The future of e-textbooks in higher education

Two staff members of the Department of Marketing Management, Prof Melanie Wiese and Ms Giselle du Plessis, were invited as speakers at the South African National Library and Information Consortium’s (SANLiC’s) annual conference, held 19-20 May 2015 in Johannesburg, with more than 120 member delegates, 22 speakers and 25 exhibitors in attendance.  

The theme of Prof Wiese en Ms Du Plessis’ session was ‘E-books’ and they presented the topic ‘The battle of the e-textbook’, based on their research and article published in the South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science, entitled ‘The battle of the e-textbooks: libraries’ role in facilitating student acceptance and use of e-textbooks’.

The results of their study showed that students have access to the needed devices to utilise e-books. They also have the skills needed to make use of e-textbooks, as well as a very positive attitude towards e-textbooks. Unfortunately, despite these positive aspects, it does not necessarily result in usage. Students still prefer the familiarity and tangibility of printed textbooks. Thus, there is a challenge for both academics and libraries to make students not only aware of e-books in general, but also encourage the uptake by emphasising the usefulness and benefits of e-textbooks.

SANLiC is a not-for-profit company serving the interests of its member libraries, which include the South African higher education libraries and the national research institution libraries.