Ebooks in higher education: a strategic priority?

Abstract

As students’ demands change, a transition to the print book’s successor, the ebook, therefore seems both necessary and inevitable. This publication by Jisc Collections describes very lucidly the current state of such a transition. Through some really eye-opening examples, we see how ebooks have been incorporated successfully into educational practice, improving the learning experience for students, particularly students with disabilities and distance learners. We see exciting partnerships with research institutes, the development and promotion of an ebook app, the creation of an open living book, and new collaborations with ebook publishers and vendors to provide access to e-textbooks to students. Such success stories reflect well on e-books more generally, showing us that they are reaching the level of maturity needed for widespread adoption. And the benefits here extend beyond the purely practical, as described neatly by the University of Leicester who recognise that ebooks can help them improve teaching, reduce costs and enhance the student educational experience. If the encouraging stories told in this publication reveal anything, it is that ebooks are perhaps even more necessary and inevitable than previously thought. But in examining the situation further, we are acquainted with some of the significant challenges that ebooks have yet to overcome, most chiefly around functionality, curation and access. These challenges are not insignificant and should not be underestimated. One of the most pressing of these is the challenge of delivering open access to research publications, maximising their potential readership and impact on wider society. Open access has its own distinctive drivers and opportunities, as have been outlined here by Peter Suber, and are fully recognised by HEFCE in our own policy for open access in the next REF exercise. But open access for books has substantial cultural, technological and financial challenges, many of which are not well understood. I am also delighted that this publication will be followed up in 2015 by a much-anticipated report by Professor Geoffrey Crossick on the opportunities and challenges for monographs and open access, which will help to illuminate our understanding of this difficult area. In the 21st century, universities must be at the forefront of embracing the opportunities brought about by new technologies as well as understanding and overcoming their limitations. For these reasons, I warmly welcome this new publication on ebooks in education, which sheds much-needed light on the significant opportunities for ebooks to transform and improve the learning experience for students. Throughout this publication the inventiveness and perspicacity shown by academics and librarians to deliver improvements to education by embracing the opportunities of ebooks are striking. It is clear that the future of ebooks in higher education is in safe hands.