Re-inventing the e-book: how tablets increased e-book take-up at Bern University

  • Gerhard Bissels Universitätsbibliothek, Universität Bern, Fachbereichsbibliothek Bühlplatz, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern 8, Switzerland.

Abstract


This paper reports how at Bern University the medical library services successfully used the tablet platform to significantly improve students’ acceptance of e-books and other e-resources.Although Bern University had closed its main medical library with the loss of its print monograph collection, students until recently rejected e-books as too inconvenient for intense revision. Only when over the last two years tablets became part of students’ basic toolkit, and the library selected e-books, apps, interface and ancillary software to work with tablets, e-books became more palatable to readers.

References

1. International Federation of Library Associations
and Institutions Section on Acquisition and
Collection Development. Guidelines for a
collection development policy using the
conspectus model [Internet]. International
Federation of Library Associations (IFLA);
2001. Available from: http://www.ifla.org/files/assets/acquisition-collectiondevelopment/publications/gcdp-en.pdf

2. Omori JSM, Wong VS, Nishimura S. Medical
school hotline: Enhancing problem-based
learning with technology: the introduction of
iPads into the John A. Burns School of Medicine
Curriculum. J Med. 2013 Oct;72(10):362-4.

3. Shurtz S, von Isenburg M. Exploring e-readers
to support clinical medical education: two case
studies. J Med Libr Assoc JMLA. 2011 Apr;99(2):110-7.

4. Obst O. The iPad is the successor of the printed
textbook. Rome; 2014. Available from:
http://www.iss.it/binary/eahi/cont/17_Oliver_Obst.pdf

5. Obst O. Wissens-Wiki: "Das 1. Staatsexamen
einfach bestehen – mit der Tablet-Toolbox
Easyphysikum” [Internet]. [cited 2015 Apr 29].
Available from: http://medbib.klinikum.unimuenster.de/wiki/EasyPhysikum

6. iPhone und Android: Smartphone-Marktanteile
in der Schweiz 2014 [Internet]. comparis.ch.
[cited 2015 Apr 27]. Available from:
https://www.comparis.ch/telecom/mobile/news/2014/02/smartphone-markt-2014-iphoneandroid.aspx

7. PaperShip [Internet]. [cited 2015 Apr 29].
Available from: http://www.papershipapp.com

8. goodreader.com :: products :: GoodReader
[Internet]. [cited 2015 Apr 29]. Available from:
http://goodreader.com/

9. iPublishCentral [Internet]. [cited 2015 Apr 29].
Available from: http://ipublishcentral.com/

10.MIAMED AMBOSS [Internet]. [cited 2015 Apr 30]. Available from: http://www.miamed.de/amboss

11.Institut für medizinische und pharmazeutische
Prüfungsfragen (IMPP) - Internetseiten des
IMPP [Internet]. [cited 2015 Apr 30]. Available
from:
https://www.impp.de/internet/de/Home.html

12.Meet BrowZineTM [Internet]. [cited 2015 Apr
30]. Available from: http://thirdiron.com/browzine/

13.Brekel G van den. DigiCMB: Central Medical
Library keeps Journal App ‘BrowZine’!
[Internet]. [cited 2014 Dec 10]. Available from:
http://digicmb.blogspot.ch/2013/07/central-medical-library-keeps-journal.html
Published
2016-03-08
How to Cite
1.
Bissels G. Re-inventing the e-book: how tablets increased e-book take-up at Bern University. JEAHIL [Internet]. 8Mar.2016 [cited 28Mar.2024];11(2). Available from: http://ojs.eahil.eu/ojs/index.php/JEAHIL/article/view/40
Section
Feature Articles