school e-book collections through the analysis of circulation data and interviews with school librarians. A Relative Use Factor analysis was conducted. Quantitative results revealed that e-book circulation represented a significantly low total circulation for most of the high school libraries examined. Analysis of the interviews revealed commonalities and differences between e-book collections. Findings suggested that purchasing practices and marketing strategies can have a considerable impact on the circulation and use of e-books in high school libraries.