Igniting a passion for reading and research is core business for school libraries, inevitably placing the library at the centre of the 21st century reading and learning experience. It is in this context that digital literature creates some challenging questions for teachers and librarians in schools, while the emergence of digital technology and/or device options also offers a great many opportunities. Collection development in school libraries encompasses an understanding of the need to contextualise these e-literature needs within the learning and teaching experiences in the school. The Australian Library and Information Association’s 2013 statement Future of collections 50:50 predicted that library print and ebook collections in libraries would establish a 50:50 equilibrium by 2020 and that this balance would be maintained for the foreseeable future. This statement from the Australian professional body raised the need to know more about e-collections in school libraries. For teacher librarians in Australian schools, the nature of online collections, and the integration of ebooks into the evolving reading culture is influenced by the range and diversity of texts, interfaces, devices, and experiences available to complement existing print and media collections or services. Management and budget constraints also influence e-collections. By undertaking a review of the literature, a discussion of the education context, and a critical analysis of the trends evidenced by national survey data, this paper presents an overview of the changes and emerging trends in digital literature and ebook collections in school library services in Australia today.

1. SCHOOL OF INFORMATION STUDIES CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY
Literature in digital environments
Judy O’Connell
Key Advisor
Future Pedagogies Project
7 May 2015
Changes and emerging trends in
Australian school libraries
International Association of School Librarianship
Maastricht, The Netherlands, July 2015

2. The goal of a school
library is to respond to
the learning ecology in
the school. This learning
ecology is defined as a
set of contexts
comprised of a unique
configuration of
activities, material
resources, technology
fluencies, and the
interactions that emerge
from them.

3. When it comes to
ebooks, school library
collection development
presents some unique
challenges.

4. ebooks and ereaders are one of the top 10
game changers of the past 25 years
shaping school libraries

5. Electronic texts can be
found in increasing numbers
of school libraries and
classrooms where they are
not only enhancing teaching
and learning; they are also
profoundly changing the
signature pedagogy of
reading literacy instruction.

6. The Australian Curriculum: English aims to
ensure that students ‘listen to, read, view,
speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly
complex and sophisticated spoken, written
and multimodal texts across a growing range
of contexts with accuracy, fluency and
purpose’.

7. To address this national expectation it is
imperative that ebooks are incorporated into
school reading and literature programs, as
well as being available for students’ personal
reading choices. How well school libraries are
addressing this challenge is influenced by a
number of factors.

8. Unpacking the definition of ebooks to explore
multimodal texts is useful when considering the
take-­up of ebooks in schools and their place within
the digital reading environment.
creative commons licensed(BY-NC-SA) flickr photo by kassemmounhem:http://flickr.com/photos/122638947@N08/13889171653

9. What are ebooks?
• ebooks are electronic version of print books
• can be read or listened to on an eReader, tablet
or computer
• may have tools for bookmarking and note-
taking
• offer embedded multimedia elements, and
interactive features such as oral reading
• may included related games, support websites
or provide test reading experiences
• may provide multimodal, multimedia non-linear
stories that involve active participation

10. ebooks in learning
creative commons licensed (BY-SA) flickr photo by Atos International: http://flickr.com/photos/atosorigin/11116578645
Each type of ebook has a place along the
learning continuum
Embracing ebooks requires a shift in
understanding how children interpret
digital media and navigate in a digital
environment
Address pedagogical goals, and identify
what the digital experience can offer that
print does not.

11. The survey, 50:50 by 2020
Ebook Trends in Australian
Schools, generated 456
responses

12. etextbooks

13. enhanced ebooks or apps

14. ebooks in a schools’ collection

15. Issues in collection
development

16. Being aware of the range of existing and
emerging issues is an important part of
collection development, and survey responses
reveal disparate levels of awareness amongst
school library staff

17. 61% of schools indicated that they had
insufficient technology to support one-to-one
access for personal reading, and 58% cited a
limited budget for ebook infrastructure.
Cost and technology

18. However, according to the respondents in the
50:50 by 2020 Survey there remain significant
issues related to ICT infrastructure and access
in a number of Australian schools.
Cost and technology

19. budgeting for ebooks

20. selection
Collection development
and making choices
between providers is
another challenge for
school library staff faced
with selection of
eresources.

21. adoption and use of ebooks
Survey respondents indicated:
• a strong relationship between access to an
ereading device and use of eresources.
• the importance of getting teachers on
board, with an ongoing need for
professional learning for staff coming to
terms with digital content.

22. The promotion of
eresources is a constant
challenge!

23. As a foundational element of schooling, learning to read
and reading to learn will remain as important in 2020 as
it has ever been!

24. Developing ecollections for 2020 school
libraries requires skills and expertise
beyond the traditional bibliographic
paradigm, encompassing digital
licensing and contract negotiation,
budgets, formats, device storage and
management, as well as an up-to-date
understanding of the publishing industry.

25. The issues that schools face fall into three
main categories:
i) the ebook genre and purpose;
ii) the infrastructure required to make ebooks
accessible, and,
iii) the technology required to read the texts.

26. Complexities around the range of ebook
formats are amplified when one factors in
reading purposes, ranging from teaching
literacy skills, supporting curriculum
programs (factual and class literature) and
personal reading.

27. Repositories and retrieval issues are complex
and one solution rarely meets the varied needs,
formats and legal requirements of schools.
Options include subscription services to third
party providers providing internet pathways to
free ebooks or downloading free or purchased
ebooks in a readable format for storage on the
school’s network.

28. Subscription services may not easily integrate
with the library catalogue, and downloaded
resources require cataloguing to support access
with consideration of digital rights protocols or
multi-user licences as management issues.

29. Management of enhanced ebook apps is
restrained by provider protocols and often
requires individual management on each device.

30. The library needs to facilitate home access and
establish methods to promote ebooks in new
and exciting ways.
Where devices such as tablets are integrated
into schools’ teaching and learning practices,
ebook reading is becoming part of the fabric of
schooling.

31. While there is evidence that collections are
changing in response to the need to
support ereading within teaching and
learning, there is an indication that many
school library collections may not be
adequately meeting the expectations
articulated in the Australian Curriculum.

32. The challenge for school libraries is to move
beyond the practicalities of ebook collection
management to the promotion of services that
address the needs of pedagogy and
curriculum.

33. heyjudeonline
Judy O’Connell
http://judyoconnell.com
Judy O’Connell